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Uncovering Ecstasy
Is ecstasy harmful or helpful? The answer depends on whom you ask.
By Marc Levenson, Tech Live
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It's one of the most abused illegal drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, as many as 12 percent of teen-agers may have used it, and there's concern that some may even be addicted. It's the reason for more than 6,000 emergency room visits and more than 60 deaths each year.
It's MDMA -- also known as ecstasy -- and it's on the verge of being used in a clinical trial to treat psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
It's also widely known as a club drug, or as the rave drug. It's an illegal amphetamine that gives ravers a feel-good high and the energy and stamina to party all night long.
So why would any sane doctor want to give it to patients? Find out, tonight on "Tech Live."
Pushing for FDA trial
Rick Doblin, head of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), defends the pursuit of medical ecstasy.
He knows what ecstasy can do because he's tried it.
"The first time I tried MDMA I felt it had incredible potential for a wide range, not just as a tool for psychotherapy, but as a tool for personal growth and personal insight," he says.
Doblin and his MAPS staff have convinced the FDA to launch a phase two clinical trial in which a pure form of ecstasy would be given to people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the fear and depression that often grips victims of trauma and abuse.
"There are risks associated with MDMA, but the risks of MDMA used in a clinical context are minimal," Doblin says.
One reason is that ecstasy sold on the street or in clubs is often impure or taken with other drugs or alcohol. And bad ecstasy may lead to bad reactions.
The clinical trial would involve strict supervision and control to ensure the drug is properly administered and that patients are monitored for reactions.
It just feels good
The reaction that some veterans of the '60s drug culture might expect is "pure love."
Myron Stolaroff is the author of several books about psychedelic drugs, including "Thanatos to Eros," which documents the real-life experiences of people who credit ecstasy with restoring peace and contentment to their lives.
"We found that about 70 percent of the people who tried it immediately had this marvelous euphoric reaction," Stolaroff says.
As users and defenders explain, MDMA stimulates the brain to produce a feeling of empathy for others and understanding of oneself. It's the empathetic quality that some psychiatrists feel makes MDMA a perfect drug for helping feuding couples regain love and understanding for each other.
But there are unsettling concerns that remain prominent enough to prompt the DEA to hold up the ecstasy trial. The FDA has cleared a doctor in South Carolina to test the drug on volunteers, but the DEA refuses to grant a license for the drug's use.
"All we need is three grams, 24 doses, and for 10 months," Doblin says. The DEA has been trying to delay giving him the license to do the study.
DEA isn't talking
The DEA refuses to publicly discuss its concerns. But studies suggest that long-term MDMA usage may cause memory loss and even addiction.
Even if the government controls the supply of ecstasy, skeptics wonder if the government could ever halt the ecstasy underground.
"Do you want a 14-year-old person consuming this on Saturday night, unsupervised at a dance?" asks Dr. John Mendelson, a psychiatric researcher at the University of California at San Francisco and an internist at San Francisco's St. Francis Hospital. "I think these are major issues.... It's going to be hard to envision a situation where you can give it safely and easily on a background of such intense, illicit abuse."
Even without medical concerns, there remain questions about whether there's an incentive for the drug industry to manufacture MDMA. The drug was discovered and patented by Merck in 1912, and that patent has long since expired. Without exclusive marketing rights, there's no windfall profit potential for any one company. However, Doblin expects to circumvent the patent issue by having MAPS manufacture the drug on its own.
"We have incentives to manufacture it for psychotherapists and psychiatrists around the world," Doblin says.
As far as competing with psychiatric drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft, Doblin insists that MDMA wouldn't take any business away from pharmaceutical giants but only add another option for psychiatrists to treat their patients.
Doblin is chasing a dream that started 18 years ago when he was a Harvard graduate student. He credits his experience with MDMA for his determination to succeed.
"I've learned so much from MDMA that I feel that I want to give something back," he says.
People like Doblin may get that chance, if the government ever gives its approval.
Originally aired May 29, 2003
Modified May 30, 2003
http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3439911,00.html
It's one of the most abused illegal drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, as many as 12 percent of teen-agers may have used it, and there's concern that some may even be addicted. It's the reason for more than 6,000 emergency room visits and more than 60 deaths each year.
One reason is that ecstasy sold on the street or in clubs is often impure or taken with other drugs or alcohol. And bad ecstasy may lead to bad reactions.
Those are my 2 favorite paragraphs.
Is ecstasy harmful or helpful? The answer depends on whom you ask.
By Marc Levenson, Tech Live
Printer-friendly format
Email this story
It's one of the most abused illegal drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, as many as 12 percent of teen-agers may have used it, and there's concern that some may even be addicted. It's the reason for more than 6,000 emergency room visits and more than 60 deaths each year.
It's MDMA -- also known as ecstasy -- and it's on the verge of being used in a clinical trial to treat psychological conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
It's also widely known as a club drug, or as the rave drug. It's an illegal amphetamine that gives ravers a feel-good high and the energy and stamina to party all night long.
So why would any sane doctor want to give it to patients? Find out, tonight on "Tech Live."
Pushing for FDA trial
Rick Doblin, head of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), defends the pursuit of medical ecstasy.
He knows what ecstasy can do because he's tried it.
"The first time I tried MDMA I felt it had incredible potential for a wide range, not just as a tool for psychotherapy, but as a tool for personal growth and personal insight," he says.
Doblin and his MAPS staff have convinced the FDA to launch a phase two clinical trial in which a pure form of ecstasy would be given to people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the fear and depression that often grips victims of trauma and abuse.
"There are risks associated with MDMA, but the risks of MDMA used in a clinical context are minimal," Doblin says.
One reason is that ecstasy sold on the street or in clubs is often impure or taken with other drugs or alcohol. And bad ecstasy may lead to bad reactions.
The clinical trial would involve strict supervision and control to ensure the drug is properly administered and that patients are monitored for reactions.
It just feels good
The reaction that some veterans of the '60s drug culture might expect is "pure love."
Myron Stolaroff is the author of several books about psychedelic drugs, including "Thanatos to Eros," which documents the real-life experiences of people who credit ecstasy with restoring peace and contentment to their lives.
"We found that about 70 percent of the people who tried it immediately had this marvelous euphoric reaction," Stolaroff says.
As users and defenders explain, MDMA stimulates the brain to produce a feeling of empathy for others and understanding of oneself. It's the empathetic quality that some psychiatrists feel makes MDMA a perfect drug for helping feuding couples regain love and understanding for each other.
But there are unsettling concerns that remain prominent enough to prompt the DEA to hold up the ecstasy trial. The FDA has cleared a doctor in South Carolina to test the drug on volunteers, but the DEA refuses to grant a license for the drug's use.
"All we need is three grams, 24 doses, and for 10 months," Doblin says. The DEA has been trying to delay giving him the license to do the study.
DEA isn't talking
The DEA refuses to publicly discuss its concerns. But studies suggest that long-term MDMA usage may cause memory loss and even addiction.
Even if the government controls the supply of ecstasy, skeptics wonder if the government could ever halt the ecstasy underground.
"Do you want a 14-year-old person consuming this on Saturday night, unsupervised at a dance?" asks Dr. John Mendelson, a psychiatric researcher at the University of California at San Francisco and an internist at San Francisco's St. Francis Hospital. "I think these are major issues.... It's going to be hard to envision a situation where you can give it safely and easily on a background of such intense, illicit abuse."
Even without medical concerns, there remain questions about whether there's an incentive for the drug industry to manufacture MDMA. The drug was discovered and patented by Merck in 1912, and that patent has long since expired. Without exclusive marketing rights, there's no windfall profit potential for any one company. However, Doblin expects to circumvent the patent issue by having MAPS manufacture the drug on its own.
"We have incentives to manufacture it for psychotherapists and psychiatrists around the world," Doblin says.
As far as competing with psychiatric drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft, Doblin insists that MDMA wouldn't take any business away from pharmaceutical giants but only add another option for psychiatrists to treat their patients.
Doblin is chasing a dream that started 18 years ago when he was a Harvard graduate student. He credits his experience with MDMA for his determination to succeed.
"I've learned so much from MDMA that I feel that I want to give something back," he says.
People like Doblin may get that chance, if the government ever gives its approval.
Originally aired May 29, 2003
Modified May 30, 2003
http://www.techtv.com/news/scitech/story/0,24195,3439911,00.html
It's one of the most abused illegal drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency, as many as 12 percent of teen-agers may have used it, and there's concern that some may even be addicted. It's the reason for more than 6,000 emergency room visits and more than 60 deaths each year.
One reason is that ecstasy sold on the street or in clubs is often impure or taken with other drugs or alcohol. And bad ecstasy may lead to bad reactions.
Those are my 2 favorite paragraphs.
