What's Different About MDMA for PTSD?

MDMA may be approved for the treatment of PTSD very shortly. Here's what's different about this treatment approach. #PTSD #psychiatricmedications #depression #MDMAtherapy #psychedelicmedicine
Learn more: maps.org/mdma/

[@Jannietime1]

I think this would be fine for new patients who haven't had their nervous systems damaged by psych meds.

[@kassi4837]

Possibly. Personally deeply skeptical it wouldn't end up damaging their nervous systems either.

[@nickc.5783]

From the injury I got from antidepressants, I’m also more hesitant about drugs; but I also know psychedelics interact with the nervous system different than typical psychiatric drugs. From what I know I’ve never heard of someone getting akathisia from them but more research would definitely be needed.

[@SimeonKirilovX]

If you check the depersonalisation subreddit and other forums at least 80% of the people there got their mental health issues precisely because of ecstasy, weed, magic mushrooms and Ayahuasca.

[@mrjl5253]

My personal opinion, our brains are the most addictive organ in our bodies. They love “junk”, as in cigarettes, junk food, alcohol, caffeine, opioids, morphine, benzos, ecstasy, marijuana , cocaine, crack……abusive relationships (? Ok joke! ) We need to use our good judgement to override it. MDMA, unless it’s absolutely and medically necessary. Jus one man’s opinion.

[@1littleway]

If I thought it would help me taper off my benzo I would try it but there is no proof. Hopefully someday they will come up with something to help benzo injured people.

[@samsula123]

I did this! I have PTSD from childhood abuse and was suicidally depressed and on meds most of my life. I did ONE session with MDMA and Psilocybin with my therapist and I’m off all my medications and my depression, for the first time in my life, is gone. I’m no longer triggered by almost anything and it got rid of all my suicidal thoughts. I hope they legalize it!

[@taperclinic]

Thanks for sharing your experience, we will only really learn from patients' experiences like yours!

[@staceyklj]

Well darn that's hopeful and amazing!

[@naomimara3340]

How long after the session did you start reducing medication? Ty.

[@samsula123]

@@naomimara3340 you have to actually wean a month before since those substances impact serotonin. So I had to work with my doctor and therapist closely during that time to help my state of mind without the meds. Then after the session my depression was gone and I no longer even fit the criteria for the meds anymore and am off all of them.

[@samsula123]

@@naomimara3340 I had to be off my medications in order to do the session. Otherwise it’s like an SSRI overload if you do the psychedelics while being on your medications. That was the hardest part. I spent a while working with my doc and therapist to wean off my meds. Being off my meds was horrible and my depression and anxiety were at their worst. It’s why I had to stay closely connected to my therapist during that time. Then I did the session once I was medication free for 4 weeks. After 1 session all of my depression and anxiety are gone and I no longer need medication.

[@truth-hurts3089]

MDMA positive effects seem to be negated post SSRI use....... receptor's seem broken and damaged. So i assume MDMA would only useful for those who are SSRI naïve.

[@naomimara3340]

Maybe imideatly post use. But brain heals with time. So there's no reason why it wouldn't be helpful.

[@russmcgillivray5213]

Sounds great in theory. Except rather than providing a chemical which can be produced and supplied safely and efficiently for dollars, they will inevitably turn this into a convoluted process you have to jump through hoops for months to hope to get and costs 17k for each session.

[@djdanzy]

Mdma is actually highly neurotoxic. However fine for 99% or people without benzo damage.

[@kmkeenan]

I wouldn't do it. If anything, I'd try psilocybin because I've heard how transformative it can be but I don't think I'd ever feel comfortable trying that either. I don't want to risk further destabilizing my nervous system.

[@MysticJeannie]

What are your thoughts on using psychedelics during Benzo withdrawal to help with anxiety and depression, drdp, etc?

[@SimeonKirilovX]

My experience was horrible. 3 times 3 microdoses of psychedelic mushrooms. The first two times were meh and ok, third time sent me to the ER because my heart nearly gave out. Not worth it. Heck, most people got their anxiety disorder and dpdr because of these substances in the first place (over 80% of the dpdr group forums and Reddit users got their problems because of this stuff). So i doubt taking another one after getting screwed over by benzos or other psych meds would make anything better if not even worse.

[@MysticJeannie]

@@SimeonKirilovX YIKES!! I was so hoping it would be an “out of the box” help my brain work better fix 😔

[@punkroxgirl]

@@MysticJeannieI would try microdosing psychedelics or mdma if it was in a therapeutic setting with guidance from someone educated and informed about it. I think there’s definitely a possibility it could help in some cases. I did quite a bit of psychedelics for a very short period of time when I was 19. I didn’t have any bad experiences, but I’m also glad that I stopped using it when I felt like I got what I needed from it. For me, now 50, i have more baggage so i wouldn’t want to experience “tripping” that much. I don’t regret doing though. I had a really good psychologist for 10 years that also had a doctorate in philosophy. He didn’t prescribe any meds. When I told him about that time, he asked me one question…” What did you learn?” I knew the answer immediately. I told him that I learned the difference between perception and reality and that we can choose our perceptions. This idea, and the awareness that I was capable of choosing different perceptions, has stayed with me and has been very beneficial to me. I may have realized this without it, of course, but I believe it would have taken much longer and perhaps wouldn’t seem as easy as it does to me now.

[@punkroxgirl]

@@MysticJeannie I would try microdosing psychedelics or mdma if it was in a therapeutic setting with guidance from someone educated and informed about it. I think there’s definitely a possibility it could help in some cases. I did quite a bit of psychedelics for a very short period of time when I was 19. I didn’t have any bad experiences, but I’m also glad that I stopped using it when I felt like I got what I needed from it. For me, now 50, i have more baggage so i wouldn’t want to experience “tripping” that much. I don’t regret doing though. I had a really good psychologist for 10 years that also had a doctorate in philosophy. He didn’t prescribe any meds. When I told him about that time, he asked me one question…” What did you learn?” I knew the answer immediately. I told him that I learned the difference between perception and reality and that we can choose our perceptions. This idea, and the awareness that I was capable of choosing different perceptions, has stayed with me and has been very beneficial to me. I may have realized this without it, of course, but I believe it would have taken much longer and perhaps wouldn’t seem as easy as it does to me now. Also, I have had ptsd since early childhood and had experienced depersonalization or derealization naturally at a very young age. I found it frightening when I was so young, because i didn’t understand, but it doesn’t really bother me now if it happens.

[@punkroxgirl]

@@MysticJeannie I would try microdosing psychedelics or mdma if it was in a safe and therapeutic setting with guidance from someone educated and informed about it. I think there’s definitely a possibility it could help in some cases. I did quite a bit of psychedelics for a very short period of time when I was 19. I didn’t have any bad experiences, but I’m also glad that I stopped using it when I felt like I got what I needed from it. For me, now 50, i have more baggage so i wouldn’t want to experience “tripping” that much. I don’t regret doing though. I had a really good psychologist for 10 years that also had a doctorate in philosophy. He didn’t prescribe any meds. When I told him about that time, he asked me one question…” What did you learn?” I knew the answer immediately. I told him that I learned the difference between perception and reality and that we can choose our perceptions. This idea, and the awareness that I was capable of choosing different perceptions, has stayed with me and has been very beneficial to me. I may have realized this without it, of course, but I believe it would have taken much longer and perhaps wouldn’t seem as easy as it does to me now. Also, I have had ptsd since early childhood and had experienced depersonalization or derealization naturally at a very young age. I found it frightening when I was so young, because i didn’t understand, but it doesn’t really bother me now if it happens.

[@SubstreamNewsNetwork]

I've talked about this topic in various videos and I've seen that some countries have trialled it and then decided not to process with it based on their trial results. I'm curious as to how different countries come to different conclusions and aren't following similar scientific guidelines. Could you share any insights on why that might be the case Dr Josef?

[@AmandainChrist88]

How can we tell the difference between an injury after withdrawal or the underlying disorder ?Even though we stop the medication the disease doesn’t leave .

[@annstar2793]

Sounds like Ketamine and therapy combo. Is there enough research to show if one has better outcomes than the other ?

[@BongBlasta]

id does work for some people, it is a healing drug if you get a pure pure form of it

[@mrs.reluctant4095]

Yes, doctor, but I think this should be the way for every medication in mental health. The Patient alters his mind with the help of a let's say an SSRI in order to learn how he or she can think, feel and act differently and to experience therefore different reactions from the social environment. Unlike in other fields of medicine, taking psych drugs ist about learning new things and making new experiences. At least as a psychologist I have always seen the role of psych drugs this way.

[@taperclinic]

I agree, I also counsel patients about the typical psychotropics in the same manner - used for a short time during a crisis to give enough buffer from symptoms in order for some work to be done on coping, addressing root cause, etc. What is disappointing is the practice of prescribing without any emphasis on therapy or goals to come off the medications eventually after there has been learning accomplished. This however appears to be more and more common given the constraints in our healthcare system of time and reimbursement. Most people seem under the assumption that they have to be medicated for life and there's no power within themselves for change.

[@punkroxgirl]

@@taperclinicthis 💯

[@mrs.reluctant4095]

Exactly! Thank you.

[@alexandra-dorissavu9824]

Please, leave a comment for me doctor...I have tardive dyskinesia with tongue rolling in my mouth from olanzapine and tongue protusion. Do you know a cure for it? Where I live, only tetrabenazine is given. What do you think of it? Is it good for tongue potrusion and restless tongue?

[@taperclinic]

We will explore this in a video for you, I am sure you are not the only one with this issue and question. I am so sorry this happened to you.

[@kassi4837]

Why can't this be done without an altered state of mind?

[@taperclinic]

Good question, it certainly can be - but there is always incentive to speed up this process with medication in this drug market. If you check out this article: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4393536/ it discusses how PTSD symptoms are partially caused by a defect in the memory consolidation system leaving the traumatic memories living in separate space in the brain (in limbo in a sense) where they are directly connected to our emotional reactivity center and our sensory inputs leading to involuntary reactions (re-experiencing symptoms) whenever anything is taken in that mimics the original event. Therapies like EMDR and now psychedelic therapies aim to target the consolidation of the traumatic memories by altering your current state in an effort to access these memories and make them more plastic (moveable). Traditional therapy attempts to do the same but this can take years, I think these therapies are developed to offer more efficient options. Psychedelics have their own set of risks and not appropriate for many.

[@kassi4837]

@@taperclinic this is very informative input, thank-you for sharing!

[@MsPiinkFllamingo]

I thought he said “potty drug.” I don’t know if I would take a potty drug for my PTSD. lol

[@punkroxgirl]

😂😂😂

[@Rayc-q3t]

Give it a try it works

[@Rayc-q3t]

Ray psilocybinn

[@GabbiPhoebe]

Sadly it can cause depression for a while after use. It exhausts your serotonin levels.

[@GabbiPhoebe]

Me thinks … idk

[@taperclinic]

I have seen this anecdotally with a few patients who used this extremely frequently. Couldn't say this is generalizable but definitely a possibility if it's used very frequently. I imagine in practice MDMA would be used like ketamine for 6 sessions spaced out every few weeks, meeting with therapists in between sessions.

[@1AlexanderCole]

@@taperclinicmy VA finally started an esketamine (nasal spray) clinic but without therapy. I’m desperate enough to try it but I’m also scared it’s going to cause more problems. I do not react well to psych meds, so much so that they are doing genetic testing to find out why.

[@GabbiPhoebe]

@@taperclinic well I’m not sure of the dosage that is used in a therapeutic setting, compared to when in use illegally and recreationally .

[@truth-hurts3089]

I've never ever really understood the difference between SSRIs and MDMA.......other than £££$$$ of course

[@Rayc-q3t]

You can give try mdma too

[@Rayc-q3t]

Ray psilocybinn

[@newkingdom6750]

How about NO drugs (pharmakiea) and just getting back to God 🛐✝️ ??

[@nickc.5783]

Agreed; but I also support safe use of safe drugs too with enough understanding and research. We rely way too much on drugs to stay healthy as a society though

[@truth-hurts3089]

You have to believe in the bible to believe in "God". In my catholic upbringing I struggled with the immaculate conception idea. It's not really possible is it?

[@nickc.5783]

The “I am” statement or that we’re all here at all is good enough for me. There’s greater forces behind our existence, and to me I think it transcends religion, but every major religion started with someone that had deep spiritual/mystical/god realizations. Humans definitely have to create unity on earth or we will become sick, and I think it happens no matter what direction we take, so taking it easy and living In truth. If you’re healing from an injury, I wish you wellness!

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

Best idea on this comment thread.

[@ministryofpeacekmk]

No way!

[@kristenmarie9248]

👎👎👎

[@cindyjo9093]

No. I think this is a bad idea. It will solve nothing and will still result in abuse. Hide and watch.

[@dustygatrell-ru7tg]

Another mind altering drug. What could go wrong?

[@merlingeikie]

Must be difficult to be the guy who did so well at all of this, built the career, so much ambition, now it's clear it's a rotten scam. The road to he'll is paved in good intention. Take care mate, good work! ❤🇦🇺🪃🙏