Study of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted Psychotherapy in People With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00353938
• Recruitment Status: Completed
• First Posted: July 19, 2006
• Results First Posted: September 16, 2021
• Last Update Posted: July 6, 2022
• Sponsor: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
• Collaborator: Swiss Medical Association for Psycholytic Therapy
• Information provided by (Responsible Party): Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Study Description

Brief Summary:

This study will examine MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in individuals aged 18 years or older diagnosed with PTSD, with PTSD symptoms not improving after trying at least one treatment. This objective of this study is to determine whether three eight-hour long sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, scheduled three to five weeks apart, can be safely administered to participants with PTSD, and whether combining a fully therapeutic dose of MDMA with psychotherapy, when compared with a low ("active placebo") dose of MDMA, will reduce PTSD symptoms. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the full dose of MDMA (125 mg) or assigned to receive a low or "active placebo" dose of MDMA (25 mg) during each of three experimental sessions.

Condition or disease	Intervention/treatment	Phase
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder	Drug: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (125 mg); Drug: 3,4-methyelendioxymethamphetamine (25 mg); Behavioral: Therapy	Phase 2

Detailed Description:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after experiencing a traumatic event or events. PTSD is a public health problem that causes a great deal of suffering.

This study will examine MDMA-assisted psychotherapy in individuals aged 18 years or older diagnosed with PTSD, with PTSD symptoms not improving after trying at least one treatment. This objective of this study is to determine whether three eight-hour long sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, scheduled three to five weeks apart, can be safely administered to participants with PTSD, and whether combining a fully therapeutic dose of MDMA with psychotherapy, when compared with a low ("active placebo") dose of MDMA, will reduce PTSD symptoms. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the full dose of MDMA (125 mg) or assigned to receive a low or "active placebo" dose of MDMA (25 mg) during each of three experimental sessions.

People who receive the low dose of MDMA have the opportunity to take part in a second "open label" study continuation, wherein the participants will undergo three MDMA-assisted sessions, with the participant and the researchers knowing that a full dose of MDMA is being administered. People who receive the full dose of MDMA, and any person who received low-dose MDMA and does not undergo the open-label study continuation will have PTSD symptoms measured six and twelve months after the third session. People who take part in the open label study continuation have their PTSD symptoms assessed six and 12 months after the third Phase II MDMA-assisted session.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional (Clinical Trial)
• Actual Enrollment: 14 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Official Title: Phase II Pilot Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)Assisted Psychotherapy in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)- Switzerland
• Study Start Date: October 2006
• Actual Primary Completion Date: February 2011
• Actual Study Completion Date: February 2011

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/treatment
Experimental: Full Dose MDMA-assisted therapy (125 mg); Three 8-hour sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy with 125 mg of MDMA, followed by a supplemental dose of 62.5 mg MDMA	Drug: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (125 mg); Participants will receive an initial dose of 125 mg MDMA orally and, if investigator and participant deem appropriate, 2.5 hours later they will receive 62.5 mg MDMA orally.; Other Name: MDMA; Behavioral: Therapy; Non-directive therapy performed by a team of two co-therapists
Active Comparator: Active Placebo MDMA-assisted therapy (25 mg); Three 8-hour sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy with 25 mg of MDMA, followed by a supplemental dose of 12.5 mg MDMA	Drug: 3,4-methyelendioxymethamphetamine (25 mg); Participants will receive a 25 mg MDMA orally, and if investigator and participant agree, 2.5 hours later they will receive 12.5 mg MDMA orally.; Other Name: MDMA; Behavioral: Therapy; Non-directive therapy performed by a team of two co-therapists

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures :

1. Change From Baseline to Primary Endpoint in Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS-IV) [ Time Frame: Less than 4 weeks before first experimental session (Baseline) to 3 weeks post 3rd experimental session (Primary Endpoint) ]
   The CAPS-IV is a structured clinical interview designed to assess the symptoms and severity of PTSD. The CAPS-IV provides a means to evaluate the frequency and intensity dimensions of each symptom, the impact of symptoms on the patient's social and occupational functioning, the overall severity of the symptom complex, global improvement since baseline, and the validity of the ratings obtained. Total severity scores range from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms.

Secondary Outcome Measures :

1. Change From Baseline to Primary Endpoint in Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) [ Time Frame: Less than 4 weeks before first experimental session (Baseline) to 3 weeks post 3rd experimental session (Primary Endpoint) ]
   The Posstraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PSD) is a 49-item self-report instrument to aid in the diagnosis of PTSD. Questions are asked about symptoms experienced and participants respond on a scale from 0 ("not at all or only one time") to 3 ("5 or more times a week/almost always"). Items are summed to create a total score that ranges from 0 to 51, with higher scores indicating more PTSD symptoms.

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• PTSD still remains after one or more prior treatment, with treatment including psychotherapy (talk therapy) or drug therapy
• May meet criteria for a mood disorder
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must be able to stop taking psychiatric medication during the course of the study, from the start of the study to the follow-up two months after experimental session 3.
• Must agree to follow all rules and instructions relating to the experimental session, including restrictions on food and substance (alcohol and drug) consumption.
• Must be willing to stay overnight at the researcher's office after each experimental session until the non-drug session occurring the next morning.
• Must be willing to be contacted by one of the researchers on a daily basis for a week after each experimental session.
• Female participants of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test and must agree to use an effective form of birth control.
• Participants must have sufficient proficiency in speaking the German language to participate in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Participants must be able to read documents in German.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cannot have history of or current primary psychotic disorder or bipolar affective disorder-1.
• Dissociative identity disorder, or an eating disorder with active purging or borderline personality disorder.
• Evidence or history of significant hematological, endocrine, cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, coronary, pulmonary, renal, gastrointestinal, immunocompromising, or neurological disease, including seizure disorder. (People with hypothyroidism who are on adequate and stable thyroid replacement will not be excluded).
• Uncontrolled hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, hepatic disease (with or without abnormal liver enzymes), or history of hyponatremia or hyperthermia.
• Being pregnant or lactating (nursing), or not practicing an effective method of birth control.
• Weight of less than 50 or more than 105 kg.
• Patients reporting prior use of "Ecstasy" more than 5 times or at any time within the previous 6 months.
• People who would present a serious suicide risk or who are likely to require hospitalization during the course of the study.
• People who need ongoing concomitant therapy with a psychotropic drug.
• Meeting DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse or dependence for any substance save caffeine or nicotine in the past 60 days.
• People who cannot give adequate consent.

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Switzerland

Offices of Peter Oehen MD

Biberist, Solothurn, Switzerland

Sponsors and Collaborators

Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies

Swiss Medical Association for Psycholytic Therapy

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Peter Oehen, MD; private practice, Biberist, Switzerland

  Study Documents (Full-Text)

Documents provided by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies:

Informed Consent Form  [PDF] December 17, 2007

More Information

Publications of Results:

Oehen P, Traber R, Widmer V, Schnyder U. A randomized, controlled pilot study of MDMA (± 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of resistant, chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). J Psychopharmacol. 2013 Jan;27(1):40-52. doi: 10.1177/0269881112464827. Epub 2012 Oct 31.

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Jerome L, Feduccia AA, Wang JB, Hamilton S, Yazar-Klosinski B, Emerson A, Mithoefer MC, Doblin R. Long-term follow-up outcomes of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: a longitudinal pooled analysis of six phase 2 trials. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020 Aug;237(8):2485-2497. doi: 10.1007/s00213-020-05548-2. Epub 2020 Jun 4.

Feduccia AA, Jerome L, Yazar-Klosinski B, Emerson A, Mithoefer MC, Doblin R. Breakthrough for Trauma Treatment: Safety and Efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Compared to Paroxetine and Sertraline. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Sep 12;10:650. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00650. eCollection 2019. Review.

Mithoefer MC, Feduccia AA, Jerome L, Mithoefer A, Wagner M, Walsh Z, Hamilton S, Yazar-Klosinski B, Emerson A, Doblin R. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of PTSD: study design and rationale for phase 3 trials based on pooled analysis of six phase 2 randomized controlled trials. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2019 Sep;236(9):2735-2745. doi: 10.1007/s00213-019-05249-5. Epub 2019 May 7.

• Responsible Party: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00353938
• Other Study ID Numbers: M-P2
• First Posted: July 19, 2006
• Results First Posted: September 16, 2021
• Last Update Posted: July 6, 2022
• Last Verified: June 2022

Keywords provided by Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies:

PTSD, MDMA, psychotherapy, Switzerland

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; Hallucinogens; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Psychotropic Drugs; Serotonin Agents; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Adrenergic Agents