PMID- 29126911
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20190220
LR  - 20190320
IS  - 1873-7064 (Electronic)
IS  - 0028-3908 (Linking)
VI  - 142
DP  - 2018 Nov
TI  - Why MDMA therapy for alcohol use disorder? And why now?
PG  - 83-88
LID - S0028-3908(17)30513-0 [pii]
LID - 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.004 [doi]
AB  - Alcohol use disorder represents a serious clinical, social and personal burden on 
      its sufferers and a significant financial strain on society. Current treatments, 
      both psychological and pharmacological are poor, with high rates of relapse after 
      medical detoxification and dedicated treatment programs. The earliest historical 
      roots of psychedelic drug-assisted psychotherapy in the 1950s were associated 
      with Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-assisted psychotherapy to treat what was 
      then called, alcoholism. But results were varied and psychedelic therapy with LSD 
      and other 'classical' psychedelics fell out of favour in the wake of 
      socio-political pressures and cultural changes. A current revisiting of 
      psychedelic clinical research is now targeting substance use disorders - and 
      particularly alcohol use disorder - again. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine 
      (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy has never been formally explored as a treatment for 
      any form of substance use disorder. But in recent years MDMA has risen in 
      prominence as an agent to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With its 
      unique receptor profile and a relatively well-tolerated subjective experience of 
      drug effects when used clinically, MDMA Therapy is ideally suited to allow a 
      patient to explore and address painful memories without being overwhelmed by 
      negative affect. Given that alcohol use disorder is so often associated with 
      early traumatic experiences, the author is proposing in a current on-going 
      UK-based study that patients with alcohol use disorder who have undergone a 
      medical detoxification from alcohol might benefit from a course of MDMA-assisted 
      psychotherapy. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Psychedelics: 
      New Doors, Altered Perceptions'.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
FAU - Sessa, Ben
AU  - Sessa B
AD  - Imperial College London, UK.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Review
DEP - 20171107
PL  - England
TA  - Neuropharmacology
JT  - Neuropharmacology
JID - 0236217
RN  - 0 (Hallucinogens)
RN  - KE1SEN21RM (N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Alcoholism/*therapy
MH  - Combined Modality Therapy
MH  - Hallucinogens/*therapeutic use
MH  - Humans
MH  - N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine/*therapeutic use
MH  - Psychotherapy
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Addictions
OT  - Alcohol
OT  - MDMA
OT  - Psychedelics
OT  - Psychotherapy
EDAT- 2017/11/12 06:00
MHDA- 2019/03/21 06:00
CRDT- 2017/11/12 06:00
PHST- 2017/09/20 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2017/10/15 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2017/11/03 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2017/11/12 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2019/03/21 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2017/11/12 06:00 [entrez]
AID - S0028-3908(17)30513-0 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.004 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Neuropharmacology. 2018 Nov;142:83-88. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2017.11.004. 
      Epub 2017 Nov 7.