The Ecstatic Brain
No one knows exactly why MDMA -- better known as the drug ecstacy -- makes people feel as wonderful as it does, but the short answer is that it floods the brain with the feel-good chemical serotonin. Although MDMA has typically been associated with, well, partying, a team of South Carolina scientists is currently testing the drug as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Convincing the FDA to consider the drug for medical purposes has clearly been an uphill battle, but it looks like it's finally getting somewhere. Learn more about it in an endearing story published in this week's Washington Post magazine, and don't miss the Editor's Note, which reveals the writer's long-standing interest in the subject.
posted by Melinda Wenner at 8:27 PM
3 Comments:
"Endearing story"? What an understatement! It has shaken me to the core. I have PTSD from childhood whatever and thought I had worked through everything. Instead, Donna's post-rape isolation describes how I am NOW. And I thought this was the way it feels to be well. So I'm spiraling down the rabbit hole, simultaneously feeling dispair and hope: there's so much more work to do -- where can I score some ecstasy??
Those were interesting. I remember reading that MDMA was used as an anti-depressant in the past. Had also read about Cary Grant's reported 100+ uses of LSD to help him with depression and his psychoanalysis.
hey where you been ?
Missing your posts...
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