Reply to comment

I think that the evidence shows that MDMA has treatment potential for people diagnosed with anxiety “disorders”. While I understand the value of pursuing further research for the treatment of different anxiety “disorders” with MDMA, I do not understand why we cannot make use of the prescription drugs we currently use to help people with these “disorders”. If MDMA works directly by mimicking serotonin and working through serotonin pathways, why cant we use SSRIs to treat anxiety related disorders? Also, I think research should focus on the similarities between SSRIs and MDMA, and specifically compare the effectiveness of both drugs in treating people with anxiety disorders. I think that in order to make people more accepting of MDMA as a treatment for anxiety, studies need to prove why MDMA treatment would be more effective than SSRIs or SSNRIs.

I wonder if MDMA would make a person diagnosed with anxiety more functional. I think that before these drugs can be used for treatment, the pathways by which they function and interact need to be further elucidated. People who have taken these drugs recreationally all report very different symptoms and react to situations very differently under the influence of these drugs. The action of these drugs within the brain and other bodily systems is still very unpredictable. In order to convince the public to accept these drugs as a treatment option they need to be completely understood. At this point I understand that research on the method of action of these drugs is limited, but if given a chance I think that some very interesting information could come out of these studies.