Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
MDMA, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, PTSD, psychotherapy, midomafetamine
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to compare MDMA-assisted therapy to placebo with therapy in people with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The main question it aims to answer is: Is there a reduction in PTSD symptoms among people given MDMA-assisted therapy compared to placebo with therapy? Participants will receive either MDMA-assisted therapy or placebo with therapy during two blinded experimental sessions spaced three to five weeks apart. During experimental sessions, participants receive an initial dose of 125 mg of MDMA HCl, or placebo, followed by a dose of 62.5 mg of MDMA HCl, or placebo. During this treatment period, participants will also undergo non-drug preparatory psychotherapy sessions and non-drug integrative sessions. The study will test whether MDMA-assisted therapy can be safely given to participants. Researchers will compare PTSD symptoms in the MDMA-assisted therapy group to the placebo with therapy group to see if there is a reduction in symptoms after the treatment period.
Detailed description
This randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled pilot study assessed the safety and effectiveness of MDMA-assisted therapy among people with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD, including veterans. Participants were assigned to receive either MDMA-assisted therapy or placebo with therapy during two blinded experimental sessions spaced three to five weeks apart during Stage 1 of the study. During these experimental sessions, participants received an initial dose of 125 mg of MDMA HCl followed by a supplemental dose of 62.5 mg of MDMA HCl, or they received initial and supplemental doses of inactive placebo. Psychotherapists and independent raters were blinded to participants' treatment conditions. This treatment period also consisted of non-drug preparatory therapy sessions and non-drug integration therapy sessions. During Stage 2 of the study, the blind was broken and participants assigned to receive MDMA-assisted therapy in Stage 1 underwent a third open-label experimental session of MDMA-assisted therapy. Participants assigned placebo with therapy during Stage 1 who chose to enroll in Stage 2 underwent three open-label sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy. Outcome measures were administered two months after the second experimental session in Stage 1 and four to six weeks after the second MDMA-assisted therapy session in Stage 2. A final data-collection session took place at two months after the third experimental session. The primary objective of the study was to measure change in PTSD symptoms via CAPS-IV across the study in participants receiving MDMA-assisted therapy versus placebo with therapy.
Interventions
125 mg of midomafetamine HCl followed by a supplemental half-dose of 62.5 mg of midomafetamine HCl
DRUGLactose placebo pill
125 mg followed by a supplemental half-dose of 62.5 mg
BEHAVIORALTherapy
Non-directive therapy provided by a team of two co-therapists
Sponsors
Lykos Therapeutics
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Have current PTSD (within the past 6 months) in response to crime victimization, including childhood sexual or physical abuse, or meet criteria for PTSD in response to combat; * Have a CAPS score showing moderate to severe PTSD symptoms; * They must either: 1. Have had at least one unsuccessful attempt at treatment for PTSD with a SSRI and psychotherapy; 2. Be a veteran with PTSD symptoms that have endured for no less than one year but no more than five years * Be at least 18 years old; * Must be generally healthy; * Willing to remain overnight at the study site; * Agree to have transportation home the morning after experimental sessions; * Are willing to be contacted via telephone for all necessary telephone contacts; * Must have a negative pregnancy test if able to bear children and agree to use an effective form of birth control; * Are proficient in reading English;
Exclusion criteria
* Are pregnant or nursing, or are able to bear children and are not practicing an effective means of birth control; * Weigh less than 50 kg or more than 105 kg; * Are unable to give adequate informed consent; * Prior use of Ecstasy (illicit drug preparations purported to contain MDMA) more than 5 times or at any time within the previous 6 months; * Have a history of certain excluded medical disorders.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | Baseline to 2 months post second experimental session | The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS-IV) is a clinician administered and scored assessment of PTSD symptoms via structured interview based upon PTSD diagnosis in DSM-IV. The total severity score is a sum of symptom frequency and intensity scores for the subscales B (re-experiencing), C (avoidance) and D (hypervigilance) and ranges from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | Baseline to 2 months post second experimental session | The Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) is a 22-item self-report measure (for DSM-IV) designed to measure the extent to which a given stressful life event produces subjective distress. Each item corresponds directly to 14 of the 17 DSM-IV symptoms of PTSD and is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for the extent to which the item was true for the participant during the past seven days. The IES-R yields a total score ranging from 0 to 88 with higher scores indicated greater distress. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
Participants were recruited via letters to psychotherapists and internet advertisements.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| MDMA-assisted Therapy Participants will receive 125 mg MDMA followed 2 to 2.5 hours later by 62.5 mg MDMA during two 8-hour long blinded therapy sessions. | 15 |
| Placebo With Therapy Participants will receive an initial dose of 125 mg placebo orally followed 2 to 2.5 hours later by a second dose of 62.5 mg placebo during two 8-hour long blinded therapy sessions. | 8 |
| Total | 23 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Placebo With Therapy | Total | MDMA-assisted Therapy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 40.8 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7 | 40.6 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 70.1 | 40.5 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.4 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Caucasian | 8 Participants | 22 Participants | 14 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Other | 0 Participants | 1 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 7 Participants | 18 Participants | 11 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 1 Participants | 5 Participants | 4 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk | EG002 affected / at risk | EG003 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 15 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 15 | 0 / 8 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 13 / 15 | 8 / 8 | 15 / 15 | 8 / 8 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 2 / 15 | 0 / 8 | 0 / 15 | 0 / 8 |
Outcome results
Primary
Change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up
The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS-IV) is a clinician administered and scored assessment of PTSD symptoms via structured interview based upon PTSD diagnosis in DSM-IV. The total severity score is a sum of symptom frequency and intensity scores for the subscales B (re-experiencing), C (avoidance) and D (hypervigilance) and ranges from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline to 2 months post second experimental session
Population: Intent-to-treat
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-assisted Therapy | Change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | -55.2 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 33.54 |
| Placebo With Therapy | Change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-IV) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | -20.5 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 20.47 |
Secondary
Change in Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up
The Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) is a 22-item self-report measure (for DSM-IV) designed to measure the extent to which a given stressful life event produces subjective distress. Each item corresponds directly to 14 of the 17 DSM-IV symptoms of PTSD and is rated on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely) for the extent to which the item was true for the participant during the past seven days. The IES-R yields a total score ranging from 0 to 88 with higher scores indicated greater distress.
Time frame: Baseline to 2 months post second experimental session
Population: Intent-to-treat
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-assisted Therapy | Change in Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | -29.7 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 21.3 |
| Placebo With Therapy | Change in Impact of Events Scale Revised (IES-R) From Baseline to 2-month Follow-up | -12.9 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 15 |