Israel tests Ecstasy on war trauma victims

[AfterGlow]

Israel tests Ecstasy on war trauma victims: report

JERUSALEM (AFP) - An Israeli medical team has started tests using the drug Ecstasy as a treatment for conflict-linked post-traumatic disorders, the Maariv daily reported on Friday.

Doctors at the Beer-Yakov psychiatric hospital south of Tel Aviv are testing the response of Israeli post-traumatic disorder patients to MDMA, the active ingredient in the drug.

Rakefet Rodriguez, Sergio Marchiveski and Marina Kaufchicz, who are leading the experimental programme, are convinced that psychotheraphy is crucial in curing patients and that Ecstasy can help them to recover.

The doctors believe the drug has both calming and stimulating effects that can help patients not only overcome trauma but also dominate it, Maariv said.

Almost 500 reserve troops suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following the 34-day war that pitted Israeli troops against Lebanon's Hezbollah Shiite militia in July and August 2006, the paper said.

Ecstasy, which is illegal in most countries, is one of the world's most commonly used narcotics.

Israel tests Ecstasy on war trauma victims: report
link

 

[panic_the_digital]

I swear to god. Someone needs to define narcotics for these dumbfucks.

 

[Shambles]

Ecstasy, which is illegal in most countries, is one of the world's most commonly used narcotics.

Since when was Ecstasy a narcotic?

I have read about MDMA being used for PTSD and the limited research that has been carried out seems to suggest that it is remarkably effective. It makes perfect sense to me. Just a shame that it's legitimate therapeutic use is unlikely to become widespread anytime soon .

 

[Jabberwocky]

Good luck to them!

 

[Dragynfyr]

It makes perfect sense to me. Just a shame that it's legitimate therapeutic use is unlikely to become widespread anytime soon .

Don't underestimate the work of MAPS! (Not to mention the solid therapeutic history brought courtesy of Shulgin )

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

MAPS is churning out some great stuff on treating PTSD with the use of MDMA. i think more countries will begin to follow suit once they realize how effective it really is. now, how long it will take these countries to realize this, i have no idea but one can only hope it is very soon.

 

[RavenousBlonde]

^^^ +1

I just hope these other open minded countries don't let the US bully them into not giving it a chance.

Yay for MAPS! :D

 

[veRGe]

Nice stuff! I love seeing things change for the better...slowly but surely.

 

[S.M.F.G]

im post traumatised...... where do i sign up?

 

[Mr Blonde]

Ecstasy, which is illegal in most countries

In what countries is it legal? I see this statement everywhere, but never any lists of nations where you can legally possess MDMA.

 

[KompelZ]

I hope they have the decency to give them benzos and/or pot for the comedown. If I was getting pharm grade MDMA I'd want something to soften the crash (I don't come down good during the best of times).

But yeah, it's about time. Hopefully Australia will one day see the light (doubt it though). Still, I don't see what's stopping people from using E now to help solve (or at least come to terms) with emotional problems. Obviously if you feel depressed and just want to get high then you're approaching the situation wrong though. I know I've had many persoanl revelations under it's influence, and they stay with you forever, way after the high has worn off. Simply talking about shit and seeing things from a positive perspective is invaluable. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mr_Fluffykins]

pharm grade mdma would prolly not have much of a crash

 

[marquee]

My bet is that some new or unstable countries (the country formerly known as Somalia, East Timor) don't even have laws on the books for most drugs, and that is the basis of saying "illegal in most countries".

 

[marquee]

pharm grade mdma would prolly not have much of a crash

Sure it would... maybe not as much as street ecstasy that contains adulterants, but some degree of a crash is inseparable from MDMA by virtue of its mechanism.

 

[Riemann Zeta]

I swear to god. Someone needs to define narcotics for these dumbfucks.

I know. Every time you read a mass media article about any drug, they always refer to the drug as "a dangerous narcotic" (and of course, if it is television news, then they have to make it sound even more intense for Prime-Time Action News: "A deadly narcotic that is KILLING your kids! Just how dangerous is it? We'll have more after sports and weather."). Someone really needs to clue people in that narcotic == opioid, not stimulants. If anything, stimulants are anti-narcotic and anti-soporific.

 

[rachamim]

The IDF has pioneered the field. We used to get Ketamine basically upon request but the MDMA is in the auspices of a program that not too many are crazy about. They also give us Methadone, Bupe, and Rapid Detox so they do take care of us, Wonder how the American's with Soldier's Disease will fare. Afriad it wil not be half as well.

 

[Jamshyd]

^ Interesting. Can you please elaborate on the Ketamine part? Would they give it out as a army-medic on-the-go anaesthetic sort of thing? Or for other uses?

I am very interested. Please post more details about this if you can, or PM me if you prefer.

 

[KompelZ]

Sure it would... maybe not as much as street ecstasy that contains adulterants, but some degree of a crash is inseparable from MDMA by virtue of its mechanism.

True, I've had high quality MDMA powder (which I know probably wasn't 100% pure, like most street drugs) and I still had a comedown. Anything that stimulates and depletes important neurotransmitters (whether it be dopamine or serotonin) is going to leave some residual effects--that's a given. Some people also seem more sensitive to this, myself being one of them.

 

[fastandbulbous]

We used to get Ketamine basically upon request

Is that for medical use in the field? I know that's it's main use in the British army, so that things like emergency amputations can be carried out if needed. Each soldier also gets a vial of morphine sulphate (hangs around their neck along with ID tags) soln for self administration should they be wounded (apparently quite a few squaddies in the Falklands did in their 'emergency' morphine when trapped or in a hopeless situation such as fierce firefights - can't blame them, if I thought I was almost certain to be killed or seriously maimed I'd have done the same thing!)

Thing is, the MDMA isn't a drug for use in the field/combat conditions like ketamine & morphine (or other analgesic such as the methadone that rachamim mentioned), so they'll be a lot more cautious and only dish it out to army psychiatrists - in fact any drug that seriously decreases aggression without having an emergency medical use would be frowned upon by the heads of the military. Now dishing out things like dexamphetamine or other CNS stimulants has a long history for armed forces (but that can lead to atrocities when given to psychopathic/sociopathic soldiers - long history of that too)...

pharm grade mdma would prolly not have much of a crash

Purity has little to do with the hideous depression some people suffer a couple of days afterwards - it's actually mostly down to how you metabolize MDMA. People who produce the highest levels of alphamethyldopamine as a metabolite are going to be the most at risk due to alphamethyldopamine's action as a false neurotransmitter, with only a fraction of the activity of dopamine, due to the fact it is reuptaken in the same manner as dopamine. There's a high blood pressure medication called Aldomet (alphamethyl DOPA) which is metabolized to alphamethyldopamine which list severe/suicidal depression as one of its main side effects in some people.

Those unfortunate to produce relatively high amounts of alphamethyldopamine as a metabolite (like me) are doomed to suffer after a dose of MDMA/MDA regardless of purity - that's why I don't touch the stuff these days, just too high a price to pay IMO

 

[KompelZ]

^Thanks for clarifying that man, you certainly know your shit!

I find I only get severe depression for like 1 day, 2 days max after really high doses of MDMA, which is usually alleviated with other drugs. Other people are going to be different though. Sometimes I get other strange effects when I come down too. Like I find it hard to be 'satisfied' and nothing makes me comfortable, anyone else get that? It's sort of a dysphoric/restless/confused feeling. Like things just irritate me for no apparent reason and I never feel like talking. Bah, the good outweighs the bad in my opinion.