Party Drug MDMA Doesn’t Mix Well With Many Other Meds

Midomafetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy or molly, is a psychoactive drug primarily used for recreational purposes, but it’s now also being evaluated as a potential treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s database of reported drug experiences, researchers evaluated the potential risks of taking MDMA alone or in combination with other common medications and drugs of abuse. The team was led by researchers at Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science at UC San Diego and school alumni, now at UCSF and the FDA, in collaboration with a psychiatric pharmacist from Tauro University. 

To date, nearly one thousand reports of MDMA use have been reported to the FDA. The team found that several drug classes (MDMA metabolites or analogs, anesthetics, muscle relaxants, amphetamines and stimulants, benzodiazepines, ethanol and opioids), four antidepressants (bupropion, sertraline, venlafaxine and citalopram) and the antipsychotic olanzapine were associated with increased reported risk of death among MDMA users. According to the researchers, future clinical trials should evaluate if any of the drug-drug interactions described in the study actually pose a risk of illness or death in controlled medical settings. The study is published in Scientific Reports.

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