MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Veterans With Moderate to Severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, d-amphetamine, Therapy.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Single-Site Phase II 2-Arm Study to Compare the Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Manualized MDMA-Assisted Therapy to Low Dose D-Amphetamine Assisted Therapy in Veterans For The Treatment of Moderate to Severe PTSD
Overview
This randomized, double-blind, single-site phase II 2-arm study will investigate the safety and preliminary efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy compared with low dose d-amphetamine-assisted therapy on the severity of PTSD symptoms in participants aged 18 years and older with PTSD of at least moderate severity.
Detailed description
This randomized, double-blind, single-site phase II 2-arm study will compare MDMA-assisted therapy with low dose d-amphetamine-assisted therapy to treat PTSD symptoms in veteran participants aged 18 years and older with PTSD of at least moderate severity, as measured by the change in CAPS-5 total severity score. The study will be conducted in up to N=40 participants from the Greater Los Angeles VA randomized with a 1:1 allocation to Group 1: MDMA-assisted therapy or Group 2: low dose d-amphetamine assisted therapy.
For each participant, the study will consist of:
* Screening Period: phone screen, informed consent, eligibility assessment, Screening CAPS-5, and Initial Enrollment of eligible participants. * Preparatory Period: medication tapering, three Preparatory Sessions, baseline assessments (including Baseline CAPS-5), leading to Enrollment Confirmation. * Treatment Period: three Experimental Sessions, and three Integrative Sessions following each Experimental Session including CAPS-5 assessments. * Follow-up Period and Study Termination: Primary Outcome CAPS-5 assessment and Study Termination visit.
Interventions
- Drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine
Initial doses per Experimental Session include 68 mg or 100 mg MDMA (equivalent to 80 mg or 120 mg MDMA HCl), followed 1.5 to 2 hours later by a supplemental dose of 34 mg or 50 mg MDMA (equivalent to 40 mg or 60 mg MDMA HCl). - Drug d-amphetamine
Initial dose per experimental session will be 5 mg or 10 mg d-amphetamine, followed 1.5 to 2 hours later by supplemental dose of 2.5 mg or 5 mg d-amphetamine. - Behavioral Therapy
Participants assigned to MDMA and d-amphetamine will undergo a therapeutic approach, which is detailed in the MDMA-Assisted Therapy Treatment Manual and administered by MAPS-trained therapists. In brief, this therapy is guided by the subject's own recollections of traumatic events. The subject and two therapists provide a comfortable and supportive environment and allow the subject to guide the discussion. Subjects are encouraged to experience and express fear, anger, and grief with less likelih
Primary outcome measures
- Compare changes in PTSD symptom severity in the MDMA vs active control group. [Time frame: Visit 17 (approximately 14 weeks after enrollment)]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Compare changes in clinician-rated functional impairment in the MDMA vs active control group. [Time frame: Visit 17 (approximately 14 weeks after enrollment)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- At Screening, meet DSM-5 criteria for current PTSD with a symptom duration of at least 6 months.
- Fluent in speaking and reading the predominantly used or recognized language of the study site (English).
- Must be a veteran enrolled at a VA Healthcare Center in the Greater Los Angeles area.
- Able to swallow pills.
- Agree to have study visits audiovisually recorded, including Experimental Sessions, IR assessments, and non-drug therapy sessions.
- Able to provide a contact (relative, spouse, close friend, or other support person) who is willing and able to be reached by the investigators in the event of the participant becoming unwell or unreachable.
- Able to identify appropriate support person(s) to stay with the participant on the evenings of Experimental Sessions if needed.
- May have well-controlled hypertension that has been successfully treated with anti-hypertensive medicines, if they pass additional screening to rule out underlying cardiovascular disease.
- May have asymptomatic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) that has previously undergone evaluation and treatment as needed.
- Body weight of at least 45 kilograms (kg). Participants with a body weight of 45-48 kg must also have a body mass index (BMI) within the range of 18 to 30 kg/m2. BMI must be within 18 to 32 kg/m2 (inclusive).
- A person able to be pregnant (PABP) must use a highly effective contraceptive method.
Exclusion criteria
- Are not able to give adequate informed consent.
- Have evidence or history of significant medical or psychiatric disorders.
- Are abusing illegal drugs.
- Unable or unwilling to safely taper off prohibited psychiatric medication.
- Current enrollment in any other clinical study involving an investigational study treatment or any other type of medical research, unless approved by the study clinician.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 2 centers
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Westwood campus — Los Angeles
- West Los Angeles Veteran Affairs — Los Angeles
Publications
- Mitchell JM, Bogenschutz M, Lilienstein A, Harrison C, Kleiman S, Parker-Guilbert K, Ot'alora G M, Garas W, Paleos C, Gorman I, Nicholas C, Mithoefer M, Carlin S, Poulter B, Mithoefer A, Quevedo S, Wells G, Klaire SS, van der Kolk B, Tzarfaty K, Amiaz R, Worthy R, Shannon S, Woolley JD, Marta C, Gelfand Y, Hapke E, Amar S, Wallach Y, Brown R, Hamilton S, Wang JB, Coker A, Matthews R, de Boer A, Ya PMID 33972795
- Mithoefer MC, Wagner MT, Mithoefer AT, Jerome L, Doblin R. The safety and efficacy of +/-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic, treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomized controlled pilot study. J Psychopharmacol. 2011 Apr;25(4):439-52. doi: 10.1177/0269881110378371. Epub 2010 Jul 19. PMID 20643699
- Grob CS, Poland RE, Chang L, Ernst T. Psychobiologic effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in humans: methodological considerations and preliminary observations. Behav Brain Res. 1996;73(1-2):103-7. doi: 10.1016/0166-4328(96)00078-2. PMID 8788485
- Mithoefer, M., A Manual for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Version 8.1. 2017: http://www.maps.org/research/mdma/mdma-research-timeline/4887-a-manual-for-mdma-assisted-psychotherapy-in-the-treatment-of-ptsd.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05790239 · IVAPT3