Autistic adults could take pure MDMA to 'reduce social anxiety'

[AGXStarseed]

(Not written by me)



Ecstasy could be taken by autistic adults to help them open up in social situations, researchers say.

The street drug - also known by its medical name MDMA - is thought to encourage a positive mood among strangers and lessen awkwardness.

Rising in popularity in the the late 1970s and early 1980s among a circle of underground chemists, therapists and psychedelic drug enthusiasts, it later became infamous as the drug that fuelled all-night raves.

But the side-effects remain positive and the drug is known to increase energy, euphoria, emotional warmth and empathy toward others.

Drawing on these psychological responses, researchers are planning their first study using MDMA for the treatment of social anxiety.

In a recent review in press in the journal, Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, a team of academics laid out their proposed assessment of the therapeutic effects of MDMA.

Social anxiety is a common problem for autistic adults, especially those that function well enough to be pressured by social norms.

The drug, when used clinically and safely, is thought to help people talk more openly and increase levels of insight


It is hoped that ecstasy will be administered infrequently in clinical settings to reduce this nervousness and improve the relationship between an individual and their therapist.

Research into the clinical uses of MDMA goes back decades, and is currently being investigated as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as well as behaviour linked to autism.

Between 1996 and 2012 in England and Wales there were 577 deaths in which ecstasy/MDMA was recorded on the death certificate.

But MDMA is considered to be safe and non-addictive in small doses and controlled environments.

The drug has been illegal in the United States since the 1980s but before this, it was tested for possible therapeutic effects and was noted for its ability to promote positive mood.

The drug, which comes in pill form, is thought to help people talk more openly and increase levels of insight.


SOURCE (Be sure to read the comments on the article): Autistic adults could take pure MDMA to 'reduce social anxiety' - Health News - Health & Families - The Independent

 

[inkhorn82]

I read the news article and then the abstract. I think it's really easy to judge this kind of treatment harshly, but I think in some cases this might be really helpful. The dosage they want to administer is not an abusive one and if this helps the person to become open and reflective enough during therapeutic treatment (in a cognisant state) then maybe it really could create lasting change. On the other hand, if the therapy does not require the person to engage in social behaviours that would normally invoke anxiety, then I imagine the drugs would be useless in helping the person to break their anxieties.

It all depends, I guess. Does the person find his/her reclusiveness problematic? What is the quality of the therapy/therapist? Is the person taking drugs which would interfere?

 

[AsheSkyler]

Great. Just what I need. A pill that makes me talk even more than I already do. XD

But I can see how it'd be useful to others.

 

[wyverary]

Anyone who's ever taken MDMA knows how horrible the crash is once the drug's effects wear off. I've taken Molly and hope never to again.

 

[juzzydonch]

As apose to wyvearary up here i have a different opinion, at first when i first started taking mdma crystals clubbing yes the crash after was bad but i went every weekend without fail clubbing and taking mdma for over a year and to be honest it helped me a great deal it's actually taught me how to talk to people easier, tho i can say that in the amount i have had averaging 3-400 caps in total there are side effects now such as memory being a goldfish and slight stutter but clean 5 months now and feelings "normal" again so all in all id say yes its good to use in a therapeutic way once in a while not all the time

 

[qwerty]

Anyone who's ever taken MDMA knows how horrible the crash is once the drug's effects wear off. I've taken Molly and hope never to again.

Taking Molly is WAY different than taking a therapeutic dose. I have taken good mdma only a couple of times in my life and the relief from the agony of some sensory, ptsd and social issues i have was AMAZING.
I remember weeping with relief. I don't drink alcohol or smoke pot and am not a drug lover, but i do believe in legislative change in regards to the current laws surrounding some substances, I believe they are irresponsible and cause far more social damage than prevent.

 

[wyverary]

Taking Molly is WAY different than taking a therapeutic dose. I have taken good mdma only a couple of times in my life and the relief from the agony of some sensory, ptsd and social issues i have was AMAZING.
I remember weeping with relief.

You have intrigued me. What would one consider a therapeutic dose? (Mind, I can't do it myself for various reasons, but I'm interested to know how it works.)

 

[qwerty]

You have intrigued me. What would one consider a therapeutic dose? (Mind, I can't do it myself for various reasons, but I'm interested to know how it works.)

MDMA-assisted therapy: A new treatment model for social anxiety in autistic adults

There are a lot of dangerous amphetamine analogs being sold as X many of the deaths associated with mdma are because the person who had OD'd had no idea of the substance they had taken, to them it was Molly or XTC, without regulation the chances of taking a lethal dose or dangerous substance skyrocket.
The current legislation is in my opinion is guilty of manslaughter.
and the fact that government would rather pander to an unsubstantiated hysteria rather than address an issue that is costing the tax payer billions of dollars and is indirectly responsible of taking lives leaves me cold.

 

[Beverly]

I would be interested in trying MDMA. I have tried XTC and, it does help, as do some other illegal substances. I've found that XTC helps me feel the energy, the vibe if you will, of the group I am in and, that allows me to interact more effectively and, with fewer social mistakes. It feels a bit like feeding of the audience when you are performing on stage but, without the "wired to near insanity" part of that feeling.

Coming off the stage, it is impossible to sit still, you are exhausted but, so hyped up off the audience that it will be an hour or two before you can even think about being still and, three or four hours before you might consider sleeping. With XTC, at least for me, that hype isn't there but, I still gain the feel of the people around me and, can deliver the interactions/performance that they expect and, that which pleases them.

 

[Neri]

I would be interested in trying MDMA. I have tried XTC and, it does help, as do some other illegal substances. I've found that XTC helps me feel the energy, the vibe if you will, of the group I am in and, that allows me to interact more effectively and, with fewer social mistakes. It feels a bit like feeding of the audience when you are performing on stage but, without the "wired to near insanity" part of that feeling.

Coming off the stage, it is impossible to sit still, you are exhausted but, so hyped up off the audience that it will be an hour or two before you can even think about being still and, three or four hours before you might consider sleeping. With XTC, at least for me, that hype isn't there but, I still gain the feel of the people around me and, can deliver the interactions/performance that they expect and, that which pleases them.

This is intriguing. I used to love the high I got from performing. I miss it so much!

 

[grommet]

Anyone who's ever taken MDMA knows how horrible the crash is once the drug's effects wear off. I've taken Molly and hope never to again.

Please tell what it is like unless thinking about it is too upsetting. I really want to understand.

 

[Judge]

Please tell what it is like unless thinking about it is too upsetting. I really want to understand.

He hasn't been here in a very long time. He used to be a mod.

These days the idea of taking most any street drug could be a bad idea with so many being laced with fentanyl. Not worth the risk...unless one can acquire it directly from a reputable pharmaceutical company.

Ecstasy Laced With Fentanyl: Georgia's Growing Party Drug Problem

A series of deaths in Georgia linked to the opioid fentanyl has left ravers and other club-drug users scared, wary, and a local NGO scrambling to help.

www.rferl.org

 

[Metalhead]

I want to link to a Tech N9ne song called “Thizzles” in this thread, but I cannot because that song contains strong language.

 

[grommet]

He hasn't been here in a very long time. He used to be a mod.

These days the idea of taking most any street drug could be a bad idea with so many being laced with fentanyl. Not worth the risk...unless one can acquire it directly from a reputable pharmaceutical company.

Ecstasy Laced With Fentanyl: Georgia's Growing Party Drug Problem

A series of deaths in Georgia linked to the opioid fentanyl has left ravers and other club-drug users scared, wary, and a local NGO scrambling to help.

www.rferl.org

Thank you. I did not realize he was not around now.

I talked to someone about street drugs and they said what you did, that you cannot know what is in them and so it can be dangerous. I read about an actress I liked, she was in a show when I was a kid, I had a crush on her. But it said she was bipolar and had manic depression, I cannot remember which. She died in her forties from drugs. I think she had been trying to help herself because she was not getting the help she needed. It was a long time ago.

I think that happens. I wish there were enough help so people did not have to do that.

 

[tree]

 

[grommet]

It would indeed reduce social anxiety but I can share what I think about it. I mentioned earlier that I was in contact with these sort of things in the late 90s, haven't touched it since then so it's not something I do. I don't even drink alcohol now. But my experience is that it all feels fake. Because I'm not myself. So it removes social anxiety and makes it easier to be out and about and talk with people, lots of pills you can get from doctors also do that, but when they stopped working everything that had happened and everything I had done and talked about felt fake and pointless. Because I was not myself. So it didn't really help at all. That's how I experienced it.

I read a book by Don Gabor called, “How to Start Conversations and Make Friends”. I followed the steps and it worked immediately, people lit up when they saw me and started talking to me. But I realized I was not interested in what they were saying, I only did what the book told me. I was happy the people were happy but I was not being myself at all. Like you were saying, it was fake. I stopped. I think pretending is wrong. I do not like it. It did not make me feel closer to anyone and it made me not like myself.

 

[Neri]

It would indeed reduce social anxiety but I can share what I think about it. I mentioned earlier that I was in contact with these sort of things in the late 90s, haven't touched it since then so it's not something I do. I don't even drink alcohol now. But my experience is that it all feels fake. Because I'm not myself. So it removes social anxiety and makes it easier to be out and about and talk with people, lots of pills you can get from doctors also do that, but when they stopped working everything that had happened and everything I had done and talked about felt fake and pointless. Because I was not myself. So it didn't really help at all. That's how I experienced it.

When I left my kid's dad, at the point of such extreme burn out and run down that I was very scared for my life, multiple systems break down in my body and chronic acute stress responses, my ex and oldest son (who was already 20 at this stage) were like...
"Just come over and we'll all take MDMA and everything will be ok". And this is the man who boasted 3 or or so years into the relationship, when I was already pregnant with the 3rd child that "he had wanted a homeless teen for a girlfriend that he could mould"...so you can imagine my horror at the thought of some fake drug induced ahhh-everything-will-be-alright-just-take-this-pill situation. Just nooooooooo!!!!
Note; I was that homeless 16yr old teenager and I couldn't have been more horrified at discovery of that intent.