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MDMA-assisted therapy significantly reduces eating disorder symptoms in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of adults with severe PTSD.

Journal of psychiatric research
May 1, 2022
Timothy D Brewerton et al. (8 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine whether MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) could reduce eating disorder (ED) symptoms in individuals with severe PTSD, given the high comorbidity of EDs and PTSD.

Results Summary

MDMA-AT significantly reduced ED symptoms compared to placebo in participants with severe PTSD, particularly in women with high EAT-26 scores. The study found that ED psychopathology is common in PTSD patients even without active purging or low weight.

Population

89 individuals (58 females, 31 males) with severe PTSD, some of whom had elevated ED symptoms.

Effective Dosage

Not specified in the abstract.

Duration

Not specified in the abstract.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (4)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT)
decrease
total EAT-26 scores
the total group of PTSD participants
-
significantly reduced
#1
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT)
decrease
total EAT-26 scores
women with high EAT-26 scores ≥11
-
significantly reduced
#2
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT)
decrease
total EAT-26 scores
women with high EAT-26 scores ≥20
-
significantly reduced
#3
MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT)
decrease
ED symptoms
participants with severe PTSD
-
significantly reduced
#4
Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Eating disorders (EDs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly comorbid, yet there are no proven integrative treatment modalities for ED-PTSD. In clinical trials, MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has shown marked success in the treatment of PTSD and may be promising for ED-PTSD. METHODS: Ninety individuals with severe PTSD received treatment in a double-blind, placebo-controlled pivotal trial of MDMA-AT. In addition to the primary (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale) and secondary (Sheehan Disability Scale) outcome measures, the Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26) was administered for pre-specified exploratory purposes at baseline and at study termination. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 58 females (placebo = 31, MDMA = 27) and 31 males (placebo = 12, MDMA = 19) (n = 89). Seven participants discontinued prior to study termination. At baseline, 13 (15%) of the 89 individuals with PTSD had total EAT-26 scores in the clinical range (≥20), and 28 (31.5%) had total EAT-26 scores in the high-risk range (≥11) despite the absence of active purging or low weight. In completers (n = 82), there was a significant reduction in total EAT-26 scores in the total group of PTSD participants following MDMA-AT versus placebo (p = .03). There were also significant reductions in total EAT-26 scores in women with high EAT-26 scores ≥11 and ≥ 20 following MDMA-AT versus placebo (p = .0012 and p = .0478, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: ED psychopathology is common in individuals with PTSD even in the absence of EDs with active purging and low weight. MDMA-AT significantly reduced ED symptoms compared to therapy with placebo among participants with severe PTSD. MDMA-AT for ED-PTSD appears promising and requires further study.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultCombined Modality TherapyDouble-Blind MethodFeeding and Eating DisordersFemaleHumansMaleN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetaminePsychotherapyStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality90/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations31
Citations/Year10.3
Relative Citation Ratio5.25
NIH Percentile93.6%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score3.09
Normalized Score0.72
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