MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Stress Disorders in Healthcare Workers

Launched by WILLA HALL · Jul 11, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how MDMA-Assisted Therapy can help healthcare workers who are experiencing stress disorders, like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Adjustment Disorders, due to their challenging experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers want to understand if this therapy can make a positive difference in their mental health. The trial is currently not recruiting participants, but it will be open to individuals aged 65-74 who live within 60 miles of New York City, are fluent in English, and can swallow pills. Participants must also have someone they trust who can be contacted in case of emergencies.

If eligible, participants can expect to take part in therapy sessions that may involve MDMA, alongside traditional talk therapy. They will be required to follow specific guidelines, such as fasting and avoiding certain medications before these sessions and must agree to have their therapy sessions recorded. It’s important for potential participants to know that there are strict health requirements to ensure safety, and those with certain medical conditions will not be eligible to join the study. This trial aims to provide hope and potential healing for healthcare workers who have faced significant stress during these unprecedented times.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Were exposed to stressors related to their work in a health care setting during the COVID-19 pandemic
• • Live full-time within a 60-mile radius of New York City.
• • Are fluent in speaking and reading English.
• • Are able to swallow pills.
• • Agree to have study visits recorded, including Experimental Sessions, and non-drug therapy sessions.
• • Have a contact (relative, spouse, close friend or other Support Person) who is willing and able to be reached by the Sponsor-Investigators in the event of a participant becoming suicidal or unreachable.
• • Agree to inform the Sponsor-Investigators within 48 hours of any medical conditions and procedures.
• • If able to become pregnant, must have a negative pregnancy test at study entry and prior to each Experimental Session, and must agree to use adequate birth control through 10 days after the last Experimental Session.
• • Comply with requirements for fasting and refraining from certain medications prior to Experimental Sessions, not participate in any other interventional clinical trials during the duration of the study, be driven home after Experimental Sessions, and commit to medication dosing, therapy, and study procedures.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Have previously participated in a clinical treatment trial using MDMA.
• • Have a past diagnosis of PTSD unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• • Have received Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) within 12 weeks of enrollment.
• • Have a history of or a current primary psychotic disorder or bipolar I disorder
• • Have a current eating disorder with active purging
• • Have current major depressive disorder with psychotic features
• • Have a history of any medical condition that could make receiving a sympathomimetic drug harmful because of increases in blood pressure and heart rate
• • Have uncontrolled essential hypertension
• • Have a history of ventricular arrhythmia at any time, other than premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in the absence of ischemic heart disease.
• • Have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or any other accessory pathway that has not been successfully eliminated by ablation.
• • Have a history of arrhythmia, other than premature atrial contractions (PACs) or occasional PVCs in the absence of ischemic heart disease, within 12 months of screening.
• • Have a marked Baseline prolongation of QT/QTc interval (e.g., repeated demonstration of a QTc interval \>450 milliseconds \[ms\] in males and \>460 ms in females corrected by Fridericia's formula).
• • Have a history of additional risk factors for Torsade de pointes (e.g., heart failure, hypokalemia, family history of Long QT Syndrome).
• • Require use of concomitant medications that prolong the QT/QTc interval during Experimental Sessions.
• • Have symptomatic liver disease or have significant liver enzyme elevations.
• • Have a history of hyponatremia or hyperthermia.
• • Weigh less than 48 kilograms (kg).
• • Are pregnant or nursing, or able to become pregnant and are not practicing an effective means of birth control.