Two New Zealand psychiatrists have been approved by MedSafe to prescribe and administer MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
MDMA is a synthetic psychoactive drug used recreationally, often called ‘ecstasy’, ‘E’ or ‘molly’.
It is the first time Medsafe has granted approvals for this type of therapy.
Until now, MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD has not been available as a treatment option in New Zealand. Australia became the first country to allow authorised psychiatrists to prescribe MDMA for PTSD in July 2023.
The two psychiatrists with approval are Wellington’s Dr Gary Wynn and Auckland’s Dr Tom Paterson. The pair spent more than a year working through the regulatory process, they said in a statement.
Wynn specialises in PTSD and trauma, and Paterson in addiction.
Each round of treatment was expected to cost about $15,000. A standard course would be three rounds, totalling 54 hours of therapy.
No public funding has yet been allocated.
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More info in the article.
I find it very humorous that all the drugs that festival hippies were telling people to take to cure their depression are being used to cure peoples depression now.
Politicians from the Nixon and Reagan eras have admitted to criminalizing drugs specifically to target poor and black communities. And I mean of course. There’s no moral grounds to prevent people putting stuff in their bodies.
I don’t want to do meth. You know who else doesn’t want to do meth? Meth heads. 99% of them hate the addiction. It’s a disease, a source of shame. Unfortunately we criminalize it and create cartels and corruption and police spending instead of just helping folks fight their addiction.
It is funny. Until you factor in the decades of criminal charges, life destruction and social stigma that the law and authorities will never acknowledge or apologise for.
True.
Why the fuck is it $45k?
Haha I was also a little surprised. But I’ve also seen unfunded drugs and that price isn’t unusual. But surely MDMA isn’t under patent.
I guess it’s because it cost these two docs a fortune to get it approved?
