Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder Comorbidity: Current Pharmacological Therapies and the Future of MDMA-integrated Psychotherapy

Overview

Journal J Psychopharmacol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialty Pharmacology

Date 2023 Nov 27

PMID 38009477

Authors

Brian J Gully

Erica Eaton

Christy Capone

Carolina L Haass-Koffler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) frequently co-occur in patients who have experienced trauma. This comorbidity leads to a vicious cycle where PTSD symptoms beget heavy drinking and vice versa. There are no FDA-approved medications to treat PTSD-AUD; therefore, individuals suffering from this comorbidity are treated with medication approved to treat the disorders separately or with off-label pharmacological interventions. However, these medications are limited in their efficacy for treating PTSD-AUD comorbidity. Emerging research on the nonclassical psychedelic drug 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) suggests that it may be an effective drug used in conjunction with psychotherapy. The following reviews the current research for clinical pharmacotherapies, as well as MDMA-integrative psychotherapy as they pertain to PTSD and AUD in isolation and co-occurrence. Future directions for the role of psychedelic-integrative therapy for the treatment of this comorbidity are discussed.

Citing Articles

Design and methodology of the first open-label trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder: Considerations for a randomized controlled trial.

Eaton E, Capone C, Gully B, Brown Z, Monnig M, Worden M Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2024; 41:101333.

PMID: 39262902 PMC: 11387902. DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101333.

In the new era of psychedelic assisted therapy: A systematic review of study methodology in randomized controlled trials.

Soliman P, Curley D, Capone C, Eaton E, Haass-Koffler C Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2024; 241(6):1101-1110.

PMID: 38683460 PMC: 11529604. DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06598-6.

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