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Journal of Psychoactive Drugs Volume 46, 2014 - Issue 1: Psychedelic Resurgence—Research and Therapeutic Uses, Past and Present
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Original Articles

The Potential Dangers of Using MDMA for Psychotherapy

Andrew C. ParrottProfessor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, UK;Adjunct Professor of Psychopharmacology, Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University, Melbourne, AustraliaCorrespondence[email protected]
, Ph.D.
Pages 37-43 | Published online: 11 Mar 2014

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Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking, Henrik Jungaberle, Milan Scheidegger, Marco C.G. Merlo, Veronique S. Grazioli, Jean-Bernard Daeppen, Gerhard Gmel & Joseph Studer. (2019) Comparing Mental Health across Distinct Groups of Users of Psychedelics, MDMA, Psychostimulants, and Cannabis. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 51:3, pages 236-246.
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Eugene A. Kiyatkin. (2014) State-dependent and environmental modulation of brain hyperthermic effects of psychoactive drugs of abuse. Temperature 1:3, pages 201-213.
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Articles from other publishers (45)

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Raúl López-Arnau, Jordi Camarasa, Marcel·lí Carbó, Núria Nadal-Gratacós, Pol Puigseslloses, María Espinosa-Velasco, Edurne Urquizu, Elena Escubedo & David Pubill. (2022) 3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine, synthetic cathinones and psychedelics: From recreational to novel psychotherapeutic drugs. Frontiers in Psychiatry 13.
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Hans Emanuel Oeri. (2020) Beyond ecstasy: Alternative entactogens to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine with potential applications in psychotherapy. Journal of Psychopharmacology 35:5, pages 512-536.
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Yasmin Schmid, Peter Gasser, Peter Oehen & Matthias E Liechti. (2020) Acute subjective effects in LSD- and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Journal of Psychopharmacology 35:4, pages 362-374.
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C. Abuin-Martínez, R. Vidal, M.D. Gutiérrez-López, M. Pérez-Hernández, P. Giménez-Gómez, N. Morales-Puerto, E. O'Shea & M.I. Colado. (2021) Increased kynurenine concentration attenuates serotonergic neurotoxicity induced by 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in rats through activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Neuropharmacology 187, pages 108490.
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Collin M. ReiffElon E. RichmanCharles B. NemeroffLinda L. CarpenterAlik S. WidgeCarolyn I. RodriguezNed H. KalinWilliam M. McDonald. (2021) Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. FOCUS 19:1, pages 95-115.
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Matthias E. Liechti & Friederike Holze. 2022. Disruptive Psychopharmacology. Disruptive Psychopharmacology 3 21 .
Louise Morgan. (2020) MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for people diagnosed with treatment-resistant PTSD: what it is and what it isn’t. Annals of General Psychiatry 19:1.
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Erwin Krediet, Tijmen Bostoen, Joost Breeksema, Annette van Schagen, Torsten Passie & Eric Vermetten. (2020) Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 23:6, pages 385-400.
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Collin M. ReiffElon E. RichmanCharles B. NemeroffLinda L. CarpenterAlik S. WidgeCarolyn I. RodriguezNed H. KalinWilliam M. McDonald. (2020) Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. American Journal of Psychiatry 177:5, pages 391-410.
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Michael D. Berquist, Sebastian Leth-Petersen, Jesper Langgaard Kristensen & William E. Fantegrossi. (2020) In vivo effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and its deuterated form in rodents: Drug discrimination and thermoregulation. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 208, pages 107850.
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Kamil KozeraLena CichońKrzysztof M. WilczyńskiMałgorzata Janas-Kozik. (2020) MDMA – hopes and fears associated with therapeutic use in mental disorders. Pharmacotherapy in Psychiatry and Neurology 36:3, pages 187-204.
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Maria A. Aguilar, Maria P. García-Pardo & Andrew C. Parrott. (2020) Of mice and men on MDMA: A translational comparison of the neuropsychobiological effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘Ecstasy’). Brain Research 1727, pages 146556.
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MATTHEW J. BEGOLA & JASON E. SCHILLERSTROM. (2019) Hallucinogens and Their Therapeutic Use: A Literature Review. Journal of Psychiatric Practice 25:5, pages 334-346.
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Henrik Jungaberle, Sascha Thal, Andrea Zeuch, Ansgar Rougemont-Bücking, Maximilian von Heyden, Helena Aicher & Milan Scheidegger. (2018) Positive psychology in the investigation of psychedelics and entactogens: A critical review. Neuropharmacology 142, pages 179-199.
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Edward.M. Sellers, Myroslava K. Romach & Deborah B. Leiderman. (2018) Studies with psychedelic drugs in human volunteers. Neuropharmacology 142, pages 116-134.
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Balázs Szigeti, Adam R Winstock, David Erritzoe & Larissa J Maier. (2018) Are ecstasy induced serotonergic alterations overestimated for the majority of users?. Journal of Psychopharmacology 32:7, pages 741-748.
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Andrew Parrott. (2018) Mood Fluctuation and Psychobiological Instability: The Same Core Functions Are Disrupted by Novel Psychoactive Substances and Established Recreational Drugs. Brain Sciences 8:3, pages 43.
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A. Jobst, L. Sabaß, D. Hall, B. Brücklmeier, A. Buchheim, J. Hall, N. Sarubin, P. Zill, P. Falkai, E.-L. Brakemeier & F. Padberg. (2018) Oxytocin plasma levels predict the outcome of psychotherapy: A pilot study in chronic depression. Journal of Affective Disorders 227, pages 206-213.
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Elizabeth G. Pitts, Daniel W. Curry, Karly N. Hampshire, Matthew B. Young & Leonard L. Howell. (2017) (±)-MDMA and its enantiomers: potential therapeutic advantages of R(−)-MDMA. Psychopharmacology 235:2, pages 377-392.
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Liana Fattore, Alessandro Piva, Mary Tresa Zanda, Guido Fumagalli & Cristiano Chiamulera. (2017) Psychedelics and reconsolidation of traumatic and appetitive maladaptive memories: focus on cannabinoids and ketamine. Psychopharmacology 235:2, pages 433-445.
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Eilin K. Erevik, Torbjørn Torsheim, Cecilie S. Andreassen, Øystein Vedaa & Ståle Pallesen. (2017) Recurrent cannabis use among Norwegian students. Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 34:6, pages 497-510.
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Patrick Vizeli & Matthias E Liechti. (2017) Safety pharmacology of acute MDMA administration in healthy subjects. Journal of Psychopharmacology 31:5, pages 576-588.
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Andrew C. Parrott, Amie C. Hayley & Luke A. Downey. (2017) Recreational stimulants, herbal, and spice cannabis: The core psychobiological processes that underlie their damaging effects. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 32:3, pages e2594.
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Christopher W. T. Miller. (2017) Epigenetic and Neural Circuitry Landscape of Psychotherapeutic Interventions. Psychiatry Journal 2017, pages 1-38.
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Ben Sessa. 2017. Handbuch Psychoaktive Substanzen. Handbuch Psychoaktive Substanzen 1 29 .
Andrew C. Parrott. (2016) Oxytocin, cortisol and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: neurohormonal aspects of recreational ‘ecstasy’. Behavioural Pharmacology 27:8, pages 649-658.
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Concepción Roger-Sánchez, María P. García-Pardo, Marta Rodríguez-Arias, Jose Miñarro & María A. Aguilar. (2016) Neurochemical substrates of the rewarding effects of MDMA. Behavioural Pharmacology 27:2 and 3 - Special Issue, pages 116-132.
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F. Mueller, C. Lenz, M. Steiner, P.C. Dolder, M. Walter, U.E. Lang, M.E. Liechti & S. Borgwardt. (2016) Neuroimaging in moderate MDMA use: A systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 62, pages 21-34.
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Colin Davidson & Fabrizio Schifano. (2016) The potential utility of some legal highs in CNS disorders. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 64, pages 267-274.
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Alicia L. Danforth, Christopher M. Struble, Berra Yazar-Klosinski & Charles S. Grob. (2016) MDMA-assisted therapy: A new treatment model for social anxiety in autistic adults. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 64, pages 237-249.
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Mohmmad Reza Shahraki & Mahdeh Irani. (2014) The Effects of Ecstasy on Liver Function Tests, Blood Glucose, and Lipids Profile of Male Rats. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction 3:4.
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Andrew C. Parrott, Cathy Montgomery, Mark A. Wetherell, Luke A. Downey, Con Stough & Andrew B. Scholey. (2014) MDMA, cortisol, and heightened stress in recreational ecstasy users. Behavioural Pharmacology 25:5 and 6, pages 458-472.
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Mehdi Mehdizaded. (2014) Ecstasy Neurotoxicity. Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psych Physiology 1:1.
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Andrew C. Parrott. (2014) MDMA is certainly damaging after 25 years of empirical research: a reply and refutation of Doblin et al . (2014) . Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 29:2, pages 109-119.
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Greg Ferenstein. (2021) Ethnography Of A Novel Remote Use Of An MDA Ceremony. SSRN Electronic Journal.
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