Ecstasy (Yes, the Club Drug) as a Treatment for Autism?

Ecstasy (Yes, the Club Drug) as a Treatment for Autism? – A new study in the journal Biological Psychiatry suggests that MDMA—that’s the club drug, ecstasy—may be used to ‘enhance the psychotherapy of people who struggle to feel connected to others.’ For this reason, it’s suggested that the drug might be used with those who have autism, schizophrenia, or antisocial personality disorder. Researchers do note that ‘these effects have been difficult to measure objectively, and there has been limited research in humans.’ And it’s pretty hard not to look at this latest idea about treating autism with several grains of salt. The new study, Is Ecstasy an “Empathogen”?, was undertaken by University of Chicago researchers and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. According to the lead author, Dr. Gillinder Bedi: “We found that MDMA produced friendliness, playfulness, and loving feelings, even when it was administered to people in a laboratory with little social contact. We also found that MDMA reduced volunteers’ capacity to recognize facial expressions of fear in other people, an effect that may be involved in the increased sociability said to be produced by MDMA.” The study found that the use of MDMA can make others ‘seem more attractive and friendly.’ However, MDMA can also make others seem ‘less threatening, which could increase users’ social risk-taking’—and which could, and would, one might think, pose potentially significant problems for those with psychiatric disorders or individuals on the autism spectrum, who may …

Propecia Side Effects Lead to Litigation

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Many men who took Propecia (finasteride) to treat their premature hair loss have suffered Propecia side effects ranging from erectile dysfunction to cognitive impairment. This has led to a large number of lawsuits against Merck, the drug's manufacturer.
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Washington and Colorado as precedent for marijuana legalization?

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Legalization and de-criminalization of marijuana and, perhaps, other drugs is a subject for serious national discussion that may or may not lead to changes in public attitudes and public policy. … Instead, according to Alma Guillermoprieto writing in …
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Keeping Parolees Out of Prison

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Encouraged by the federal Second Chance Act of 2008, which aims to promote correctional reform, several states have cut recidivism by giving newly released inmates access to drug treatment or mental health care, focusing parole supervision on the …
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