Doctor makes history by writing MDMA prescription for PTSD patient in Australia

The world’s first prescription for party drug MDMA was written by an Australian doctor to help a traumatized psychiatric patient.

The move comes after MDMA and magic mushrooms were allowed to be prescribed in clinical trials from July 1 last year.

Ted Cassidy, psychiatrist and co-founder of Monarch Mental Health Group (MMHG), wrote the script this weekend for a female patient suffering from chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Cassidy claims that ‘one day of MDMA-assisted therapy has achieved more than is usually achieved in a year’.

Dr. Cassidy is co-founder of Monarch Mental Health Group in Sydney. Due to NSW regulations, he and the patient were forced to travel to Melbourne to write the script

His team had to travel to Melbourne to write the script due to restrictive regulations in New South Wales.

Dr. Cassidy is now asking Premier Chris Minns to change the regulations so the next patient doesn’t have to leave the state to get the treatment they need.

Dr. Cassidy shared the groundbreaking announcement on LinkedIn, along with a photo of the historic script.

Dr. Cassidy and his team had developed the treatment over the past year by building on MMHG’s decade of experience in outpatient mental health treatment.

‘For me it is a highlight in my career – …the very first mainstream normal script written by any doctor in the world for a psychedelic drug,” he wrote.

‘Today’s treatment is the world’s first Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) treatment ever delivered outside of research and compassionate use protocols (and) is built on a history of psychedelic practice dating back to the dawn of civilization and in all indigenous cultures.

“I’m proud to be part of the Monarch team that brought the world’s first clinical psychedelic program to patients.

“I am proud that Australia has taken global leadership in translating psychedelic research into clinical reality.”

The treatment method was previously only used in research and compassionate cases.

A research paper published in Naturopathy in 2021 found that the effects of MDMA on patients with chronic PTSD were extraordinary.

Doctors found that patients who received the treatment did not experience any side effects and so on MDMA-assisted therapy was safe and well tolerated.

“We conclude that MDMA-assisted therapy represents a potential breakthrough treatment that deserves accelerated clinical evaluation,” the study concluded.

PTSD is diagnosed when a person experiences a traumatic event and repeatedly experiences flashbacks of reliving what happened.

MDMA-assisted therapy allows therapists to discuss the underlying traumatic event while patients are being administered MDMA.

Scientists hope that MDMA will allow discussion without the patient suffering from extreme emotional problems.

The MDMA dose releases “feel-good” hormones that can improve a patient’s mood, creating an environment where he or she can be open about their triggers.

Dr. Cassidy calls on Premier Chris Minns to rewrite the rules around MDMA treatment in NSW so future patients don’t have to travel between cities to get treatment

Dr. Cassidy thanked the staff at MMHG who helped push the treatment past the pilot phase, including clinical psychologist Monica Schweickle who was the co-therapist for this first treatment.

Dr. Schweickle had to travel from Newcastle to Melbourne to assist with treatment, while the patient traveled from rural NSW and Dr. Cassidy from Sydney.

Dr. Cassidy hopes, with the support of the NSW government, this type of extended travel will not be necessary in the future if the state were to reform its policy.

He called on the Premier and NSW Health Minister Ryan Park to do more to help patients get the treatment they need in the state they call home.

“Chris Minns’ NSW Health insists that this treatment takes place in a hospital rather than an outpatient treatment center, unlike elsewhere in the world,” he wrote.

‘Let’s do better NSW!’