Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA) – Get the Tesla Inc. reportwho comments on many topics, now seems preoccupied with mental illness and the harm it causes.
In April, the billionaire Surprised their millions of fans urging them to stay away from amphetamines, like Adderall. He said they are dangerous.
It is important to note that Musk is not a doctor or scientist, so he is not an expert on health issues.
But the world’s richest man has more than 97.3 million followers on Twitter, and most of them are fans. They adore him and are likely to listen to his advice and recommendations.
“Adderall is an anger amplifier,” Musk said at the time. “Avoid at all costs.”
Adderall is approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which includes having a short attention span and/or being hyperactive and impulsive.
It is a stimulant drug that can sometimes be prescribed off-label as an add-on treatment for treatment-resistant depression.
At the time, Musk had claimed that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, were not as effective. He had cited testimonials collected from people who had taken them.
‘We should take this seriously’
Now there seems to be an alternative to these antidepressants. In fact, the tech mogul believes that psychedelics and ecstasy are more effective at treating mental illness.
In a Twitter thread, a writer asks TheStreet founder Jim Cramer if he has ever looked into the economic potential of psychedelics. The writer says the drugs would reduce what the writer called the $2.5 trillion cost of mental health.
“Have you looked at the pharmacoeconomic potential of psychedelics to massively reduce the $2.5 trillion cost of mental health? Wall Street is missing out,” the writer said June 9.
Musk took advantage of this exchange.
“Psychedelics and MDMA can make a real difference in mental health, especially for extreme depression and PTSD,” Musk replied on June 10.
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He then urged: “We should take this seriously.”
Notably, the question was not posed to Musk and he was quick to respond. This certainly testifies to the importance that the billionaire businessman attaches to this problem.
Psychedelics and ecstasy taken seriously
PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition that is triggered by experiencing or witnessing a frightening event, according to mayoclinic.org,
“Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.”
As for MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine), also known as ecstasy or molly, it is a synthetic drug that “alters mood and perception (awareness of surrounding objects and conditions)”, the website of the NNational Institutes of Health says.
“It is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens, producing feelings of heightened energy, pleasure, emotional warmth, and distorted sensory and time perception.”
The US Food and Drug Administration provided MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder abpenetration therapy designationwhich means that the federal agency will expedite its development and review.
In May, the FDA authorized clinics in 10 US cities to use ecstasy to treat PTSD.
The drug is currently in clinical trials as a possible aid for the treatment of PTSD, anxiety in terminal patients, and social anxiety in autistic adults. The trials are in phase 3, the final step in clinical drug testing before approval, with possible FDA approval in 2023.
Results of phase 2 and phase 3 trials showed that 67% of participants in the MDMA-assisted therapy group no longer show PTSD symptoms after three sessions, and 88% of participants experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptom.
But there are risks associated with MDMA: it can increase heart rate and blood pressure, which are particularly risky for people with heart and blood vessel problems, warns the NIH.
Some people have also reported signs of addiction.
The year 2023 is also important for psychedelics, also known as hallucinogens, which, unlike antidepressants, are not stand-alone treatments. Research on these psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin, is surging due to the shortcomings of traditional antidepressant treatments.
respected institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, Berkeleythey are working on them.
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