Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research • Hacker News Board

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#11

Post by pazimzadeh » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 9:47 AM UTC

ClassyJacket wrote: post #5

everdev wrote: post #2

This is fantastic news. MDMA and psychedelics when taken in the right setting with the right support people can be incredibly healing. Right now it's primarily focused on PTSD and other traumas, but it can be a powerful experience for improving relationships or personal growth as well.

I can anecdotally confirm this. I took MDMA under pretty normal party circumstances and honestly it was life changing. I've found it easier to be friendly, talkative, relaxed, and positive, even weeks later. I'm interested to see how long these effects last. My intrusive thoughts have been lowered and my overall outlook is more positive. I don't have PTSD, but I do have depression, anxiety, and unofficially, I probab…

> under pretty normal party circumstances

Were you alone or with friends? Home or out?

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#12

Post by rusk » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 9:58 AM UTC

ClassyJacket wrote: post #5

everdev wrote: post #2

This is fantastic news. MDMA and psychedelics when taken in the right setting with the right support people can be incredibly healing. Right now it's primarily focused on PTSD and other traumas, but it can be a powerful experience for improving relationships or personal growth as well.

I can anecdotally confirm this. I took MDMA under pretty normal party circumstances and honestly it was life changing. I've found it easier to be friendly, talkative, relaxed, and positive, even weeks later. I'm interested to see how long these effects last. My intrusive thoughts have been lowered and my overall outlook is more positive. I don't have PTSD, but I do have depression, anxiety, and unofficially, I probab…

The mindset of "all drugs are heroin"

Ironically enough, heroin is one of the few of these banned substances that is actually approved normally for medical use [0] (Not in the USA actually, according to this reference).

The name "Heroin" itself, was a trademark of the Bayer corporation [1]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#Medical_uses

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin#History

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#13

Post by roel_v » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:00 AM UTC

pazimzadeh wrote: post #11

ClassyJacket wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can anecdotally confirm this. I took MDMA under pretty normal party circumstances and honestly it was life changing. I've found it easier to be friendly, talkative, relaxed, and positive, even weeks later. I'm interested to see how long these effects last. My intrusive thoughts have been lowered and my overall outlook is more positive. I don't have PTSD, but I do have depression, anxiety, and unofficially, I probab…

> under pretty normal party circumstances Were you alone or with friends? Home or out?

I'm not sure what sort of parties you go to, but home alone isn't much of a party by most definitions...

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#14

Post by rusk » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:05 AM UTC

cromon wrote: post #10

ClassyJacket wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It honestly feels like this is what has happened. I have to talk on the phone all day at my job and was not suited to it at all, and I won't pretend I suddenly enjoy it, but now I find it way easier to get thru than I did before. I'll probably do it again. I just wish there were more studies so I could know how often is safe and optimal to take it.

Read Phikal by Alexander Shulgin, plenty of interesting information in there.

Really? I'd always thought Shulgin's PiHKAL [0] (Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved) was more of a technical book. I'd never realised there was a more qualitative aspect to it. I'll be sure to check it out!

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PiHKAL

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#15

Post by loeg » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

ClassyJacket wrote: post #8

acchow wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have plenty of friends that have overcome social anxiety they've had their entire lives with just one night of MDMA.

It honestly feels like this is what has happened. I have to talk on the phone all day at my job and was not suited to it at all, and I won't pretend I suddenly enjoy it, but now I find it way easier to get thru than I did before. I'll probably do it again. I just wish there were more studies so I could know how often is safe and optimal to take it.

Probably best to get a testing kit from e.g. DanceSafe[0] to at least confirm the stuff you've bought has MDMA in it. It is not uncommon for meth or other stuff (2C-B, or just inert filler) to be sold as MDMA.

(For the pedants: the positive test for the presence of MDMA does not prove that the substance isn't adulterated, but it's certainly better than a negative result.)

[0]: https://dancesafe.org/

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#16

Post by cromon » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #14

cromon wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Read Phikal by Alexander Shulgin, plenty of interesting information in there.

Really? I'd always thought Shulgin's PiHKAL [0] (Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved) was more of a technical book. I'd never realised there was a more qualitative aspect to it. I'll be sure to check it out! [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PiHKAL

Yea the first half of the book is a brief story of his life, that's a really interesting read for sure.

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#17

Post by tpm » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:23 AM UTC

rusk wrote: post #14

cromon wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Read Phikal by Alexander Shulgin, plenty of interesting information in there.

Really? I'd always thought Shulgin's PiHKAL [0] (Phenethylamines I Have Known And Loved) was more of a technical book. I'd never realised there was a more qualitative aspect to it. I'll be sure to check it out! [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PiHKAL

Scott Alexander has an interesting review: http://slatestarcodex.com/2016/08/11/book-review-pihkal/

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#18

Post by throwaway_de2af » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:28 AM UTC

[unpopular opinion, criticism is welcome]

People who build cheap cars/smartphones/clothes/food/anything usually don't care about poor people at all, even if poor people benefit the most from those cheap protducts/services.

They care about profits in $$$

$$$ incentives bring the most value to poor people, so the best motivation I can think of for improving society is money-making businesses .

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#19

Post by lawlessone » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:29 AM UTC

roel_v wrote: post #13

pazimzadeh wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> under pretty normal party circumstances Were you alone or with friends? Home or out?

I'm not sure what sort of parties you go to, but home alone isn't much of a party by most definitions...

It's a great movie though.

Re: Pineapple Fund Offers $4M Matching Grant to MAPS for MDMA Research

#20

Post by tpm » Thu, Jan 11, 2018, 10:31 AM UTC

ClassyJacket wrote: post #8

acchow wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have plenty of friends that have overcome social anxiety they've had their entire lives with just one night of MDMA.

It honestly feels like this is what has happened. I have to talk on the phone all day at my job and was not suited to it at all, and I won't pretend I suddenly enjoy it, but now I find it way easier to get thru than I did before. I'll probably do it again. I just wish there were more studies so I could know how often is safe and optimal to take it.

On the very safe side: Not more often than every 6 weeks. Ideally not more than 15 doses in lifetime (that's what MAPS guidelines say). Stop once you are sad beyond the 'blue Tuesday' (not everyone has a blue Tuesday, but after repeated use it usually starts to happen and gets worse). There is quite some literature, sadly not nicely structured and concentrated in one place as far as I know.