Acute effects of MDMA and LSD co-administration in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy participants

There is renewed interest in the use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in psychiatric research and practice. Although acute subjective effects of LSD are mostly positive, negative subjective effects, including anxiety, may occur. The induction of overall positive acute subjective effects is desired in psychedelic-assisted therapy because positive acute experiences are associated with greater therapeutic long-term benefits. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produces marked positive subjective effects and is used recreationally with LSD, known as "candyflipping." The present study investigated whether the co-administration of MDMA can be used to augment acute subjective effects of LSD. We used a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design with 24 healthy subjects (12 women, 12 men) to compare the co-administration of MDMA (100 mg) and LSD (100 µg) with MDMA and LSD administration alone and placebo. Outcome measures included subjective, autonomic, and endocrine effects and pharmacokinetics. MDMA co-administration with LSD did not change the quality of acute subjective effects compared with LSD alone. However, acute subjective effects lasted longer after LSD + MDMA co-administration compared with LSD and MDMA alone, consistent with higher plasma concentrations of LSD (Cmax and area under the curve) and a longer plasma elimination half-life of LSD when MDMA was co-administered. The LSD + MDMA combination increased blood pressure, heart rate, and pupil size more than LSD alone. Both MDMA alone and the LSD + MDMA combination increased oxytocin levels more than LSD alone. Overall, the co-administration of MDMA (100 mg) did not improve acute effects or the safety profile of LSD (100 µg). The combined use of MDMA and LSD is unlikely to provide relevant benefits over LSD alone in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04516902.

Isabelle Straumann, Laura Ley, Friederike Holze, Anna M. Becker, Aaron Klaiber, Kathrin Wey, Urs Duthaler, Nimmy Varghese, Anne Eckert, Matthias E. Liechti