Why were some psych drugs used for therapy when first discovered?

[HMS_Irruncible]

@Nametag

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is not a methamphetamine? I agree that the extra groups tagged on make a profound difference in the effects, and the entire class is usually just called “amphetamines,” but chemically, MDMA most certainly can be called a methamphetamine (I suppose calling it a “derivative” would be more rigorous).

Pharmacologically they are both in the phenylethylamine family, members of which vary slightly in structure but widely in effects. Drawing the conclusion that MDMA is addictive simply on the basis of it being in the same family is not valid. Calling it a “derivative” is also dubious because MDMA is not derived from methamphetamine; the routes of synthesis are different for each.

[VinylTurnip]

@Capa84

I’d also like to add that for the most part, people do not lose their decision making ability while on MDMA (yes, at extreme doses you can get stupid, but I don’t know anyone who would just eat 8 pills all at once).

Oh, they’re out there. Even if you don’t know any personally, spend a little time in one of the many drug-related forums out there and you’ll be surprised (and dismayed) at the number of people, a lot of them young kids, who casually describe taking that many pills or more, and/or dosing every weekend, every few days, or even daily, for months (or even years) at a time. Then they’re surprised when they begin to suffer sleeplessness, headaches, memory loss, depersonalization, mood swings, depression, and general emotional and mental instability.

Not saying everybody is that reckless or ignorant, but there’s a whole cartload of bad apples out there really doing damage to themselves with this drug. MDMA is an amazing chemical, but safe use requires a level of knowledge and self-control that a great number of its users just don’t have.

[groman]

@Nametag

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is not a methamphetamine? I agree that the extra groups tagged on make a profound difference in the effects, and the entire class is usually just called “amphetamines,” but chemically, MDMA most certainly can be called a methamphetamine (I suppose calling it a “derivative” would be more rigorous).

I have never heard it being referred to as a methamphetamine. In fact, I have never heard anything other than d/l-methamphetamine called a methamphetamine. MDMA is (as already mentioned by Brain Wreck) is a phenethylamine, as is methamphetamine, epinephrine, pseudoephedrine, mescaline, methylphenidate (Ritalin) and a long list of other chemicals. Now that said, methamphetamine and MDMA are in fact similar molecules, but that doesn’t mean anything pharmacologically. They do not have similar effects, they do not have similar synthesis, and I am not aware of an easy synthesis of one into the other. MDMA is often called “an amphetamine” but that stems from the tendency to call all psychoactive exogenous phenethylamines as the “amphetamine family”. MDMA is just as much an amphetamine as methylphenidate or dopamine is.
Using common chemical names, or even similar structure, for pharmacological comparison can be misleading. Compare l-methamphetamine to d-methamphetamine What also can be very misleading is comparing simple chemical formulas of complex organics – a very good example of this is C21H30O2 - which happens to be the formula for both THC and Progesterone, utterly dissimilar molecules.