The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on November 29 approved a large-scale study to find out the effect of party drug MDMA to treat PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) patients.

A previous small study showed that 80 percent of patients treated with MDMA and psychotherapy has no signs of PTSD, WBRC reported. However, people with PTSD find it very difficult to recall their traumatic experiences, according to Peter Hendricks, an associate professor of Public Health at UAB.

MDMA use in small dose helps calm patients down when they are telling their painful stories. He added MDMA helps patients open up without feeling too emotional as they usually experience.

If the trial is successful, ecstasy can be used as a prescription drug for PTSD patients, New York Times reported.

However, an FDA spokesperson declined to comment, citing a rule that bans from giving any statements related to drugs under development.

Meanwhile, a PTSD researcher head of psychiatry at New York University's Langone School of Medicine Dr.Charles Marmar hopes that MDMA can be another alternative to treat PTSD patients as this disorder is difficult to treat.

Yet, he warned the possibility of this drug's abuse if MDMA is allowed for PTSD patients. He explained that MDMA is a mood-boosting drug and people can use it in a wrong way. Prolonged use of ecstasy can damage human's brain, he added.

Besides Hendricks, other experts also warned the possible illegal use of MDMA.  Andrew Parrott, a psychologist at Swansea University in the U.K stated that the drug can solve problems but it also often causes problems.

The Phase 3 research will be sponsored by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which previously funded six Phase 2 research that used MDMA to treat 130 PTSD patients. The upcoming research will involve 230 PTSD patients.