Emerging evidence suggests that classical psychedelics may offer therapeutic potential for opioid use disorder (OUD) by alleviating key hallmarks such as altered reward processing and dependence. However, the mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear. Our data demonstrate that a single administration of the psychedelic psilocybin (PSI) reduces condition...
Amid an evolving psychedelic drug policy landscape and limitations of existing substance use disorder (SUD) treatments, a novel addiction recovery paradigm has emerged involving augmentation of 12-Step program engagement with therapeutic psychedelic use. A preliminary qualitative analysis was initiated to describe this movement by examining real-world experi...
Background and Aims The ongoing opioid epidemic remains a major public health crisis in the United States, with over 100,000 opioid-related deaths annually. Mental health disorders are strongly associated with opioid use disorder (OUD), compounding risks of misuse and overdose. Emerging evidence indicates that psychedelics may be associated with reduced risk...
In a suburb of Vancouver, Canada, a nondescript three-story building sits alongside a strip of parking lots. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary commercial office space. But inside is something more extraordinary: rows of shelves stacked with plastic tubs full of magic mushrooms-mushrooms that contain the hallucinogenic chemical psilocybin. In a year...
Introduction: Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) affects approximately 30-50% of patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) who fail to respond to at least two adequate antidepressant trials. This condition presents substantial clinical and functional challenges, and no universally accepted treatment algorithm currently exists. Emerging therapeutic stra...
BACKGROUND & AIMS: There are few effective treatments for methamphetamine use disorder, despite increasing global demand. Here, we assessed the safety and feasibility of outpatient psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine use disorder. DESIGN: Single arm, open label pilot study. SETTING: Outpatient public stimulant treatment program at St. Vince...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Psilocybin has emerged as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), but early efficacy data are inconsistent. Depression following alcohol detoxification significantly increases the risk of relapse. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy...
BACKGROUND: People with HIV (PWH) are disproportionately affected by cigarette use, with a 40 - 70% prevalence rate. Although many express a strong interest in quitting, many PWH who smoke experience lower cessation rates with traditional treatments, in part due to their comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms. Psilocybin, a classic psychedelic referred to ...
OBJECTIVES: Psychedelics may be promising treatments for substance use disorders (SUD). This study aims to understand how individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), opioid use disorder (OUD), and psychiatric disorders perceive and experience psychedelics for both nonmedical and medical use. METHODS: Data for this cross-sectional survey study were collected...
Psilocybin, the chemical component of "magic mushrooms", has been administered with psychotherapy in several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) showing large and sustained antidepressant effects. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of psilocybin therapy for adults with chronic neuropathic pain and co-...
The opioid crisis continues to exert a tremendous toll in North America, with existing interventions often falling short of addressing ongoing needs. Psychedelics are emerging as a possible alternative therapy for mental health and substance use disorders. This study aimed to gather insights on how people use or are considering using psychedelics to manage o...
While the movement to liberalize psychedelics bears many parallels to that of cannabis, there are important differences that must be considered in development of regulatory policy. It is critical to avoid conflating debates about liberalization for therapeutic and recreational purposes. As with cannabis, this conflation has been driven by advocates of recrea...
Serotonergic psychedelics induce their characteristic subjective effects via activation of the serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR). This structurally diverse class of drugs includes ergolines (e.g., LSD), phenethylamines (e.g., mescaline), and tryptamines (e.g., psilocin), all of which have NPS analogues that have emerged on recreational drug markets. Importantl...
Chronic neuropathic pain is a significant public health issue affecting an estimated 1.5 billion individuals worldwide. The mechanisms underlying chronic pain are multifaceted and not fully understood. Chronic pain amplifies specific neural pathways through peripheral and central sensitization triggered by repeated exposure to noxious stimuli, ultimately res...
An increasing number of US states and localities are implementing or considering alternatives to prohibiting the supply and possession of some psychedelics for non-clinical use. Debates about these policy changes will probably differ from what we saw with cannabis. Andrews et al. correctly note that: ‘The current push to broaden the production, sale, and use...
Recent experience with off-label use of ketamine and recent challenges experienced in research with MDMA and psilocybin provide additional perspectives on how best to continue development of experimental psychedelic medications. Andrews et al. [1] provide a valuable perspective by noting the parallels between the ongoing deregulation of cannabis and what is ...
When the Saskatchewan-based British psychiatrist Humphry Osmond first wrote to his fellow British émigré, novelist Aldous Huxley, he could have had little idea of how the ripples of their private correspondence of the early 1950s would reverberate across the world and into the future. But here we are in 2024, and the term that Osmond coined-‘psychedelic’-is ...
As psychedelic use expands, the number of adverse effects will increase proportionally. New frameworks for monitoring safety outcomes on a population level are required to limit potential harms. Darke et al. characterized 33 lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and 10 psilocybin-related deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2023 using the country's sophisticated ...
