The psychedelic psilocybin may have lasting therapeutic effects for patients with chronic pain syndromes. Some preclinical data suggest these putative benefits derive from direct analgesic effects; however, this possibility has not been comprehensively tested in preclinical models. Here, we evaluated the analgesic properties of a single exposure to psilocybi...
Background: Psilocybin is a promising therapy for cancer-related distress, but existing individual treatment models are resource intensive. In this study, we designed and tested a group model of psilocybin therapy for people with metastatic cancer and cancer-related anxiety and depression. Method: Eligibility criteria included metastatic cancer, moderate-to-...
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder and is associated with psychiatric comorbidities, health impairments, and decreased quality of life. Emerging evidence suggests that psilocybin-assisted therapy may promote cognitive and emotional flexibility and disrupt maladaptive behavioral patterns, making it a promising candidate for BED ...
Anxiety disorders are chronic health conditions affecting the quality of life of millions of people. Psilocin, the active moiety of psilocybin, provides an anxiolytic effect; however, when orally administered as psilocybin, it only offers a moderate level of bioavailability and less predictable pharmacokinetics, potentially making effects after absorption va...
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms are typically not consumed for their nutritional value. The main reason people ingest these mushrooms is for their psychoactive effects. Recently, there has been growing interest in the potential therapeutic applications of psilocybin-containing mushrooms in a range of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety disorde...
As psychedelics are being investigated for more medical indications, it has become important to characterize the adverse effects and pharmacological interactions with these medications. This chapter will summarize what is known about the toxicology and drug-drug interactions for classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, mescaline, 2C-B, ...
Psychedelics are a group of substances within the heterogeneous class of hallucinogenic drugs. Via binding to the serotonin (5-HT) 2A receptor, psychedelics exert profound alterations in various mental domains, including sensation, cognition, emotions, and self-perception. Psychedelics comprise phenethylamines (e.g., mescaline), tryptamines (e.g., psilocybin...
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, strongly affect mood, cognition, and behavior. Psilocybe azurescens is a species of psilocybin mushrooms that contains the main active compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Psilocybin mushrooms have been used since ancient times to improve the quality of life. However, their adverse effects hav...
OBJECTIVE: Anxiety is common in patients receiving end-of-life care and significantly impacts their quality of life. However, pharmacological management remains challenging due to complex clinical presentations and potential side effects, emphasizing the need for systematically reviewing existing treatments. Here we aim to systematically evaluate the efficac...
Psychotic symptoms are uncommon and non-specific adverse effects of classic (serotonergic) psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline. They can emerge during the acute phase of psychedelic drug effects, persist into the subacute ("afterglow") period, or, in rare cases, develop into long-term psychotic illness. Across all...
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of psilocybin assisted therapy as an intervention to reduce symptom burden in adult patients (aged 18-65) with persisting symptoms after concussion (PSaC). This trail will test the following 2 aims: AIM1: To test the safety and feasibility of an active psilocybi...
Background: Psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining renewed attention as a potential treatment for various mental disorders. Despite increasing numbers of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses, a comprehensive synthesis of the evidence across different substances and indications is lacking. This umbrella review aims to evaluate the effectiven...
Psychedelic use has greatly increased within clinical and recreational settings over recent years. While demonstrating a favorable safety profile within certain clinical populations, little empirical research has explored safety of psychedelic use within real-world samples. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase, a comprehensive global pharmacovi...
OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to examine the therapeutic effects and safety of psilocybin given as a pulsed regimen for the prevention of migraine and to consider the blinding integrity of an active control agent. BACKGROUND: The administration of a single low dose of psilocybin was observed to have lasting therapeutic effects in one small pilot tr...
Background Psychedelics exert widespread effects on brain activity, but their impact on motor function is unclear. This is clinically relevant given the emerging interest in psychedelic-assisted physical therapy for disorders of motor function. This study’s primary objectives examined the feasibility and safety of administering movement tasks following low-t...
Classic psychedelics and related substances, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), have again become a focus of interest in psychiatry as potential therapeutic tools. The aim of this paper is to review current data on their mechanisms of action, clinical applications in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, addictions and post-traumatic st...
Classic psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin induce mild cardiovascular activation in addition to their psychological effects. While these effects are well described in healthy adults, little is known about their dynamics in clinical populations undergoing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. This retrospective, observational, ...
BackgroundPalliative Care is concerned with relieving suffering and improving the quality of life of patients and their families. Currently, questions arise about how to provide patients with good end-of-life care. There has been increasing interest in the beneficial effects of using psilocybin-assisted therapy in patients with severe chronic illnesses near ...
