Classic psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and DMT from unregulated markets pose considerable risks through unknown adulterants and potencies. In this chapter, we explore the importance of drug checking in minimizing harm among users of classic psychedelics and examine the opportunities and challenges associated with intervention settings, analytical tech...
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...
Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) have shown promising effects in the treatment of certain mental health conditions. Enthusiastic claims about their therapeutic potential have led to overly optimistic reactions in the media and the public, subsequently resulting in increase...
Psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have remerged as agents of psychiatric and cultural relevance. However, public discourse has outpaced empirical understanding of their effects. Although hallucinogens have demonstrated a potential to treat certain mental disorders, their effect on aggression and violen...
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...
BackgroundThe Altered States of Consciousness Scale (3/5D-ASC or 11-ASC) is widely used to assess non-ordinary states of consciousness, particularly for psychedelic research. However, its original dimensional model (3D-ASC within 5D-ASC) and later 11-subscale structure (11-ASC) have a hierarchically incompatible higher/lower-order structure. Although the 11-...
Background: Psilocybin has been granted breakthrough therapy status in the United States, speeding its advancement from research to clinical care. Due to the controversial nature of psilocybin, psychiatrists may not be fully prepared to incorporate it into clinical practice. The current study aimed to evaluate the opinions toward psilocybin among practicing ...
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, ...
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has emerged as a promising and innovative approach to treating a range of mental health disorders, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders. Once sidelined due to regulatory bans and social stigma, psychedelics such as psilocybin, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lyse...
Classical psychedelics, like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and psilocybin, can alter perception, emotion, and cognition, and have shown promise as 're-purposed' treatments for some psychiatric disorders. Recent trials have, e.g., demonstrated rapid and sustained symptom relief in treatment-resistant depression. While promisi...
Psychedelics are gaining recognition for their effectiveness as modulators of neuroplasticity in the treatment of a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, and ketamine are substances that mainly affect the serotonergic and glutamatergic systems. They induce rapid synaptogenesis, dendritic remodeli...
Background: Tramadol is a synthetic opioid analgesic prescribed for moderate pain. Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is a naturally occurring psychoactive compound found in certain mushrooms, often referred to as "magic mushrooms" and is classified as a Schedule I substance. This case report aimed to present the unexpected detection of psil...
The etiology of OCD is complex and appears to involve multiple biological pathways. Imbalances in central serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate activities are widely thought to play a causative role. Despite strong evidence supporting first-line OCD pharmacotherapies, approximately 40-60 % of OCD patients remain unresponsive and are considered treatment resista...
Serotonergic psychedelics, particularly psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), are increasingly recognised as powerful tools to advance the understanding of consciousness and its relation to brain activity. Psychedelic research has informed neuroscientific theories that attempt to map neural observations of network connec...
The emergence of microdosing introduced a novel approach to consuming classic psychedelic substances, such as LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin mushrooms, in ways previously unconventional. Whereas traditional illicit substance use often seeks euphoric experiences, microdosing deliberately avoids such effects in favor of perceived self-enhancin...
BackgroundOver the past ten years, several psychedelic compounds, including tryptamines like lysergic acid diethylamide/LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and dimethyltryptamine/DMT, have been tested in clinical trials for a range of psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and depression. While these compounds are relatively available for treatment, ketamine and it...
Psychedelics including psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, and lysergic acid diethylamide are known to disrupt the normal flow of time perception, for example, producing time dilation, compression, and loss of time. These temporal anomalies provide interesting clues about how the brain processes time, what consciousness is, and what produces the sense of self. T...
Psychedelic clinical research is expanding rapidly. This review analyses the state and trends in psychedelic clinical trial registrations. A systematic search of ClinicalTrials.Gov was conducted on 11 November 2024, to identify registered interventional trials investigating (therapeutic) effects of serotonergic psychedelics (e.g. lysergic acid diethylamide [...
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...
