Background: Psilocybin, the primary psychoactive component of psychedelic ‘magic mushrooms’, may have potential for treating depressive symptoms, and consequent applications for bipolar disorder (BD). Knowledge of the risks and benefits of psilocybin in BD is limited to case studies. Aim: To support the design of clinical trials, we surveyed experiences of p...
After a decades-long pause, psychedelics are again being intensely investigated for treating a wide range of neuropsychiatric ailments including depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, anorexia, and chronic pain syndromes. The classic serotonergic psychedelics psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide and nonclassic psychedelics 3,4-m...
The interest in psilocybin as a therapeutic approach has grown exponentially in recent years. Despite increasing access, there remains a lack of practical guidance on the topic for health care professionals. This is particularly concerning given the medical complexity and vulnerable nature of patients for whom psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may be conside...
ObjectiveUsing a patient-informed regimen, we conducted an exploratory randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to systematically investigate the effects of psilocybin in cluster headache.BackgroundSustained reductions in cluster headache burden after limited quantities of psilocybin-containing mushrooms are anecdotally reported, although to date t...
Two sessions of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy resulted in reduced heavy-drinking days and other alcohol-related problems relative to placebo plus psychotherapy in a randomized trial involving patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). There were no serious adverse events associated with psilocybin administration, and no signs of psychotic disturbances. St...
Mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are major contributors to the overall global health burden. COVID-19 has further aggravated mental health disorders and also increased substance abuse due to lockdowns1. The Global Burden of Disease reported that the pandemic has led to a 27.6% increase in cases of major depressive disorder (MDD) and a 2...
Purpose/backgroundThere has been resurgence of interest in the therapeutic use of serotonergic ("classic") psychedelics in major depressive disorder (MDD) and end-of-life distress. This commentary offers a critical appraisal of current evidence for antidepressant effects of classic psychedelics from contemporary clinical trials and highlights pitfalls that s...
ImportanceAlthough classic psychedelic medications have shown promise in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), the efficacy of psilocybin remains unknown.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether 2 administrations of high-dose psilocybin improve the percentage of heavy drinking days in patients with AUD undergoing psychotherapy relative to outcomes observed with a...
IntroductionSmall-scale clinical studies with psychedelic drugs have shown promising results for the treatment of several mental disorders. Before psychedelics become registered medicines, it is important to know the full range of adverse events (AEs) for making balanced treatment decisions.ObjectiveTo systematically review the presence of AEs during and aft...
ObjectiveSerotonergic psychedelics are re-emerging as potential novel treatments for several psychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder. The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) convened a task force to review the evidence and provide a consensus recommendation for the clinical use of psychedelic treatments for major depre...
The primary aim of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of one 25 mg dose of psilocybin in participants with anorexia nervosa based on adverse events (AEs), changes in vital signs, electrocardiograms (ECGs) and clinical laboratory tests. The secondary objectives are to explore the efficacy of a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin on eating disorde...
12097 Background: More than 17 million people in the U.S. live with cancer and up to 25% of them have major depression. Depression leads to lower treatment adherence, reduced quality of life, and higher rates of mortality in cancer. Yet, interventions used to treat depression in patients with cancer have limited success. Prior trials using psilocybin to trea...
IntroductionA limited number of preliminary open-label (n = 3) and placebo-controlled clinical trials (n = 5) have suggested psilocybin and LSD as potential rapid antidepressants. In this context, there is a growing need to verify and document their safety and tolerability as therapeutic agents, discuss the challenges associated with their administration, an...
Psilocybin, a hallucinogen contained in "magic" mushrooms, holds great promise for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, and early clinical trials are encouraging. Adverse cardiac events after intake of high doses of psilocybin and a trial reporting QT interval prolongation in the electrocardiogram attributed to the drug's main metabolite, psilocin...
IntroductionPsychedelic drugs were used quite extensively before their prohibition in 1968 which delayed research. However, since the 1990s, studies on the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics have rapidly increased.Areas coveredThis systematic review provides an overview of the clinical effects of psilocybin in the treatment of a variety of mental...
There has been a reemergence of research into the use of substances such as LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This increase in consideration toward the medicinal use of these compounds has been termed the "Psychedelic Renaissance." This article specifically explores the background of psilocybin, a psychoactive compound tha...
BackgroundPreliminary data suggest that psilocybin-assisted treatment produces substantial and rapid antidepressant effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), but little is known about long-term outcomes.AimsThis study sought to examine the efficacy and safety of psilocybin through 12 months in participants with moderate to severe MDD who rece...
RationaleA broad reassessment of the potential benefits of psychedelic drugs has led to the initiation of multiple major clinical trials in an effort to advance their status to become FDA-approved medications, as well as local legislative efforts to legalize or decriminalize their use.ObjectivesTo use recently published data to assess potential risks and ben...
ObjectiveTo systematically examine the effectiveness and tolerability of psilocybin for treating end-of-life anxiety symptoms.MethodsThe Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO databases were searched up to November 25, 2020. We enrolled clinical trials investigating psilocybin for treating end-of-life anxiety symptoms. Meta-analysis was conducted using rando...
There has recently been a renewal of interest in psychedelic research on the use of psilocybin in psychiatric treatment and, in particular, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Several state-of-the-art studies have provided new insight into the mechanisms of action of psilocybin and its therapeutic potential. Nevertheless, many questions rem...
