According to a preliminary study, the hallucinogenic chemical in “magic mushrooms” may heal some difficult-to-treat patients’ depression.
In patients who had previously seen little alleviation from conventional antidepressants, the effects were mild and gradually faded, but they materialised after a single experimental dose.
The study is a component of renewed research into the possible medical applications of hallucinogens, and the findings are consistent with those of earlier, smaller investigations of the psilocybin-containing mushroom.
The usefulness and safety of taking psilocybin for depression, according to the researchers, need to be studied more thoroughly and over longer periods of time. The New England Journal of Medicine this week published their findings.
Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology and a researcher at Harvard Medical School, said of the findings, “They are both exciting and depressing.”
Madras said the study is the most thorough one to date examining psilocybin for treating depression in a journal editorial.
She wasn’t a part of the investigation.
In the US, Europe, and Canada, 233 adults participated in the chemical’s testing. Over the course of a 6- to 8-hour session, each taken pill contained one of three psilocybin doses. They were guided through hallucinatory experiences by two mental health professionals.
Results from the extremely low dose control group were contrasted with those from the highest and medium strength doses.
Other restrictions included the lack of a comparison to an inactive dummy medication or to traditional antidepressants.
All three groups saw a reduction in depressive symptoms, with the highest dose group showing the most immediate improvement. 37% of high-dose recipients showed a significant improvement after three weeks. However, those effects weren’t as strong as those observed in studies of conventional antidepressants, and the benefits started to fade after a few weeks.
20% of the high-dose group continued to show significant improvement after three months.
The study was funded by Compass Pathways, a London-based company that is creating psilocybin for use in industry. It recently announced that a broader, more thorough research is being conducted.
Side effects, including headaches and nausea, were common in all three study groups.
The majority of patients with a history of suicidal ideation experienced these serious adverse effects, which included suicidal thoughts and self-injury.
According to co-author and research psychiatrist at Columbia University David Hellerstein, considering the potency of the drug’s psychedelic experience, these adverse effects are not unexpected. However, he claimed that they highlight the value of employing psilocybin in a medicinal setting.
Hellerstein commented, “This is hardly a home run, but it’s quite hopeful,” pointing out that improvement had already been noticed after just one dose.
However, he asserted that multiple dosages would probably be required to provide long-lasting effects. Given the requirement for several hours of treatment under physician supervision, that might make use expensive.
On a National Library of Medicine website, more than 180 studies on the use of psilocybin and other psychedelics for treating depression, PTSD, and other mental illnesses are included.
The compound is still listed by the US government as a restricted substance with no recognised medicinal purpose. Magic mushroom use has already been decriminalised in a number of places, and Oregon is the first state to permit it for medical purposes.
Many significant obstacles still need to be overcome, according to Philip Corlett, an associate professor of psychiatry at Yale University. One of these obstacles is figuring out whether psilocybin actually lessens depression.
According to one idea, it stimulates areas of the brain that regulate serotonin levels, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Additionally, it might re-establish brain networks, however neither theory has been demonstrated.
“I think we should be taking our foot off the gas a little bit and figure out exactly how they (psychedelics) work in order to optimise it,” Corlett said. They don’t function for everyone.
The use of psychedelic “magic mushrooms” could reduce depression.
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