Illegal psilocybin shows promise in treatment of depression
pharmafile | December 1, 2016 | News story | Business Services, Manufacturing and Production, Medical Communications, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Johns Hopkins, Magic mushrooms, psilocybin
A double-blind study of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic drug chemical found in ‘magic mushrooms’, has been found to have substantial mental health benefits in those suffering from life-threatening cancer diagnosis. Patients were found to have relief from symptoms of cancer-related anxiety of depression for up to six months after being treaetd with a large dose of the drug.
The research was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, involving 51 adult patients, with the results of the trial being described as “producing enduring positive changes in life and mood and behaviour”. The results become even more impressive when broken down into the bare statistics, with 83% of patients reporting six months after the treatment that they had increased well-being and life satisfaction, 80% reported significant decreases in depressed moods and anxiety while 67% reported that they regarded the experience as one of the top five meaningful experiences in their lives.
The study provided half of participants with a dose of psilocybin high in level, 22 or 30 milligrams per 70 kilograms, while those on the placebo arm of the trial received a control of 1 or 3 milligrams per 70 kilograms. The patients who were treated were mostly suffering from recurrent or metastatic cancer and had been diagnosed as suffering from anxiety or depressive disorder.
“A life-threatening cancer diagnosis can be psychologically challenging, with anxiety and depression as very common symptoms,” says Roland Griffiths, professor of behavioral biology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and of Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “People with this kind of existential anxiety often feel hopeless and are worried about the meaning of life and what happens upon death.”
The results of the study could open new discussions on potential new treatments for those suffering from anxiety or depression, and the report included 11 commentaries to be published alongside the study results. The commentaries were written by leading figures in psychiatry, palliative care and drug regulation, as the study’s results could well be overshadowed by the reputation of the drug in question, which is illegal and listed as a Schedule I drug – reserved for the most dangerous substances.
Research into the potential benefits of psilocybin had been more common, through the 1950s and 60s. However, it was reclassified in the 1970s, making it much more difficult to study. Previously, the same researchers, led by Dr Stephen Ross, had observed in healthy volunteers a similar reaction to drug as being “meaningful, spiritually significant and producing enduring positive changes in life and mood and behaviour”.
Ben Hargreaves
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