A newly posted page about psilocybin on a federal health agency\u2019s website acknowledges the potential benefits the psychedelic substance might provide\u2014including for treatment of alcohol use disorder, anxiety and depression. The page also highlights psilocybin research being funded by the federal government into the drug\u2019s effects on pain, migraines, psychiatric disorders and various other conditions.<\/p>\n
The page, \u201cPsilocybin for Mental Health and Addiction: What You Need To Know,\u201d was posted this month on the website of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n
It includes basic information about what psilocybin is, where it comes from, the legal status of the drug and preliminary findings around safety and efficacy.<\/p>\n
Though psilocybin remains a Schedule I controlled substance, the page notes, it\u2019s been granted \u201cbreakthrough therapy\u201d status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and \u201chas been either decriminalized or deprioritized in some states and the District of Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThe legal status in the United States of psychedelic drugs including psilocybin continues to evolve.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
In terms of potential benefits, the NCCIH page highlights three possible areas of application: alcohol use disorder, anxiety and existential distress and depression.<\/p>\n
It highlights a 2022 study that \u201csuggested that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.\u201d That research found people who were in psilocybin-assisted therapy had fewer heavy-drinking days over 32 weeks than the control group, which the NCCIH page says \u201csuggests that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for anxiety and existential distress, the page says a \u201csmall amount\u201d of research has studied psilocybin as a treatment for distress in people with serious medical illnesses, like advanced cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 2020 analysis of 4 small studies in 117 people, most with life-threatening cancer, concluded that psilocybin combined with psychotherapy may be safe and effective for improving anxiety, depression, and existential distress, as well as quality of life,\u201d it says, adding that \u201cBecause of limitations in the design of the studies and the small number and health status of the people involved, the authors note that the conclusions may have been biased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding depression, a \u201cgrowing body of research has suggested that psilocybin combined with psychotherapy may be helpful for depression in the short and medium term,\u201d the page<\/a> says, citing three separate studies.<\/p>\n
A 2023 review and meta-analysis found that psilocybin-assisted therapy \u201creduced depression symptoms for up to 5 weeks,\u201d while a separate study that year found that a single dose of psilocybin combined with therapy \u201crapidly reduced symptoms of depression within 8 days, with benefits lasting for 6 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other research, from 2021, found that psilocybin-assisted therapy \u201cdid not reduce symptoms better\u201d than a common antidepressant medication combined with psychotherapy.<\/p>\n
The NCCIH page reminds readers to not use psilocybin \u201cto postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical and mental health problem\u201d and encourages people to \u201ctake charge of your health\u2014talk with your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use.\u201d<\/p>\n
One promising application for psychedelics could be pain management. NCCIH notes on its psilocybin page that the agency is currently funding research to study the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for chronic pain<\/a>, while other federally funded research is looking into \u201cthe effect of psilocybin on people with chronic low-back pain and depression in regard to their emotions and perceptions of pain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other inquiries seek to better understand the chemistry of psilocybin and the possible risk of interactions with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), commonly used to treat psychiatric disorders, migraine headaches and certain types of pain, the NCCIH page says.<\/p>\n
Separate research published this month on psilocybin found that it\u2019s unlikely that a single experience with the drug changes people\u2019s religious or metaphysical beliefs<\/a>\u2014though it may affect their perception of whether animals, plants or other objects experience consciousness.<\/p>\n
Findings of another recent study suggests that the use of full-spectrum psychedelic mushroom extract has a more powerful effect than chemically synthesized psilocybin alone<\/a>, which could have implications for psychedelic-assisted therapy. The findings imply that the experience of entheogenic mushrooms may involve a so-called \u201centourage effect\u201d\u00a0similar to what\u2019s observed with cannabis and its many components.<\/a><\/p>\n
A separate study recently published by the American Medical Association found that single-dose psilocybin use was \u201cnot associated with risk of paranoia,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0while other adverse effects such as headaches are generally \u201ctolerable and resolved within 48 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
That study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, involved a meta-analysis of double-blind clinical trials where psilocybin was used to treat anxiety and depression from 1966 to last year.<\/p>\n
AMA published another recent study that similarly contradicted commonly held beliefs about the potential risks of psychedelics use, finding the substances \u201cmay be associated with lower rates of psychotic symptoms among adolescents.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n
Also, results of a clinical trial published by AMA in December \u201csuggest efficacy and safety\u201d of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy<\/a>\u00a0for treatment of bipolar II disorder, a mental health condition often associated with debilitating and difficult-to-treat depressive episodes.<\/p>\n
The association also published research last August that found people with major depression experienced\u00a0\u201cclinically significant sustained reduction\u201d in their symptoms<\/a>\u00a0after just one dose of psilocybin.<\/p>\n
\nTop VA Official Says Psychedelics Have \u201cSurpassed\u201d Marijuana In Bipartisan Acceptance In Congress<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia\/M\u00e4di<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n
The post Federal Health Agency Acknowledges Psilocybin\u2019s Therapeutic Potential And Touts Forthcoming Psychedelic Research<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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