A new scientific review on psychedelics as a possible treatment for substance use disorders finds that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy \u201cshowed significant reductions in alcohol consumption and high smoking cessation rates\u201d and has potential to lessen opioid dependence.<\/p>\n
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAP) \u201cwas associated with significant reductions in alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, and related psychological improvements,\u201d says the research, published last month in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.<\/p>\n
The review looked at 16 studies, most of which were open-label or observational. Few were randomized controlled experiments, which authors said \u201cunderscor[es] the need for robust clinical trials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research into alcohol use disorder found participants who underwent psilocybin-assisted therapy \u201creported fewer heavy drinking days, increased abstinence rates, and neuroimaging data indicating normalization of brain activity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Studies into PAP and tobacco use disorder, meanwhile, \u201cdemonstrated high smoking abstinence rates, with mystical experiences predicting long-term outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFindings for other SUDs [substance use disorders] were mixed,\u201d authors wrote, \u201cthough psilocybin showed potential in reducing opioid dependence and nicotine use.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new review was authored by a 15-person research team from St. Michael\u2019s Hospital in Toronto, the New York University Center for Psychedelic Medicine, the Center for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, Western University in Canada, the University of South Adelaide in Australia, Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and the universities of Alberta, Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy synthesizing data from multiple studies,\u201d they wrote, \u201cwe seek to provide a clearer and updated understanding of psilocybin\u2019s therapeutic potential and its applicability across different types of SUDs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite a lack of robust research, especially outside tobacco and alcohol use, the report<\/a> says that \u201cpsilocybin was generally well-tolerated, and in studies where it was combined with psychotherapy, [showed] significant reductions in reported substance use.\u201d<\/p>\n The results come on the heels of a separate report earlier this year that looked at the use of psilocybin-assisted therapy to treat methamphetamine use disorder<\/a>. It found that the treatment \u201cwas feasible to implement in an outpatient setting, did not appear to generate safety concerns, and demonstrated signals of effectiveness warranting further investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n That study, published by The Lancet as a preprint in January, found that among a small group of people in a stimulant treatment program, \u201cMethamphetamine craving decreased while quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress improved from baseline to day 28 and 90 follow-up.\u201d Authors noted there are currently few effective treatments for methamphetamine use disorder.<\/p>\n Last summer, meanwhile, two other studies\u2014including one with contributions from a top federal drug official\u2014examined\u00a0psychedelics and alcohol use disorder (AUD)<\/a>.<\/p>\n One found that a single dose of psilocybin \u201cwas safe and effective in reducing alcohol consumption in AUD patients,\u201d while the other concludes that classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD \u201chave demonstrated potential for treating drug addiction, especially AUD.\u201d<\/p>\n The National Institutes of Health last year also announced that it\u00a0would put $2.4 million toward funding studies on the use of psychedelics to treat methamphetamine use disorders<\/a>\u2014funding that came as federal health officials noted sharp increases in deaths from methamphetamine and other psychostimulants in recent years, with fatal overdoses involving the substances rising nearly fivefold between 2015 and 2022.<\/p>\n In 2023, meanwhile, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced a\u00a0$1.5 million funding round to further study psychedelics and addiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other recent research has also suggested that psychedelics could unlock promising new pathways to treat addiction. A first-of-its-kind analysis in 2023 offered novel insights into exactly how\u00a0psychedelic-assisted therapy works for people with alcohol use disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year, meanwhile, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which is part of the National Institutes of Health,\u00a0identified the treatment of alcohol use disorder as one of a number of possible benefits of psilocybin<\/a>, despite the substance remaining a Schedule I controlled substance under U.S. law.<\/p>\n The agency highlighted a 2022 study that \u201csuggested that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.\u201d The research found people who were in psilocybin-assisted therapy had fewer heavy-drinking days over 32 weeks than the control group, which NCCIH said \u201csuggests that psilocybin may be helpful for alcohol use disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside of psychedelics, research from 2019 indicated that the cannabinoid\u00a0CBD may also have the potential to treat substance use disorders<\/a>\u00a0involving cocaine, amphetamine and methamphetamine\u2014adding to earlier research showing the\u00a0cannabinoid has the potential to help people battling substance use disorders involving\u00a0alcohol<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0opioids<\/a>.<\/p>\n Largest-Ever Analysis Of Medical Marijuana To Treat Cancer Symptoms Shows \u2018Overwhelming Scientific Consensus\u2019 On Benefits<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post Psychedelic Therapy Can Help Reduce Problematic Alcohol And Tobacco Use, Scientific Review Shows<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A new scientific review on psychedelics as a possible treatment for substance use disorders finds that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy \u201cshowed significant reductions in alcohol consumption and high smoking cessation rates\u201d and has potential to lessen opioid dependence. Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAP) \u201cwas associated with significant reductions in alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, andContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81155,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81154\/revisions\/81155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Psychedelic Therapy Can Help Reduce Problematic Alcohol And Tobacco Use, Scientific Review Shows<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"