Psilocybin Therapy

"Psilocybin is a non-addictive classic psychedelic (22, 23) with neuroplasticity-inducing properties (24, 25). It is consistently ranked as one of the least harmful illicit psychoactive substances (4, 5), despite being among the most highly regulated substances globally. Psilocybin is a tryptamine alkaloid with serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2A) agonism (26)—and complex pharmacology at many additional serotonin and non-serotonin receptors—that induces marked transitory changes in perception, cognition, and affect. Early phase clinical trials demonstrate that one to three moderate-to-high doses (20 mg to 30 mg/70 kg or more) of psilocybin combined with a brief course of psychotherapy (i.e., psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy) is safe, feasible, and preliminarily efficacious at alleviating symptoms of major depressive disorder, anxiety and depression associated with end-of-life diagnoses, and alcohol and tobacco use disorder (2730). Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy received a ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration for both major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. This designation was created to expedite the development and review of drugs intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions for which preliminary evidence suggests substantial improvement over available options."

Source

Brett J, Knock E, Korthuis PT, Liknaitzky P, Murnane KS, Nicholas CR, Patterson JC II and Stauffer CS (2023) Exploring psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder. Front. Psychiatry 14:1123424. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1123424