Articles related to PSYCHEDELICS

“Because medicine abhors a therapeutic vacuum,” the hallucinogens psilocybin and LSD are being revisited as potential candidates for treating depression. But effect size seems less than that of currently approved antidepressants.

In this phase 2 double-blind trial, adults with treatment-resistant depression were randomly assigned to receive psychological support and a single dose of a proprietary, synthetic form of psilocybin at a dose of 25 mg, 10 mg, or 1 mg (control). The Montgomery-Sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score change from baseline to week three was the main outcome measure. Secondary endpoints included remission at week 3, response at week 3, and sustained response at 12 weeks.

This article provides a brief review of three important books on the thinking and experience around psychedelics in medicine: The Promise of Psychedelics, by Peter Silverstone, MD; Psychedelic Medicine, by Richard Louis Miller, MA, PhD; How to Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan.

This overview and discussion highlights the learnings gleaned during practice in a ketamine service unit. Discussion points include treatment considerations for the two entities, switching from IV to intranasal, and a collection of pearls.

In this meta-analysis including 340 patients across six clinical trials, ECT was more effective than ketamine in treating depression. There were no identified differences between the groups in terms of cognition, memory, or serious adverse events.

In this study involving 452 patients with diagnoses of MDD, GAD, and PTSD, IM ketamine reduced depression by 38% and anxiety by 50%, with persistence over 7 months of maintenance therapy.