Long-term Amelioration of OCD Symptoms in a Patient with Chronic Consumption of Psilocybin-containing Mushrooms

This case report (n=1) describes the self-medication outcomes of a patient with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who ingested psilocybin-containing mushrooms (2g dried weight; Psilocybe caerulescens) every 2 weeks over a 6 month period. He reported feelings of dissociation without hallucination and the disappearance of OCD symptoms 1 hour after ingestion and was able to perform most of his daily tasks and work without interruptions which meaningfully improved his wellbeing and quality of life for two weeks after each ingestion. The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale confirmed that his obsessive thoughts and compulsions, as well as the rumination, worry and anxiety, and checking behavior, had been significantly reduced over the course of treatment

Abstract

“Introduction: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition, characterized by obsessions and compulsions, which is usually disabling for the suffering individual. The first-line treatment is not effective in all patients. There is evidence showing the effectiveness of psilocybin and psilocybincontaining mushrooms in the treatment of OCD symptoms.

Methods/Results: We present the case of a male adult with OCD who showed a clinically meaningful reduction of his OCD symptomatology after the consumption of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

Discussion: Future research will determine if psilocybin and other psychoactive compounds of psilocybin-containing mushrooms are effective and safe for the treatment of OCD.”

Authors: Agustin Lugo-Radillo & Jorge Luis Cortes-Lopez

Summary

A male adult with OCD showed a clinically meaningful reduction of his OCD symptoms after the consumption of psilocybin-containing mushrooms.

Introduction

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition characterized by obsessions and compulsions. A case report of an adult male OCD patient who reported a significant decrease in his OCD symptoms after the consumption of psilocybin-containing mushrooms is presented.

Case report

Mr. J.C., a 30-year-old, 90-kg, married male, was treated with partial effectivity with sertraline and escitalopram for OCD over a period of 1 year.

He was treated with mirtazapine, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, paroxetine, duloxetine, milnacipran, and ketamine, but showed no improvement. He was also treated with celecoxib, fluvoxamine, and risperidone, but they were partially effective. Nine months into treatment, a patient consumed psychedelic mushrooms in Oaxaca, Mexico, and reported that his OCD symptoms had significantly reduced. He continued to consume 2 g of dried mushrooms each 2 weeks with the subsequent reduction in symptomatology.

The patient experienced no further disassociation, nor any other adverse or hallucinogenic effect, and continued to come to the clinic each 2 months. He reported a meaningful reduction in OCD symptoms, and continued to consume psilocybin-containing mushrooms as a therapeutic adjuvant.

5-HT reuptake inhibitors and SSRIs are the first line of treatment for OCD. Psilocybin and pslocybin-containing mushrooms have shown a reduction in compulsive behavior in an OCD mouse model, and this effect is also seen in patients taking drugs that enhance 5-HT2 receptor-mediated behavior.

OCD symptoms were reduced after the consumption of psilocybin in a conducted trial, and a patient’s symptoms completely disappeared after 1 year of consumption. Placebo effects could be discounted in these three cases, since the patients were unlikely to be aware of previous reports of amelioration of OCD symptoms after the consumption of psilocybin-containing mushrooms, and because the patients regularly tried several drugs and found relief for OCD symptoms only with those with strong 5-HT agonist effect.

Psilocybin, a compound found in psilocybin-containing mushrooms, has been shown to be relatively safe when consumed from psilocybin-containing mushrooms. There are currently ongoing randomized controlled trials testing the effects of psilocybin in OCD.