december 2021

Psychedelics Research Recap September 2020

Psychedelics are being studied for use with many mental health disorders. This ranges from end-of-life anxiety and depression, to eating disorders, to demoralization in AIDS survivors. What underlies this work is the increased neuronal growth (flexibility in the brain) that psychedelics elicit. This needs to be done in conjunction with therapy though, and that is what most articles this month are about.

Psychedelics News September 2020

One psychedelics company reaches the 3-comma club, another releases the second large app. Psychedelics can help with pain, demoralization (for AIDS survivors), and eating disorders – as preliminary research is showing. And the money keeps flowing towards research with the launch of UC Berkeley’s own psychedelic research lab and Dr Bronner’s continued commitment to the cause.

Psychedelics Research Recap August 2020

Research slowed down a bit during this August, but still enough interesting things were found. The effect of 20 µg LSD on increasing pain tolerance was widely reported. This dosage is not psychedelic and not much above the ‘normal’ microdose range. More research on the pain-relieving (analgesic) effects of LSD in specific patient populations is the next logical step.

Psychedelics News August 2020

News about psychedelics hasn’t slowed down a bit during August. Everyone was delighted by the news that MAPS raised the $30 million they need to get MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through Phase III of FDA trials. Within a span of 6 months, they were able to raise this money from both large (from both aisles) and small donors (2700 in total).

Psychedelics Research Recap July 2020

Each month I’m surprised by the large number of studies done with ketamine, especially when compared to the small number of psilocybin and MDMA studies. This month also features some of those, one comparing ketamine unfavorably to ECT. Psychedelics for anxiety disorder and psilocybin specifically for OCD are also reviewed. A small study with MDMA in Brazil is reported, and exploratory research with 5-MeO-DMT and ibogaine see extraordinary results for trauma with veterans.

Psychedelics Research Recap June 2020

Psychedelic trials are getting larger and the data is still looking good. The long-term follow-up of Phase II MDMA for PTSD continues to show benefits at the one-year mark. A meta-analysis of nine placebo-controlled trials also showed strong improvements. And for the first time ketamine was studied on a population of treatment-resistant bipolar depression.