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- Psychedelic Journal Watch
Psychedelic Journal Watch
Keeping health professionals abreast of the latest research in psychedelic medicine
I. FDA Designates LSD as a Breakthrough Therapy for Anxiety
The biopharmaceutical company Mind Med announced that their patented LSD compound (aka MM 120) received Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
This announcement is the result of a Phase 2b randomized, double-blind, dose-optimization study in which participants received one dose of either 25, 50, 100, or 200 mcg of LSD or placebo for treatment of GAD.
The 100 mcg dose proved to be most effective, with subjects reporting a 22 point reduction in anxiety symptoms on a 56 point anxiety scale at 12 weeks.
According to David Feifel, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at UC San Diego and an investigator in this study, “That [LSD] exhibited rapid and robust efficacy, solidly sustained for 12 weeks after a single dose, is truly remarkable.”
II. Ibogaine Shows Promise as Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Ibogaine, a psychedelic drug derived from the Iboga plant indigenous to central Africa, improves functionality and reduces psychiatric symptoms in veterans with TBI, according to Nature Medicine.
In this prospective study of 30 Special Operations Forces veterans with mild TBI, conducted by a team of Stanford researchers, participants received one large dose of magnesium – ibogaine therapy in combination with complementary treatments, group activities, and coaching over the course of 5 days while staying at a treatment facility in Tijuana, Mexico.
Participants showed a significant 34% reduction in disability scores (using the WHO Disability Assessment Scale) from baseline to immediate post treatment, and an 83% reduction in disability scores at 1-month follow up. Participants also demonstrated significant improvements in PTSD, suicidality, depression and anxiety symptoms at 1-month follow up.
According to the authors, “There is no currently available US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for chronic sequelae of combat-related TBI…our study provides initial evidence to suggest [ibogaine] could be a powerful therapeutic for the transdiagnostic psychiatric symptoms that can emerge after TBI and repeated exposure to blasts and combat, including suicidality, but replication of our findings is needed, particularly in non-mild TBI cases.”
III. Risk Factors for Worsened Mental Health after Psychedelic Use
Personality Disorder increases risk for worsened mental health after psychedelic use, according to the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
In this observational prospective study of 807 psychedelic users, a group of Imperial College London researchers collected data on psychological wellbeing before and after psychedelic use—using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale.
16% of participants were found to have worsened psychological wellbeing 4 weeks after taking a psychedelic (negative responders). Individuals with a prior diagnosis of Personality Disorder were 2.4x more likely to have a negative response to psychedelics, compared to the rest of the study cohort.
According to the authors, “our study addresses an important research gap with a novel approach and its results have timely implications, given that we are on the cusp of major policy changes in relation to access to psychedelic drugs.”
On November 16th, 1938 Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman synthesized LSD for the first time.
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