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Plant-Derived Compounds as New Therapeutics for Substance Use Disorders
Published in Namrita Lall, Medicinal Plants for Cosmetics, Health and Diseases, 2022
Kevin S. Murnane, Mary Frances Vest
The fundamental shared pharmacological property of all psychedelics is high affinity and agonist activity at the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor. Recent studies support the clinical potential of 5-HT2A receptor agonists. Clinical trials at institutions including Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and NYU School of Medicine in the United States, Imperial College in the United Kingdom, and the University of Basel in Switzerland, have examined the safety and efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for depression, anxiety and substance abuse (Bogenschutz and Johnson, 2016; Carhart-Harris et al., 2018; Griffiths et al., 2016; Johnson et al., 2017; Kraehenmann et al., 2015; Ross, 2012; Ross et al., 2016). FDA-approved Phase II randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials have demonstrated a profound and long-lasting ability to alleviate depression and anxiety compared to active placebo. The effect size was several-fold higher than commonly found with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment over the same time course (Griffiths et al., 2016; Ross et al., 2016).
Substance Abuse during Pregnancy
Published in “Bert” Bertis Britt Little, Drugs and Pregnancy, 2022
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic alkaloid present in several species of psychedelic mushrooms belonging to the genus Psilocybe. P. mexicana is the classic source of the drug and is known as the magic mushroom. It is most commonly found in Mexico, particularly in the Valley of Oaxaca, and southern Texas. However, other species occur north of Mexico in the southern United States and elsewhere, particularly in dairy pastures in the spring. Psilocybin typically grows in highly organic media, such as cow feces (cow patties) and usually in the springtime. Psilocybin mushrooms are eaten, used as a food additive, a tea, or a drink additive for hallucinogenic effects. The hallucinogenic effects usually last six to eight hours, although some sources quote times as short as an hour. Ingestion of these hallucinogenic mushrooms has become a popular form of substance abuse among some adolescents and young adults (Schwartz and Smith, 1988). The effects of psilocybin ingestion include hallucinogenic visions, altered states of consciousness, and a pronounced pyrogenic effect. Several surveys have indicated that mushroom use is more prevalent among high school and college students than is the LSD use.
Fungi and Water
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Species of genus Psilocybe are known due to their psychedelic effects caused by psilocybin (96–97). Some mushrooms containing psylocibin are: P. semilanceata, P. Mexicana, P. bohemica, P. cubensis, and P. baeocistis (96–97). They are commonly known as ‘magic mushrooms’. Magic mushrooms are hallucinogens, but cannot cause addiction. The symptoms of intoxication occur 30 minutes after ingestion of fresh or dried mushroom and start with anxiety, nausea, vertigo, and asthenia. Neurosensorial symptoms consist of visual problems (mydriasis), disorientation, motor incoordination, tachycardia, and hypertension (96–97). Recovery is complete 4 to 12 hours after ingestion. The need of hospitalization is rare and in exceptional cases myocardial infarction may occur in adult patients, while children may present hyperthermia, seizures, and coma (96–97).
Psilocybine services in Oregon: a call for awareness among clinical toxicologists
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2023
Drug interactions with psilocybine also represent a toxicological risk factor. Under the final rules, the use of lithium in the previous 30 days is the only absolute drug contraindication that would preclude a potential client from receiving psilocybine services. This contraindication was based upon a published study using self-reported data from anonymous website surveys [8]. A recently published systematic review of drug-drug interactions between psychiatric medications and psilocybine acknowledged the paucity of clinical data in the published literature and the limited ability to extrapolate results to real-world settings [9]. The risk of serotonin toxicity appears to be low with psilocybine (a 5-HT2A agonist) [10, 11], but there is a large knowledge gap with regard to the effects in people taking other medications.
The Use of Psilocybin in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders with Attention to Relative Safety Profile: A Systematic Review
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2023
Andrew Troy Hodge, Suporn Sukpraprut-Braaten, Matthew Narlesky, Robert C. Strayhan
When ingested, psilocybin can cause subjective, dose-dependent psychoactive effects in the individual that have been described as having hallucinogenic and anxiolytic properties (NCBI 2021b Psilocybine). The drug has the ability to invoke profound, lasting changes in the cognition, perception, and emotion of those who consume it and many report a long-term improvement in their mental health after having used the drug (Nichols and Barker 2016; Patra 2016). Taking psilocybin has been characterized as a “pleasant and positive spiritual and mystical experience” which users typically remember as personally meaningful due to the changes the experience with the drug brings about on their behavior and attitude that last long after the drug has been metabolized and excreted (Patra 2016). Chemically, psilocybin belongs to a group of organic biomolecules called tryptamines that naturally occur in the human body and are metabolized from the amino acid tryptophan (NCBI 2021b Tryptamine). It acts as a serotonin agonist mainly at the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, in a sense, mimicking the effects of serotonin (NCBI 2021a Psilocybine; Patra 2016; Passie et al. 2002). Additionally, psilocybin indirectly acts on the dopaminergic system via stimulating the release of dopamine in the caudate nucleus and putamen (Dinis-Oliveira 2017; Vollenweider, Vontobel, and Hell et al. 1999).
Attitudes and Beliefs about the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelic Drugs among Psychologists in the United States
Published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2022
Alan K. Davis, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Megan España, Brian Pilecki, Jason Luoma
The largest body of research on use of psychedelics in the context of psychotherapy is on psilocybin, and clinical trials of psilocybin therapy have provided evidence for its effectiveness in addressing cancer-related anxiety and depression, treatment-resistant depression, major depressive disorder, and substance misuse (Agin-Liebes et al. 2020; Bogenschutz et al. 2015, 2018; 2018; Davis et al. 2020; Griffiths et al. 2016; Johnson and Griffiths 2017; Luoma, Chwyl, Davis, Bathje, & Lancelotta, 2020; Swift et al. 2017). Psilocybin therapy appears to produce benefits in mental health functioning in part because it allows for increased self-awareness, psychological flexibility, and deeply meaningful experiences that are often described as “mystical” or “spiritual” (Aday et al. 2020; Davis et al. 2020; Griffiths et al. 2006). In addition to acute improvements in mental health functioning, the long-term effects of psilocybin have reportedly included an increase in wellbeing and optimism, and a continued decrease in mental health symptoms, for up to 4.5 years after psilocybin treatment (Agin-Liebes et al. 2020; Carhart-Harris et al. 2017; Johnson and Griffiths 2017; Johnson, Richards, and Griffiths 2008).