BioMed Research International
January 1, 2014
Francesco Saverio Bersani, Ornella Corazza, Gabriella Albano et al.
98 citations
25C-NBOMe, sold online as legal LSD or under names like 'N-bomb' and 'Pandora', is a partial agonist of 5-HT2A receptors that carries a high risk of overdose, with acute toxicity and fatalities reported. It is taken orally, sublingually, nasally, by injection, vaginally, rectally, or smoked, producing effects such as sublingual numbing, stimulation, hallucinations, dissociation, and anxiety. Its use is an emerging phenomenon increased by low-cost online availability, and health professionals should be informed about this trend.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
July 1, 2015
Giuseppe Valeriani, Ornella Corazza, Francesco Saverio Bersani et al.
41 citations
People who use novel psychoactive substances (NPS) often self-administer olanzapine to manage psychotic crises or 'bad trips,' a practice facilitated by online sharing of experiences and easy access to medications. Exploratory searches of 163 discussion forums and websites in four languages from November 2012 to 2013 found that olanzapine is the most frequently self-prescribed drug for this purpose, typically taken for a few days at 5–50 mg/day. Only a few formal studies have assessed olanzapine's effectiveness for NPS-induced psychosis, yet pro-drug websites describe it as the 'ideal' molecule to terminate bad trips. Health professionals should be informed about risks of olanzapine misuse.
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental
May 1, 2017
Giuseppe Bersani, Elisabeth Prevete
15 citations
The clinical effects of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in patients with severe mental illness (SMI) are poorly understood. This review found that NPS use in this population is probably underestimated, with only 14 studies identified, most of which are case reports. The main reported outcome is acute exacerbation of preexisting psychosis, with paranoid, mood, and aggression symptoms occurring more frequently. The authors conclude that NPS use could modify clinical features of SMI but that these findings cannot be generalized, and more evidence is needed to establish causal connections between NPS use and illness course, symptom type, and treatment outcomes.
Rivista di psichiatria
January 1, 2014
Adele Quartini, Annalisa Anastasia, Francesco Saverio Bersani et al.
Depressed patients often have disturbed, negatively toned dreams. In 27 women with major depressive disorder starting escitalopram, dream recall and quality were impaired at baseline. After 8 weeks of treatment, alongside reduced depression severity, patients reported significant improvements in the quantity and quality of dream recall, dream emotional content, and dream complexity. Patients with less clinical improvement continued to report impaired dream experiences. Changes in specific dream characteristics—such as subjective recall, recall quality, emotional content, and complexity—appear to be reliable markers of antidepressant therapy effectiveness.