Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Albert Garcia‐romeu, Roland R. Griffiths, Matthew W. Johnson
480 citations
In an open-label pilot study, 15 smokers received 2 or 3 doses of psilocybin alongside cognitive behavioral therapy for smoking cessation. Twelve of 15 participants (80%) had biologically verified smoking abstinence at 6-month follow-up. Those who quit scored significantly higher on a measure of psilocybin-occasioned mystical experience than those who relapsed, while general drug intensity did not differ between groups. Nine of 15 participants (60%) met criteria for a complete mystical experience. Smoking cessation outcomes correlated with measures of mystical experience on session days and with retrospective ratings of personal meaning and spiritual significance. The results suggest mystical experience may mediate psychedelic-facilitated addiction treatment.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Gerald Thomas, Philippe Lucas, N. Rielle Capler et al.
327 citations
Ayahuasca-assisted therapy was linked to meaningful improvements in factors related to problematic substance use among a rural aboriginal population. The observed changes suggest positive psychological and behavioral shifts, indicating that this therapeutic approach merits further, more rigorous investigation.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 1, 2014
Michael Winkelman
128 citations
Psychedelic substances such as LSD, peyote, ibogaine, and ayahuasca have been used in ethnomedical traditions for millennia and showed promise in addiction treatment during the 1950s and 1960s before being prohibited. Despite their Schedule I classification, evidence indicates these substances are safer than major addictive drugs, with very low mortality and little physical dependence. This review examines studies on these psychedelics for treating dependencies and their therapeutic mechanisms, including a notable after-glow effect linked to serotonin system activity. Serotonin's role is relevant because addict populations often have depressed serotonin levels, and serotonin modulates many other neurotransmitter systems.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
March 1, 2013
Thomas Kingsley Brown
105 citations
Ibogaine, a psychoactive alkaloid from the African plant Tabernanthe iboga, has a history of use in treating drug addiction outside conventional medical settings due to its Schedule I status in the U.S. Preclinical research generally supports anecdotal claims that ibogaine attenuates withdrawal symptoms and reduces drug cravings. However, concerns about its safety and a lack of solid human data have blocked progress toward controlled clinical trials and approval as a medication. This review outlines major preclinical findings, safety concerns, and previous and ongoing research on ibogaine as an anti-addictive treatment for humans.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Samuel Turton, D.j. Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
48 citations
An analysis of the subjective experiences of psilocybin administered intravenously in an MRI scanner found effects consistent with prior reports on psilocybin's subjective effects. The article documents these phenomena and suggests further research is needed to explore the identified experiences.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Kenneth W. Tupper, Beatriz Caiuby Labate
47 citations
Ayahuasca and other psychedelics are studied across medicine, health, and human sciences, but their multiple ontological representations—as plant teacher, traditional medicine, religious sacrament, material commodity, cognitive tool, or illicit drug—shape how they are understood as objects of inquiry. Early modern European empiricism and experimental philosophy later gave way to dogmatism that politically suppressed academic psychedelic research. Epistemological issues arise from indigenous and mestizo concepts like "plant teacher" and the instrumental notion of psychedelics as "cognitive tools," raising questions about whether scientists studying ayahuasca should have personal experience with it and how that affects objectivity. The politics of psychedelic research and impediments to academic knowledge production are also considered.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Michael P. Bogenschutz
47 citations
Renewed interest in classic hallucinogens such as psilocybin and LSD for treating addictions is supported by a review of older and recent research. The article provides direct and indirect evidence for therapeutic effects, outlines unique design issues for clinical trials with these drugs, and discusses the current status and design considerations for future randomized trials.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 9, 2015
Mitchell B. Liester
46 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a semisynthetic compound chemically related to serotonin with strong psychoactive properties. Initially hypothesized to produce a psychosislike state, it was later reported to have benefits in treating addictions. Widespread indiscriminate use and adverse effects led to its classification as an illicit drug with no accepted medical use. This article reviews LSD's history from discovery to use as a research tool, association with the 1960s counterculture, and rebirth as a potential medicine for addictions. Its pharmacology, phenomenology, effects at neurotransmitter receptors, and effects on gene expression are reviewed. Based on the literature, further research into LSD's potential as an addiction treatment is warranted.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
June 1, 2013
Lisa Jerome, Shira Schuster, B. Yazar-Klosinski
36 citations
Psychedelic compounds show promise as treatments for substance abuse disorders. MDMA, which shares features with psychedelics and has reduced PTSD symptoms in assisted psychotherapy, may also help. Early reports indicate some people reduced or stopped substance use after receiving MDMA, especially therapeutically. MDMA releases monoamines, activates 5-HT2A receptors indirectly, and increases prosocial feelings via oxytocin. Heavy lifetime ecstasy use is linked to fewer serotonin transporters and impaired verbal memory. Animal and human studies show moderate abuse liability, but in two recent clinical studies, participants who received MDMA-assisted psychotherapy did not seek ecstasy and tested negative on random drug tests during follow-up. MDMA might directly treat addiction-related neuropharmacological abnormalities or indirectly aid therapy and comorbid conditions.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
March 1, 2013
José-luis Díaz
17 citations
A multidisciplinary investigation of Salvia divinorum and its active compound salvinorin A examines whether the plant's ethnobotany, chemistry, mental effects, and neuropharmacology explain its experienced effects and divinatory uses. Field research from 1973-1983 describes traditional Mazatec practices where a water potion of crushed leaves produced short-lasting light-headedness, dysphoria, tactile and proprioceptive sensations, depersonalization, amplified sound perception, and increased visual and auditory imagery, but not actual hallucinations. These effects are attributable to salvinorin A but cannot be explained solely by its potent kappa-opioid receptor agonist activity.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 1, 2014
R G Dos Santos, J A S Crippa, J P Machado-De-Sousa et al.
10 citations
Psychostimulant abuse and dependence currently lack pharmacological treatment. Salvinorin A, a κ-opioid receptor agonist from the plant Salvia divinorum used by Mazateca Indians, and its analogues have shown anti-addiction effects in animal models. These effects occur by attenuating dopamine release, sensitization, and other neurochemical and behavioral changes caused by acute and prolonged psychostimulant administration. The article presents an overview of preclinical evidence suggesting these anti-addictive properties.
Current Drug Abuse Reviews
January 1, 2014
Robin Mackenzie
6 citations
Health-related psychedelic research should aim to enhance human flourishing, not just treat illness or addiction. Factors that promote flourishing include finding meaning in life, spiritual practices, comfortable social bonds, satisfying sex in a long-term monogamous relationship, and control over daily life. Neuroscience currently anchors psychedelic research in disease, but neurophenomenological approaches could illuminate relationships between health, altered states of consciousness (ASCs) and non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSCs), and cognitive liberty. A taxonomic knowledge base categorizing ASCs/NOSCs is needed to enable safe navigation among states of mind. Legal reforms are necessary to allow research and end-of-life access to psychedelics for a good death.