Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
May 8, 2017
Kelan Thomas, Benjamin Malcolm, Dan Lastra
77 citations
A review of seven clinical trials found that psilocybin-assisted therapy reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance use, with large effect sizes for improved depression and anxiety. Reductions in alcohol or tobacco use and increased abstinence rates in addiction were less clear due to open-label designs without statistical analysis. The therapy appears promising, but more robust trials are needed for FDA approval.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
February 7, 2019
Genís Ona, Maja Kohek, Tomàs Massaguer et al.
76 citations
Long-term ayahuasca use in community settings is linked to better self-reported health and healthier lifestyles. A survey of 380 regular users in Spain found that 56% reduced their prescription drug use after starting ayahuasca. Those who had used ayahuasca more than 100 times scored higher on measures of personal values. The authors conclude that respectful, controlled use of psychedelic drugs in group settings can benefit public health.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 1, 2013
Anette Kjellgren, Kristoffer Jonsson
75 citations
Methoxetamine (MXE), a ketamine analogue sold as a "legal high" on the Internet, produces a heavily altered state of consciousness with effects similar to both classic hallucinogens (such as LSD and psilocybin) and the dissociative ketamine. Analysis of 33 anonymous online reports using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological Method yielded 10 themes, including altered sensory perception, dissolution of identity and body, spiritual and transcendental experiences, and re-dosing and addiction. Negative effects like fear and anxiety were also reported, and acceptance was the best coping strategy. MXE appeared to have a high abuse potential. More research on safety, harm reduction, and motivations for use is needed.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2009
Stephen Trichter, Jon Klimo, Stanley Krippner
73 citations
Participation in an ayahuasca ceremony did not significantly increase scores on the Spiritual Well-being Scale or the Mysticism Scale among novice participants compared to a non-participating group. However, higher scores on the Peak Experience Profile were associated with greater positive changes in spiritual well-being and mysticism. Qualitative interviews and written accounts revealed common spiritual themes among ceremony participants. Experiential differences within the ayahuasca ceremony group suggest that confounding variables may influence why some participants report changes in spirituality while others do not.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2000
M C Mcbride
71 citations
Bufotenine shows activity similar to LSD, psilocin, and 5-MeO-DMT at serotonin receptors 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C, which are linked to hallucinogenic effects. Computer modeling indicates bufotenine can bind and activate these receptors. The lack of classic hallucinogenic response in human experiments likely results from poor blood-brain barrier penetration, not from failure to activate brain receptors. Under certain physiological conditions, similar drugs that normally do not cross the blood-brain barrier can enter the brain. While direct human evidence of hallucinogenic activity is absent, these factors suggest possible psychoactivity, and updated experimental models are proposed to test bufotenine's hallucinogenic potential.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2019
Ilana Berlowitz, Heinrich Walt, Christian Ghasarian et al.
70 citations
An integrative treatment program combining Amazonian medicine with psychotherapy significantly reduced substance use disorder symptoms in male patients. Among 36 participants who completed the program, addiction severity for drug and alcohol use, psychiatric status, social and familial relationships, emotional distress, and substance craving all decreased substantially. Quality of life also increased markedly. Nearly all participants were dependent on multiple substances, primarily cannabis, alcohol, and cocaine-related drugs. These preliminary results suggest the approach may offer new therapeutic options for substance use disorders.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2005
Evelyn Doering-Silveira, Enrique Lopez, Charles S. Grob et al.
70 citations
Adolescents who use ayahuasca in a religious context show no significant differences in neuropsychological performance compared to matched controls. A battery of tests measuring speeded attention, visual search, sequencing, psychomotor speed, verbal and visual abilities, memory, and mental flexibility found no impairment among ayahuasca users. The groups were matched for sex, age, and education. Statistical comparisons using independent t-tests indicated no significant differences on any measure. The authors suggest further studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
July 1, 2012
Rachel Harris, Lee Gurel
69 citations
People who use ayahuasca report benefits including reduced alcohol intake, healthier diets, improved mood, greater self-acceptance, and more loving relationships. A comparison of 81 ayahuasca users and 46 Catholic retreat attendees on a spiritual experience questionnaire showed that ayahuasca users scored higher on Joy in Life and Relationship to the Sacred, but the differences were modest, suggesting both groups had similarly authentic spiritual experiences. Seventy-four percent of ayahuasca users said they had a relationship with and received ongoing guidance from the spirit of ayahuasca. The data represent more than 2,267 ayahuasca ceremonies.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2017
Álvaro José Palma-Conesa, Mireia Ventura, Liliana Galindo et al.
65 citations
New psychoactive tryptamines, which mimic the effects of regulated hallucinogens, pose a potential public health risk. Analysis of 25,296 samples submitted to a harm-reduction organization from 2006 to 2015 identified 436 tryptamines, of which 232 (53.21%) were not regulated. The most common unregulated tryptamine was 4-AcO-DMT, for which no human studies exist. Unregulated tryptamines were more likely to contain a single unadulterated substance. The number of tryptamine samples increased over time, and there were significant differences between client expectations and actual analysis results for regulated versus unregulated groups. Further research is needed to address health risks.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
August 19, 2021
Brian S. Barnett, Yvan Beaussant, Franklin King et al.
64 citations
Psychiatrists attending psychedelic didactic presentations at two national meetings largely believe psychedelics show treatment promise and strongly support federal funding for medicinal psychedelic research. The most common concerns were lack of trained providers, logistics of therapy delivery, administration for patients with contraindications, and diversion. Desired educational topics included potential benefits, how to conduct therapy, pharmacology, and side effects. Factors associated with increased belief in treatment potential included working primarily in research, higher psychedelic knowledge test scores, and less concern about addictive potential. Support for legalization of non-medicinal use was negatively associated with age and positively associated with support for medicinal legalization.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2018
Benjamin Malcolm, Martin Polanco, Joseph P Barsuglia
64 citations
Ibogaine, a plant-derived compound, reduces opioid withdrawal and craving during detoxification. In 50 participants with opioid use disorder undergoing a week-long ibogaine treatment protocol, withdrawal and craving scores were significantly lower 48 hours after administration compared to baseline. At that point, 78% showed no objective clinical signs of opioid withdrawal, 79% reported minimal cravings, and 68% reported only mild subjective withdrawal symptoms. The findings suggest ibogaine can facilitate opioid detoxification by easing withdrawal and craving, but controlled trials are needed to confirm these results.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
December 5, 2016
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jaime E. C. Hallak
64 citations
Harmine, a natural alkaloid found in ayahuasca and Syrian rue, shows neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effects in preclinical studies. A systematic review of two hippocampal cell culture studies and nine animal model studies found that harmine reduced excitotoxicity, inflammation, and oxidative stress, increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, and improved memory and learning. These effects may involve monoamine oxidase or acetylcholinesterase inhibition, upregulation of glutamate transporters, decreased reactive oxygen species, increased neurotrophic factors, and anti-inflammatory actions. Further preclinical and human research is needed.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2014
Amy Emerson, Linnae Ponté, Lisa Jerome et al.
64 citations
The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) was founded in 1986 as a nonprofit psychedelic pharmaceutical company in response to the 1985 scheduling of MDMA. MAPS developed the first double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD and plans for FDA prescription approval in 2021. Its research expanded to include LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety from life-threatening illness, observational studies of ibogaine for addiction, and MDMA for social anxiety in people with autism. MAPS' harm-reduction efforts aim to avoid backlash and build a post-prohibition world by helping non-medical users transform difficult psychedelic experiences into growth opportunities.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 8, 2019
William P. Barone, Jerome Beck, Michiko Mitsunaga-Whitten et al.
63 citations
In a long-term follow-up of a phase 2 clinical trial, veterans, firefighters, and police officers with chronic, treatment-resistant PTSD reported lasting personal benefits and enhanced quality of life one year after MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Interviews with 19 of 24 participants were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. All participants described benefits that went beyond symptom reduction, such as improved relationships and well-being. The findings suggest that qualitative methods can capture treatment effects that standard symptom scales may miss. The authors discuss limitations of the study and recommend improved qualitative research protocols for future trials.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 20, 2014
Joji Suzuki, Justin L. Poklis, Alphonse Poklis
60 citations
A case report describes a suicide attempt following ingestion of a substance believed to be LSD, but laboratory analysis identified it as 25I-NBOMe, a synthetic hallucinogen of the NBOMe class. The authors emphasize that clinicians should suspect NBOMe ingestion in patients who report recent use of LSD or other hallucinogens, as adverse effects are increasingly reported.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2014
A. C. Parrott
60 citations
MDMA has properties that could aid psychotherapy, but its effects are complex and not always beneficial. The drug acts as an entactogen, promoting feelings of love and warmth, yet it can also trigger negative experiences because it non-selectively releases thoughts and emotions—similar to LSD. Acutely, MDMA alters hormone levels, raising cortisol, oxytocin, and testosterone; oxytocin may help therapy, while cortisol can increase stress. After use, a neurochemical recovery period often brings lethargy and depression due to low serotonin. Regular use risks serotonergic neurotoxicity, memory problems, and other psychobiological issues. Proponents argue MDMA-assisted therapy should be limited to reactive disorders like PTSD, as it may worsen distress in those with prior psychiatric conditions.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2001
J Ott
60 citations
Bufotenine (5-HO-DMT), a psychoactive compound found in South American shamanic snuffs made from Anadenanthera seeds, produces visionary effects when administered intranasally, sublingually, intrarectally, or as inhaled vapor. Twenty-five human self-experiments confirmed the 1967 Holmstedt-Lindgren hypothesis: that intranasal potentiation of tryptamines occurs when combined with monoamine-oxidase-inhibiting beta-carbolines from Banisteriopsis caapi. The text reviews phytochemical and psychonautic literature and details bufotenine isolation from Anadenanthera seeds.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
November 1, 2013
Joanna Moncrieff, David B. Cohen, Sally Porter
59 citations
Psychiatric medications produce psychoactive effects similar to recreational substances, a fact often obscured by the assumption that these drugs have disease-specific actions. These psychoactive effects can directly modify disturbing symptoms, but they also carry costs to mental well-being and raise dependence risks, requiring support for withdrawal. The reality that psychoactive effects can alter symptoms independently undermines the idea that psychiatric drugs work by targeting underlying disease processes and affects placebo-controlled trial results. This also challenges the validity of modern diagnostic systems. Extensive research is needed on acute and long-term mental, behavioral, and physical effects during and after consumption and withdrawal to enable informed use.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 1989
Walter Andritzky
59 citations
Ayahuasca healing rituals among Amazonian groups serve both social and psychotherapeutic functions by providing the entire community access to transcendental experiences that have integrative and cohesive effects. The article examines the preparation and application of ayahuasca, symbolic adaptations to social change, the role of singing, the perceptive mode during the visionary state, and the structure of visions. Healing effectiveness is explained through Western scientific and sociopsychotherapeutic perspectives. Ethnopsychology offers insights into archaic healing rituals and can illustrate transcendental experiences and pathological drug use in modern societies.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2005
Jordi Riba, Manel J. Barbanoj
58 citations
Since 1999, a research team at the Autonomous University of Barcelona has conducted clinical studies administering ayahuasca to healthy volunteers. The work addresses two needs: systematically establishing the safety and pharmacological profile of ayahuasca, a complex brew of active compounds, given growing interest in traditional indigenous practices; and advancing understanding of how psychedelics modify higher-order cognitive processes, which remains incomplete despite known molecular and electrophysiological effects. The article reviews methodological aspects, basic clinical findings, current laboratory research, and outlines two planned studies to further knowledge of ayahuasca's pharmacology.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2002
Marlene Dobkin De Rios, Charles S. Grob, John R. Baker
58 citations
Drug substitution using hallucinogens such as ayahuasca, ibogaine, peyote, and LSD can help people recover from addiction to substances like alcohol and opiates. A redemptive model, drawing on data from the U.S., Brazil, Peru, and West Africa, proposes that using one psychoactive substance in a spiritual or clinical setting frees individuals from addiction and restores them as functioning community members. Two mechanisms are proposed: psychological suggestibility aids in achieving abstinence, and neurophysiological and neurochemical changes support substitution efficacy. Research with the Uñaio do Vegetal Church in Brazil illustrates this model.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
September 15, 2020
Tracey Varker, Loretta Watson, Kari Gibson et al.
57 citations
A systematic review of nine trials found that the evidence for MDMA combined with psychotherapy as a treatment for PTSD is of moderate quality, while the evidence for ketamine—whether used alone for comorbid PTSD and depression or combined with psychotherapy—is very low to low. The review searched four databases for peer-reviewed literature up to October 2019 and included five ketamine and four MDMA trials. No trials of LSD or psilocybin met the inclusion criteria. The authors used a quality checklist and GRADE to rank the evidence, concluding that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy shows the strongest support among the psychedelics examined for reducing PTSD symptoms.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
March 3, 2016
Torsten Passie, Udo Benzenhöfer
56 citations
MDMA, also known as ecstasy, was first synthesized in 1912 and later resynthesized for pharmaceutical reasons before becoming a popular recreational drug. Drawing on previously overlooked U.S. government documents, this article traces MDMA's early recreational history in the U.S. from 1960 to 1979. MDMA appeared as a street drug in the late 1960s, with the first forensic detection in 1970 in Chicago. Underground chemists likely synthesized it as a legal alternative to MDA, which was scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act in 1970. Until 1974, nearly all seized MDMA street samples came from the U.S. Midwest, the first hot region of use. In Canada, MDMA was first detected in 1974 and scheduled in 1976.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
June 1, 2002
Karen Mcelrath, Kieran McEvoy
56 citations
Most Ecstasy users report positive effects, but nearly all experience at least one adverse psychological outcome. Negative experiences rarely deterred the 98 current or former users interviewed from using the drug again. Those negative outcomes almost always involved an interaction between two or more factors, nearly always including set or setting. Users' expectations of the drug's effects were related to the brand or label of Ecstasy consumed, even though the same brand can contain varying amounts of MDMA and other adulterants. The role of individual disposition in producing negative experiences remains unclear and may interact with user set or friends' set.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 1, 1985
Albert A. Kurland
56 citations
A review of the clinical literature from the 1950s through early 1980s suggests that LSD-assisted psychotherapy, when used alongside supportive care, can help terminally ill cancer patients manage anxiety, depression, and existential distress. Reports indicate that a single high-dose LSD session, combined with psychological preparation and follow-up, often leads to reduced pain perception, improved mood, and a diminished fear of death lasting weeks to months. The authors note that the therapy appeared to facilitate a sense of meaning and acceptance in patients facing death. However, the evidence is limited to uncontrolled case series and retrospective reports, with no controlled trials available from that period.