Psilocybin - A Drug to be Considered for the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients
V Suresh, Jitendra Lakhani, R Balaraman
Journal of Natural Remedies July 31, 2024 DOI: 10.18311/jnr/2024/35676 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Cancer patients with anxiety and depression |
| Topics | Anxiety Psilocybin Depression |
| Keywords | Antidepressant Depression economics Cancer Drug Pharmacodynamics Pharmacokinetics Pharmacology Hallucinogen |
| Key findings | Psilocybin is being evaluated for its pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy in treating anxiety and depression among cancer patients. |
Abstract
Cancer patients are more vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. These conditions give an additional burden leading to poor quality of life. The available antidepressant and antianxiety drugs are not very useful in improving quality of life by reducing anxiety and depressive episodes. Therefore, there is a need for good drugs to alleviate the psychiatric problems among cancer patients. The recent reviews deal with the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of patients suffering from anxiety and depression.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| Ayahuasca: Pharmacology, neuroscience and therapeutic potential | 2016 | Review | |
| Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine | 2017 | Review | |
| A review of emerging therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses | 2020 | Review | |
| Psychedelics and health behaviour change | 2021 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- The pharmacology of psilocybin Addiction Biology October 1, 2002
and 6 more in the library