The contribution of psychotherapy in potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics for treatment of opioid use disorder.
Anahita Bassir Nia, Yalda Farahmand, Garret Griffith, Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei, Gustavo A Angarita, Akhil Anand, Christopher Pittenger
Current Addiction Reports 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s40429-025-00638-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstractAbstract
Despite national efforts to curb the opioid crisis, the clinical and societal challenges continue to grow. FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are effective but are associated with high rates of treatment discontinuation and relapse. A collection of agents with acute effects on consciousness, collectively (if variably) categorized as 'psychedelics', have emerged as potential treatments for substance use disorders, including OUD. Psychedelics are typically administered alongside psychotherapy, though the role and necessity of concurrent psychotherapy remains a topic of debate. This review examines trials involving both classical and non-classical psychedelics for OUD treatment, aiming to evaluate the evidence for the importance of psychotherapy and identify the most effective therapeutic approaches, if any. No studies were identified that directly compared different psychotherapy modalities or assessed the effects of psychedelics with versus without concurrent psychotherapy. Most research examining the impact of psychedelics on alleviating opioid withdrawal symptoms did not incorporate a psychotherapy component. However, the few studies that investigated the effects of psychedelics (ketamine and LSD) on opioid use and abstinence adopted a psychedelic-assisted therapy model. There is insufficient high-quality evidence to support or oppose the necessity of concurrent psychotherapy in psychedelic trials for OUD. Future clinical trials should be structured to explore the interplay between psychedelic treatment and psychotherapy.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Finds insufficient high-quality evidence to support or oppose the necessity of concurrent psychotherapy in psychedelic trials for opioid use disorder.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on LSD and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience of Music Used With Psychedelic Therapy: A Rapid Review and Implications Participants in psychedelic therapy research aged 18–69 with varied backgrounds | 2020 | Rapid review | n = 180 |
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| Psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. | 2022 | Review | |
| The Efficacy of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Managing Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A New Frontier? | 2022 | Review | |
| Psychedelic Therapy: A Primer for Primary Care Clinicians-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). | 0 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 49
- mTOR-Dependent Synapse Formation Underlies the Rapid Antidepressant Effects of NMDA Antagonists Science August 19, 2010
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction Journal of Psychopharmacology September 11, 2014
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
- A non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogue with therapeutic potential. Nature 2021
and 44 more in the library