Are Psychedelics Effective for Treating Substance Use Disorders?
May 28, 2025 DOI: 10.64239/pi-qt7504 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Addiction |
| Key findings | Current evidence is insufficient to support the use of psychedelics for substance use disorders in routine clinical practice, with psilocybin having the most supportive but moderate-quality data for alcohol use disorder. |
Abstract
Current evidence remains insufficient to support the use of psychedelics for substance use disorders in routine clinical practice. Psilocybin has the most supportive data for alcohol use disorder, though it is of moderate quality. The evidence quality is generally low, with significant risk of bias due to poor blinding. Only half of identified studies were RCTs, with 44% conducted over 50 years ago under less rigorous standards. Consider ketamine only as last resort for patients who failed adequate trials of FDA-approved medications for alcohol/opioid use disorders.