Associations between classic psychedelics and opioid use disorder in a nationally-representative U.S. adult sample
Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Joshua Lipson, Matthew K. Nock
Scientific Reports April 7, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08085-4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional analysis of survey data Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 214,505 |
| Population | U.S. respondents to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019) |
| Topics | Addiction Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Odds ratio Logistic regression Demography |
| Citations | 56 |
| Key findings | Lifetime psilocybin use was associated with lowered odds of opioid use disorder (aOR: 0.70; 95% CI [0.60, 0.83]), while other classic psychedelics were not. |
Abstract
Abstract Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a major source of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and there is a pressing need to identify additional treatments for the disorder. Classic psychedelics (psilocybin, peyote, mescaline, LSD) have been linked to the alleviation of various substance use disorders and may hold promise as potential treatments for OUD. The aim of this study was to assess whether the aforementioned classic psychedelic substances conferred lowered odds of OUD. Furthermore, this study aimed to replicate and extend findings from Pisano et al. (2017) who found classic psychedelic use to be linked to lowered odds of OUD in a nationally representative sample. We used recent data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019) ( N = 214,505) and multivariable logistic regression to test whether lifetime use (yes/no) of classic psychedelics was associated with lowered odds of OUD. Lifetime psilocybin use was associated with lowered odds of OUD (aOR: 0.70; 95% CI [0.60, 0.83]). No other substances, including other classic psychedelics, were associated with lowered odds of OUD. Additionally, sensitivity analyses revealed psilocybin use to be associated with lowered odds of seven of the 11 DSM-IV criteria for OUD (aOR range: 0.66–0.83). Future clinical trials and longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether these associations are causal.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on psilocybin for addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey Online survey respondents | 2020 | Cross-sectional survey | |
| User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study Users of hallucinogenic drugs who completed a web-based questionnaire | 2010 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 600 |
| Increased use of illicit drugs in a Dutch cluster headache population People with cluster headache in the Netherlands | 2018 | Cross-sectional study | n = 756 |
| Epidemiology of classic psychedelic substances: results from a Norwegian internet convenience sample Norwegian adults who have had a memorable experience after taking a classic psychedelic... | 2023 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 770 |
| The association between naturalistic use of psychedelics and co-occurring substance use disorders US adults from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health | 2023 | Cross-sectional study | n = 56,276 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 51
- Beyond the 5-HT2A Receptor: Classic and Nonclassic Targets in Psychedelic Drug Action. Journal of Neuroscience November 8, 2023
- Mini-review: The neurobiology of treating substance use disorders with classical psychedelics Frontiers in Neuroscience April 17, 2023
- Race and ethnicity moderate the associations between lifetime psychedelic use (MDMA and psilocybin) and psychological distress and suicidality. Scientific Reports October 10, 2022
- Psychedelics in the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression International Journal of Bipolar Disorders July 5, 2022
- The effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior: a proposed mechanism for enduring antidepressant effects. npj Mental Health Research February 20, 2024
and 46 more in the library
Cites 16
- Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction Journal of Psychopharmacology September 11, 2014
- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Journal of Psychopharmacology March 8, 2012
- Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2019
- Psilocybin-Occasioned Mystical Experiences in the Treatment of Tobacco Addiction Current Drug Abuse Reviews January 9, 2015
- Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin. Neurotherapeutics July 1, 2017
and 11 more in the library