Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2023
Hector Vargas-Perez, Taryn Elizabeth Grieder, Derek van der Kooy
Aberrant glutamatergic signaling has been closely related to several pathologies of the central nervous system. Glutamatergic activity can induce an increase in neural plasticity mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a nodal point in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Recent studies have related BDNF dependent plasticity in the VTA with the...
Substance Use & Misuse
2023
Barbara Andraka-Christou, Matthew Douglas Evans, Beth Tranen et al.
Background: Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. continue to increase, largely due to the prevalence of fentanyl, a very powerful opioid, in the illicit drug supply. Buprenorphine treatment is effective for treating opioid use disorder, but it can be challenging for clinicians to introduce buprenorphine treatment to people who use fentanyl due to risks of precipitated withdrawal. Induction could...
Open Journal of Medical Psychology
2023
John R. Rossiter
1 citation
Objective: Psychedelic drug therapy is banned in all countries of the world except Australia, where the government regulatory watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is planning to allow approved psychiatrists, as of July 1, 2023, to prescribe psilocybin to treat depression and MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, a move precipitated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s...
The Meducator
2023
Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra, Bhavana Soma
2 citations
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound present in numerous mushroom species characterised by its hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects. Although it has a negative reputation, psilocybin has demonstrated therapeutic potential for treating mental health disorders by allowing the brain to make new neural connections which help the neural pathways adapt and break out of certain cognitive...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2023
Bruno Romeo, Baptiste Fauvel, S Dejean et al.
14 citations
Tobacco use disorder is a major public health concern. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a psychedelic experience in a natural context on tobacco use. A retrospective online survey was conducted on 173 individuals who reported having had a psychedelic experience while being smokers. Demographic information was collected, and characteristics of the psychedelic experience,...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Leah M Salinsky, Christina R Merritt, Joshua C Zamora et al.
14 citations
Opioid misuse and opioid-involved overdose deaths are a massive public health problem involving the intertwined misuse of prescription opioids for pain management with the emergence of extremely potent fentanyl derivatives, sold as standalone products or adulterants in counterfeit prescription opioids or heroin. The incidence of repeated opioid overdose events indicates a problematic use...
International Review of Psychiatry
2023
Fabio Carezzato, Ilana Falcão de Arruda, Caio Petrus Monteiro Figueiredo et al.
4 citations
This comprehensive review delves into the intricate interplay between gender/sex and MDMA use, drawing upon recent evidence. It explores how girls, as a means of coping with negative emotions, often resort to drug use, while boys primarily initiate drug use due to peer pressure or sensation-seeking tendencies. Women, frequently having endured traumatic life events, may turn to MDMA as a form of...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
2023
Anja Loizaga-Velder, Cecile Giovannetti, Ricardo Campoy Gomez et al.
9 citations
This paper describes three case studies from an outpatient intercultural therapeutic program founded and run by Yaqui health professionals and traditional healers to serve members of the Yaqui tribe residing in Sonora, Mexico. This pilot therapeutic program has been designed specifically for Indigenous individuals, incorporating the ceremonial use of naturally derived psychedelics in addressing...
Cureus
December 1, 2022
Kristen Strom, Ateaya Lima, Vahideh Tabarzadi
Growing in prevalence as a recreational drug of abuse across a broad scope of people, nitrous oxide (N2O) has proven to be a public health concern. Side effects of its abuse have a great degree of variation among people ranging from neurologic, psychiatric, and medical symptoms. We present a rare case of a 23-year-old female with a history of N2O abuse, who presented with symptoms of both...
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update
November 3, 2022
Two sessions of psilocybin‐assisted psychotherapy resulted in reduced heavy‐drinking days and other alcohol‐related problems relative to placebo plus psychotherapy in a randomized trial involving patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD). There were no serious adverse events associated with psilocybin administration, and no signs of psychotic disturbances. Study results were published online...