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LSD for addiction

Studies whose primary subject is both LSD and Addiction, with an evidence synthesis read across the most-cited and most recent of them.

State of the evidence

Synthesized

Synthesized from 18 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below

Found by searching the library for LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, lysergide, Addiction, substance use disorder, dependence, then ranked by relevance.

The research on LSD for addiction is mixed but leans toward potential benefit. A meta-analysis of randomized trials found a small but statistically significant positive effect of LSD on substance use disorders, and a large national survey found past-year LSD use was associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder. However, these findings are limited by weak study designs, high risk of bias, and a lack of long-term follow-up data.

Evidence by study

Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study. All 25 matching studies were reviewed; the 18 that directly address the question are shown here.

What the directions mean
Supports:
the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
Opposes:
it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
No effect:
no significant difference either way.
Mixed:
effects in both directions within the same study.
Unclear:
the abstract does not report a direction.
Study Design Sample size Direction Finding
Therapeutic Use of LSD in Psychiatry: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trials 2020 systematic review 567 Supports LSD showed therapeutic potential for reducing psychiatric symptoms, especially in alcoholism, though long-term benefits may diminish relative to controls.
Efficacy and Safety of LSD in the treatment of mental and substance use disorders: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis 682 Supports LSD was associated with a small but statistically significant positive effect on substance use disorders, with no observed heterogeneity.
The Relationship Between Psychedelic Use and Alcohol Use Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample. 2025 observational cross-sectional study 139524 Supports Past-year LSD use was associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder and fewer alcohol use disorder symptoms.
Psilocybin and LSD have no long-lasting effects in an animal model of alcohol relapse 2020 preclinical animal study Opposes Neither high-dose nor microdosing regimens of psilocybin or LSD produced long-lasting reductions in relapse-like drinking in an alcohol deprivation effect model.
Adverse events associated with classic psychedelics and MDMA: a real-world population-based study using the WHO pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase) 2025 pharmacovigilance database analysis Opposes LSD was associated with significantly greater odds of reported alcohol abuse, substance use disorder, and substance dependence compared to acetaminophen and oxycodone.
The intensity of the psychedelic experience is reliably associated with clinical improvements: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2025 meta-analysis Supports A significant positive correlation was found between the intensity of mystical experiences and clinical improvement, with a weaker association for addictions compared to mood disorders.
A systematic review and narrative summary of the therapeutic potential of classic serotonergic psychedelics for smoking cessation and reduction 2025 systematic review Supports Psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca showed preliminary therapeutic potential for facilitating smoking cessation, but all reviewed studies had a serious risk of bias.
The therapeutic effects of psychedelics for opioid use disorder: A systematic review of clinical studies. 2025 systematic review Unclear Few clinical studies have been completed using serotonergic psychedelics for opioid use disorder, with most investigating ibogaine or ketamine, and the evidence is limited by weak study designs and high risk of bias.
A Review of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in the Treatment of Addictions: Historical Perspectives and Future Prospects 2015 review Supports Further research into LSD's potential as a treatment for addictions is warranted.
Studying the Effects of Classic Hallucinogens in the Treatment of Alcoholism: Rationale, Methodology, and Current Research with Psilocybin 2013 review Supports Classic hallucinogens like psilocybin and LSD show potential for treating addictions, warranting further clinical investigation with careful trial design.
Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. 2019 integrative review Supports Classic psychedelics show strong potential as therapeutics for psychological distress, depression, and addiction.
Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine 2017 review Supports Psychedelic drugs show promise as treatments for addiction, depression, anxiety, and other conditions, but many questions about their mechanisms, safety, and efficacy remain.
Psychedelics: Alternative and Potential Therapeutic Options for Treating Mood and Anxiety Disorders 2022 review Supports Psychedelic drugs show therapeutic potential as safe and efficacious alternatives to conventional treatments for mood and anxiety disorders in controlled clinical settings.
THE PSYCHEDELIC RENAISSANCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PSILOCYBIN AND LSD IN THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS 2026 systematic review Supports Psychedelic-assisted therapy represents a transformative shift from chronic symptom management to rapid, episodic curative interventions, provided regulatory and ethical challenges are addressed.
The Past and Future of Psychedelic Science: An Introduction to This Issue 2019 review Supports After decades of suppression, rigorous psychedelic research is now abundant, encompassing clinical trials for psychiatric conditions, including addiction.
Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) 2018 review Supports LSD is a potent, physiologically safe, nonaddictive psychoactive agent that has recently resumed clinical research in Europe, with promising therapeutic results in small pilot trials for addictions.
User perceptions of the benefits and harms of hallucinogenic drug use: A web-based questionnaire study 2010 cross-sectional survey 600 Supports Users reported less harm from classic hallucinogens (LSD, psilocybin) than from other drugs and reported a range of benefits including help with addictions.
Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study 2015 observational cohort 135095 No effect Lifetime use of psychedelics was not significantly associated with increased likelihood of past-year mental health problems, including substance use disorders.

Points of agreement

  • Several reviews and meta-analyses conclude that LSD and other classic psychedelics show therapeutic potential for substance use disorders, particularly alcoholism.
  • The intensity of the psychedelic experience is positively correlated with clinical improvement, though the association is weaker for addictions than for mood disorders.
  • Most evidence comes from small, older trials or observational studies with significant methodological limitations.

Conflicts

  • A preclinical animal study found no long-lasting anti-relapse effects of LSD or psilocybin, contradicting positive clinical findings.
  • A pharmacovigilance analysis reported increased odds of substance use disorder and dependence with LSD, opposite to the therapeutic potential suggested by other studies.
  • One large observational study found no association between lifetime psychedelic use and mental health problems, while another found past-year LSD use associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder.

Gaps

  • Lack of long-term follow-up data to assess durability of any therapeutic effects.
  • Few double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with adequate blinding and randomization.
  • Limited research on LSD specifically for opioid use disorder and other non-alcohol addictions.
  • Unclear optimal dosing, treatment protocols, and whether effects are due to the drug itself or the therapeutic context.
Browse these studies in the library

Common questions

What does the research agree on about LSD for addiction?
  • Several reviews and meta-analyses conclude that LSD and other classic psychedelics show therapeutic potential for substance use disorders, particularly alcoholism.
  • The intensity of the psychedelic experience is positively correlated with clinical improvement, though the association is weaker for addictions than for mood disorders.
  • Most evidence comes from small, older trials or observational studies with significant methodological limitations.
Where do studies on LSD for addiction conflict?
  • A preclinical animal study found no long-lasting anti-relapse effects of LSD or psilocybin, contradicting positive clinical findings.
  • A pharmacovigilance analysis reported increased odds of substance use disorder and dependence with LSD, opposite to the therapeutic potential suggested by other studies.
  • One large observational study found no association between lifetime psychedelic use and mental health problems, while another found past-year LSD use associated with lower odds of alcohol use disorder.
What is still unknown about LSD for addiction?
  • Lack of long-term follow-up data to assess durability of any therapeutic effects.
  • Few double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with adequate blinding and randomization.
  • Limited research on LSD specifically for opioid use disorder and other non-alcohol addictions.
  • Unclear optimal dosing, treatment protocols, and whether effects are due to the drug itself or the therapeutic context.
How we analyze this

This synthesis reads the 15 most-cited and 10 most recent studies whose primary subject is LSD for addiction, up to 25 in all. The most-cited set anchors the established evidence, and the recent set surfaces work that is too new to have gathered citations yet.

A study qualifies only when LSD for addiction or a known alias appears in its title or keywords, so broad reviews that mention it only in passing are left out. Each study is read from its abstract, strongest evidence first, and the summary reports the direction of the results along with any conflicts and gaps.

The full method, including what a person does and does not review, is on the methods page.

Ask your own question in the Research Synthesis Tool

57 articles · 18 from the last two years · 281,911 participants across 19 studies reporting sample size

Common study designs

review 18 systematic review 7 cross-sectional survey 3 theoretical or philosophical paper 2 systematic review and meta-analysis 2

Research volume by year

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54 studies whose primary subject is LSD for addiction since 2010

Studies about LSD for addiction per year, 2010 to 2026, peaking at 11 in 2025 Bar chart: one bar per year, taller where more studies were published that year. 0 10 20 2010 2015 2020 2025
2026 is partial
Show the numbers
Studies about LSD for addiction per year, 2010 to 2026, peaking at 11 in 2025
Year Studies
2010 1
2011 0
2012 0
2013 1
2014 0
2015 2
2016 0
2017 2
2018 2
2019 5
2020 6
2021 4
2022 6
2023 5
2024 5
2025 11
2026 4

Research

Synthesize the evidence →

720. Unraveling anxiolytic and anti-addictive properties of lysergic acid diethylamide in a model of alcohol use disorder

International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology September 9, 2026 Todd M Solomon, Robert Barrow, Daniel R Karlin et al.

Abstract Background Effective and well-tolerated pharmacotherapies for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, are needed. Aims & Objectives To determine the dose-response relationship of MM120 (lysergide D-tartrate) in adults with moderate to severe GAD. Method This phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study...

DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyag040.492 (opens in new tab)

Synthetic Drugs and Behavioural Addictions: LSD, MDMA and Digital Toxicity

June 1, 2026 Sharda More-Pol

The emergence of contemporary psychological stressors, synthetic psychoactive substance abuse, and non-substance behavioral dependency networks presents critical investigative challenges within public healthcare and classical toxicology (Agadatantra), traditionally analyzed through the concepts of Madya (intoxicants), Mada (intoxication), and severe cognitive perversion (Prajñāparādha). This...

DOI: 10.63247/ayurveda360.cfa.agadatantra.c011 (opens in new tab) Lysergic acid diethylamide MDMA Cognition Parallels +5

New psychoactive substances (designer drugs): an approach to classification

Neurology Bulletin March 23, 2026 Azat R. Asadullin, Elvina A. Akhmetova, Ilia S. Efremov et al.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders remain a global public health problem. In recent decades, the drug market has undergone substantial changes, with traditional drugs increasingly replaced by new psychoactive substances characterized by high toxicity and strong addictive potential. Their distribution via the Internet and social media impedes control and increases risks to public health. AIM:...

DOI: 10.17816/nb689708 (opens in new tab) Addiction Lysergic acid diethylamide MDMA Psilocybin +10

THE PSYCHEDELIC RENAISSANCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PSILOCYBIN AND LSD IN THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science January 23, 2026 Jakub Klepacz, Radosław Swędrak, Marzena Swojnóg et al.

The escalating global burden of mental health disorders, coupled with the stagnation of innovation in traditional monoaminergic pharmacotherapy (e.g., SSRIs), has precipitated a critical need for novel therapeutic paradigms. This article presents a comprehensive systematic review of the so-called "Psychedelic Renaissance," focusing on the clinical resurgence of classical serotonergic...

DOI: 10.31435/ijitss.1(49).2026.4582 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Serotonergic Lysergic acid diethylamide Addiction +10

Adverse events associated with classic psychedelics and MDMA: a real-world population-based study using the WHO pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase)

Psychiatry Research December 29, 2025 Omer A. Syed, Sean M. Nestor, Muhammad Ishrat Husain et al. 1 citation

Psychedelic use has greatly increased within clinical and recreational settings over recent years. While demonstrating a favorable safety profile within certain clinical populations, little empirical research has explored safety of psychedelic use within real-world samples. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) VigiBase, a comprehensive global pharmacovigilance database with voluntary...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116929 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin MDMA Mescaline Ecstasy +13

Assessing The Readiness of Psychiatrists in Louisiana to Incorporate Psilocybin into Clinical Practice—Lessons Learned from a State Underrepresented in Clinical Psychedelic Research

Psychedelic Medicine December 19, 2025 Amanda Husein, Madalynn Traylor, M. Frances Vest et al.

Background: Psilocybin has been granted breakthrough therapy status in the United States, speeding its advancement from research to clinical care. Due to the controversial nature of psilocybin, psychiatrists may not be fully prepared to incorporate it into clinical practice. The current study aimed to evaluate the opinions toward psilocybin among practicing psychiatrists in Louisiana. Louisiana...

DOI: 10.1177/28314425251381806 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Addiction Generalizability theory +4

The Relationship Between Psychedelic Use and Alcohol Use Disorder in a Nationally Representative Sample.

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs November 9, 2025 James M Zech, Jérémie Richard, Grant Jones

Psychedelic-assisted interventions are emerging as potential treatments for substance use disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). While recent randomized controlled trials suggest efficacy for certain psychedelics and related compounds in treating AUD, the impact of naturalistic psychedelic use on problematic alcohol consumption remains underexplored. This study examines associations...

DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2025.2583967 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) LSD MDMA Ketamine Psilocybin +2

A systematic review and narrative summary of the therapeutic potential of classic serotonergic psychedelics for smoking cessation and reduction

Journal of Psychopharmacology July 11, 2025 Diana Glenn, Seung Hee Choi, Rick S. Zimmerman 1 citation

Background: Classic serotonergic psychedelics are 5-HT2A partial agonists that induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. Many have demonstrated anti-addictive properties; however, their impact on smoking behaviors remains under-researched. This review provides a synthesis of the therapeutic potential of these compounds in promoting smoking cessation and reduction. Methods: A systematic...

DOI: 10.1177/02698811251353251 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Addiction Mescaline +7

Efficacy and Safety of LSD in the treatment of mental and substance use disorders: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Psychiatry Research July 5, 2025 Maria Helha Fernandes-Nascimento, Priscila Weber, André Brooking Negrão 4 citations

LSD (lysergic Acid Diethylamide), a psychedelic compound, has been investigated in recent studies for the treatment of mental disorders. We analyzed the efficacy and safety of LSD in the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders in adult patients. We searched Embase, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, CENTRAL, BVS, EBSCO, Epistemonikos, and the grey literature for...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116622 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide Psychedelics Substance use disorders +1

The therapeutic effects of psychedelics for opioid use disorder: A systematic review of clinical studies.

Psychiatry Research June 1, 2025 Jeremy Weleff, Alejandra Pulido-Saavedra, Ardavan Mohammad Aghaei et al. 4 citations

Opioid-related overdose deaths have reached record high levels, and novel treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are needed. The three United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for OUD function primarily at the mu-opioid receptor. While these remain the gold-standard treatment for OUD, they have shortcomings and treatment options separate from the opioid receptor...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116446 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Ayahuasca Ketamine LSD Noribogaine +8

Clinical trials

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