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LSD for anxiety

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

State of the evidence

Synthesized

Synthesized from 17 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below

Found by searching the library for LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, lysergide, Anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, GAD, then ranked by relevance.

LSD-assisted therapy appears to reduce anxiety in patients with anxiety related to life-threatening illness and in generalized anxiety disorder, with large effect sizes in two placebo-controlled trials and benefits reported out to 12 months in follow-up work. The evidence base is small (the pivotal trials enrolled 12 and 42 patients), mostly from single research groups, and several reviews note short follow-up and limited blinding integrity. Real-world and qualitative data point the same way, but confirmatory phase 3 results are still pending.

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 17 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
Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases 2014 RCT 12 Supports LSD-assisted psychotherapy reduced state and trait anxiety at 2 months with large effect sizes and reductions were sustained to 12 months, with no serious adverse events.
LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects 2014 prospective follow-up with qualitative analysis 10 Supports Anxiety benefits measured on the STAI were sustained at 12 months, with participants reporting reduced anxiety and improved quality of life and no lasting adverse reactions.
Antidepressive, anxiolytic, and antiaddictive effects of ayahuasca, psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD): a systematic review of clinical trials published in the last 25 years 2016 systematic review Supports Reviewed trials suggested beneficial effects of these psychedelics on anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening diseases, but all had small samples and half were open-label.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Anxiety With and Without a Life-Threatening Illness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study. 2023 RCT 42 Supports Two 200 µg LSD sessions reduced anxiety scores up to 16 weeks after treatment with a large effect size, and also reduced comorbid depression symptoms.
LSD Acutely Impairs Fear Recognition and Enhances Emotional Empathy and Sociality 2016 RCT 40 Supports LSD enhanced emotional empathy and prosocial behavior and impaired recognition of sad and fearful faces, effects the authors suggest may support LSD-assisted psychotherapy.
Long-lasting subjective effects of LSD in normal subjects 2017 observational cohort 16 Supports A single 200 µg LSD dose was followed by increased well-being and life satisfaction at 1 and 12 months, with no negative effects attributed to the experience.
Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of serotonergic psychedelics for the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders: a systematic review of systematic reviews 2018 systematic review of systematic reviews Supports Psilocybin and LSD reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients, though most studies were open-label, small, and short in duration.
Modern Clinical Research on LSD 2017 review Supports Reviews modern LSD research and reports that two LSD doses reduced anxiety for 2 months in patients with life-threatening disease.
Therapeutic Use of LSD in Psychiatry: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trials 2020 systematic review 567 Mixed Across 11 RCTs with doses of 20–800 mcg, LSD showed positive short-term reductions in psychiatric symptoms, mainly in alcoholism, but long-term benefits may diminish relative to controls.
Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine 2017 review Supports Argues that preclinical and pilot clinical data suggest psychedelics are promising treatments for addiction, depression, and anxiety, while many questions on mechanism, safety, and efficacy remain.
LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD-25) 1952 observational cohort 15 No effect Daily low oral LSD doses produced improvement no greater than that seen without LSD in comparable cases, and anxiety was a prominent reaction during treatment.
DT120 (MM120): a single-dose orally disintegrating formulation of lysergide tartrate for generalized anxiety disorder 2026 review Supports Reports that a phase 2b dose-finding study of a single 100 microgram lysergide dose showed a signal of rapid and durable anxiolytic activity without mandated psychotherapy, while noting adoption depends on peer-reviewed phase 3 results, durability and retreatment data, and management of functional unblinding.
722. Predictors of therapeutic response to LSD in anxiety: short- and long-term outcomes 2026 RCT Supports Positive acute subjective effects and mystical-type experiences correlated with anxiety reductions at 16 weeks and at one year, while negative acute effects did not correlate with outcomes.
Real-world effectiveness and safety of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: Outcomes from a large-scale compassionate use cohort in Switzerland. 2026 retrospective observational cohort 115 Supports A single fully-active dose session of LSD- or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy was associated with significant reductions in trait anxiety and depression, with mostly mild transient adverse events.
Effects of LSD and Psilocybin on Heart Rate in Patients Receiving Psychedelic Treatment for Depressive and Anxiety Disorders: A Retrospective Observational Study 2025 retrospective observational study 30 No effect LSD and psilocybin showed distinct heart-rate trajectories, but self-rated anxiety did not significantly modify the relationship between time and substance, and no serious cardiovascular events occurred.
Classic psychedelic medicines for adolescent refractory mental health disease 2026 commentary Unclear Argues that adult evidence of efficacy for classic psychedelics cannot be extrapolated to adolescents and that controlled research in this group should proceed cautiously and ethically.
Policy Considerations for Psychedelics in Research and Medicine – What’s Next on the Schedule? 2026 review Supports Argues that psychedelics including LSD show therapeutic potential for mental health conditions and that rescheduling could reduce barriers to research and medical use.

Points of agreement

  • Two placebo-controlled trials of LSD-assisted therapy report large reductions in anxiety, sustained for at least 16 weeks and up to 12 months in follow-up.
  • Qualitative and real-world cohort data report anxiety reductions alongside improved well-being and quality of life.
  • Reviews consistently describe anxiolytic potential in life-threatening-illness-related anxiety while flagging small samples and few RCTs.
  • Acute positive and mystical-type experiences are reported to track with better anxiety outcomes.
  • Adverse events are generally described as mild and transient, with no serious treatment-related events in the modern trials.

Conflicts

  • An early observational study found improvement no greater than without LSD and noted anxiety as a prominent acute reaction, contrasting with modern trial results.
  • One systematic review notes long-term benefits may diminish relative to controls, while modern trials and follow-ups report durability.
  • Some work reports anxiety as an acute adverse reaction, while other work reports anxiolytic outcomes and no correlation of negative acute effects with outcome.

Gaps

  • Small sample sizes in the key trials and limited independent replication.
  • Blinding integrity and functional unblinding are unresolved.
  • Long-term durability beyond 12 months and retreatment needs are largely unstudied.
  • Little evidence in adolescents and in anxiety disorders other than life-threatening-illness-related anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Optimal dose, necessity of concomitant psychotherapy, and comparisons with standard anxiolytics are unclear.
  • Phase 3 results for single-dose LSD in generalized anxiety disorder are not yet peer-reviewed.
Browse these studies in the library

Common questions

What does the research agree on about LSD for anxiety?
  • Two placebo-controlled trials of LSD-assisted therapy report large reductions in anxiety, sustained for at least 16 weeks and up to 12 months in follow-up.
  • Qualitative and real-world cohort data report anxiety reductions alongside improved well-being and quality of life.
  • Reviews consistently describe anxiolytic potential in life-threatening-illness-related anxiety while flagging small samples and few RCTs.
  • Acute positive and mystical-type experiences are reported to track with better anxiety outcomes.
  • Adverse events are generally described as mild and transient, with no serious treatment-related events in the modern trials.
Where do studies on LSD for anxiety conflict?
  • An early observational study found improvement no greater than without LSD and noted anxiety as a prominent acute reaction, contrasting with modern trial results.
  • One systematic review notes long-term benefits may diminish relative to controls, while modern trials and follow-ups report durability.
  • Some work reports anxiety as an acute adverse reaction, while other work reports anxiolytic outcomes and no correlation of negative acute effects with outcome.
What is still unknown about LSD for anxiety?
  • Small sample sizes in the key trials and limited independent replication.
  • Blinding integrity and functional unblinding are unresolved.
  • Long-term durability beyond 12 months and retreatment needs are largely unstudied.
  • Little evidence in adolescents and in anxiety disorders other than life-threatening-illness-related anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder.
  • Optimal dose, necessity of concomitant psychotherapy, and comparisons with standard anxiolytics are unclear.
  • Phase 3 results for single-dose LSD in generalized anxiety disorder are not yet peer-reviewed.
How we analyze this

This synthesis reads the 15 most-cited and 10 most recent studies whose primary subject is LSD for anxiety, 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 anxiety 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

97 articles · 22 from the last two years · 138,736 participants across 44 studies reporting sample size

Common study designs

review 32 case study 6 systematic review 9 observational cohort 4 randomized controlled trial 10

Research volume by year

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90 studies whose primary subject is LSD for anxiety since 2014

Studies about LSD for anxiety per year, 2014 to 2026, peaking at 16 in 2023 Bar chart: one bar per year, taller where more studies were published that year. 0 10 20 2015 2020 2025
2026 is partial
Show the numbers
Studies about LSD for anxiety per year, 2014 to 2026, peaking at 16 in 2023
Year Studies
2014 3
2015 1
2016 4
2017 5
2018 4
2019 5
2020 8
2021 8
2022 7
2023 16
2024 8
2025 12
2026 9

Research

Synthesize the evidence →

DT120 (MM120): a single-dose orally disintegrating formulation of lysergide tartrate for generalized anxiety disorder

Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics October 8, 2026 Wiesław Jerzy Cubała

Introduction Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic, disabling condition for which currently available pharmacotherapies have delayed onset, incomplete remission rates, treatment-emergent adverse effects and substantial real-world discontinuation. DT120, formerly MM120, is an investigational orally disintegrating tablet formulation of lysergide tartrate being developed as a single-dose...

DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2026.2744754 (opens in new tab)

722. Predictors of therapeutic response to LSD in anxiety: short- and long-term outcomes

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology September 9, 2026 Friederike Holze, F Müller, Peter Gasser et al.

Abstract Background Anxiety disorders are a major health burden and current treatment options yield unsatisfactory results. Psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) that act via agonism on serotonin 2A receptors, have recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of anxiety symptoms. Aims & Objectives Here, we determine the relationship between the acute experience and...

DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyag040.494 (opens in new tab)

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single-ascending-dose study to identify a non-hallucinogenic dose of psilocybin in healthy adults.

medRxiv July 19, 2026 Naama Levy‐Cooperman, Edward M. Sellers, Paul Glue et al. preprint

Psilocybin shows therapeutic promise for several psychiatric disorders, but the acute perceptual and cognitive alterations produced by conventional doses (10-25 mg) require in-clinic supervision, which limits scalability. Whether the therapeutically relevant pharmacology of psilocybin can be separated from its hallucinogenic activity remains unresolved. To address this gap, we conducted a Phase...

DOI: 10.64898/2026.07.16.26358273 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Anxiety Mescaline Lysergic acid diethylamide +11

Policy Considerations for Psychedelics in Research and Medicine – What’s Next on the Schedule?

Journal of Science Policy & Governance July 2, 2026 Matthew A. Boehm, Oriana Mayorga

There is growing interest in psychedelic compounds such as psilocybin, 3,4-metheylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT) given emerging research on potential uses as treatments for a variety of health conditions. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted multiple “Breakthrough Therapy” designations to various...

DOI: 10.38126/jspg280103 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Anxiety Lysergic acid diethylamide Variety cybernetics +6

Classic psychedelic medicines for adolescent refractory mental health disease

Journal of Psychedelic Studies March 26, 2026 Aly Shah Aziz

Abstract Adolescent refractory mental health disorders are rising globally, contributing to long-term morbidity and substantial societal burden. Conventional psychotropic medications and psychotherapeutic approaches sometimes fail to provide adequate relief, necessitating an interest in novel investigational interventions. Classic psychedelic compounds—Psilocybin, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide...

DOI: 10.1556/2054.2026.00452 (opens in new tab) Lysergic acid diethylamide Anxiety Mental health Observational study +6

Effects of Psilocybin and Select Pharmaceutical Interactions

MacEwan University Student eJournal February 18, 2026 Jordan Mcdowell, Jada Middleton, Alanna Bluett et al.

In Canada, the use of both prescription medications and psychedelics has become increasingly prevalent. As of 2022, approximately 16.5% of Canadians—about 6.3 million individuals—were prescribed at least one antidepressant, with fluoxetine remaining one of the most commonly used options (IQVIA, 2023). Benzodiazepine use, including drugs like alprazolam, ranges between 5% to 10% nationwide, with...

DOI: 10.31542/bcek6t76 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Anxiety Lysergic acid diethylamide Fluoxetine +9

Real-world effectiveness and safety of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy: Outcomes from a large-scale compassionate use cohort in Switzerland.

Psychiatry Research February 2, 2026 Tatiana Aboulafia Brakha, Albert Buchard, Cédric Mabilais et al. 1 citation

Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin show promising antidepressant effects in controlled trials, but real-world data from routine clinical care remain limited. This study retrospectively analysed routine data from adults with treatment-resistant depressive and/or anxiety disorders who received a first standardized Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) cycle with 100...

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2026.116992 (opens in new tab) Full text (opens in new tab) Anxiety Depression LSD Mystical experience +2

Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder in adolescence: a complex case of lysergic acid diethylamide-induced visual disturbances with trauma-associated exacerbation

Neuroscience Applied 2026 A. Fernandez Ribas, V. Pérez Rodríguez, M. Paduraru

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a condition affecting 1-5% of psychedelic users, with higher prevalence observed among recurrentLSD consumers and synthetic cannabinoid users [1]. The disorder is characterised by persistent visual disturbances including palinopsia and visual snow, along with dissociative symptoms, which have been neurobiologically linked to 5-HT2A receptor...

DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.106728 (opens in new tab) Lysergic acid diethylamide Psilocybin Anxiety disorder Dissociative +14

Effects of LSD and Psilocybin on Heart Rate in Patients Receiving Psychedelic Treatment for Depressive and Anxiety Disorders: A Retrospective Observational Study

Psychology International December 19, 2025 Morgan C H Cheng, Tatiana Aboulafia Brakha, Albert Buchard et al.

Classic psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin induce mild cardiovascular activation in addition to their psychological effects. While these effects are well described in healthy adults, little is known about their dynamics in clinical populations undergoing psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. This retrospective, observational, single-center study analyzed...

DOI: 10.3390/psycholint8010001 (opens in new tab) Psilocybin Lysergic acid diethylamide Anxiety disorder Hallucinogen +5

Clinical trials

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