'Magic Mushrooms' Effective for Severe Depression Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Medscape Medical News © 2017 October 20, 2017 Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” is a promising intervention for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and appears to offer a rapid, sustained effect, new research shows. Investigators led by David Nutt, MD, PhD, professor of neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, collected pre- and posttreatment fMRI data on the use of psilocybin in 19 patients with severe major depression who had failed to respond to conventional treatments. The patients experience dramatic improvements in depressive symptoms 1 day following treatment; close to half met criteria for full response at 5 [...]
Lire la suiteFDA Grants Psilocybin Second Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Resistant Depression Megan Brooks Medscape Medical News © 2019 November 25, 2019 The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the Usona Institute breakthrough therapy designation for psilocybin for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). This marks the second time the FDA has granted breakthrough designation for psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in "magic mushrooms." In October 2018, Compass Pathways received the designation to test the safety and efficacy of psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression, as reported by Medscape Medical News. "The results from previous studies clearly demonstrate the remarkable potential for psilocybin as a treatment in MDD patients, which Usona is [...]
Lire la suiteClinical Evidence of Magistral Preparations Based on Medicinal Cannabis Sara Arias, Marta Leon, Diego Jaimes and Rosa-Helena Bustos Pharmaceuticals, 2021, 14, 78, 1-13. Doi :10.3390/ph14020078 Abstract : Cannabis has been widely used as a medicinal plant for millennia; however, studies related to its main components were first conducted in 1960. Subsequently, laboratories have produced new components and structures related to its active biological properties. Countries that have approved the medicinal use of cannabis impose regulations that govern its clinical and scientific use. One means of administering medicinal cannabis is via a magistral preparation that must have a medical prescription and be prepared in an establishment [...]
Lire la suitePotential Pharmacokinetic Drug-Drug Interactions between Cannabinoids and Drugs Used for Chronic Pain Marta Vázquez, Natalia Guevara, Cecilia Maldonado, Paulo Cáceres Guido, and Paula Schaiquevich Hindawi, BioMed Research International, 2020, Article ID 3902740, 9 pages Doi : 10.1155/2020/3902740 Choosing an appropriate treatment for chronic pain remains problematic, and despite the available medication for its treatment, still, many patients complain about pain and appeal to the use of cannabis derivatives for pain control. However, few data have been provided to clinicians about the pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions of cannabinoids with other concomitant administered medications. Therefore, the aim of this brief review is to assess the interactions between [...]
Lire la suiteClinical and Preclinical Evidence for Functional Interactions of Cannabidiol and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol Douglas L Boggs, Jacques D Nguyen, Daralyn Morgenson, Michael A Taffe and Mohini Ranganathan Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, 2018, 43, 142–154. doi : 10.1038/npp.2017.209; The plant Cannabis sativa, commonly called cannabis or marijuana, has been used for its psychotropic and mind-altering side effects for millennia. There has been growing attention in recent years on its potential therapeutic efficacy as municipalities and legislative bodies in the United States, Canada, and other countries grapple with enacting policy to facilitate the use of cannabis or its constituents for medical purposes. There are 4550 chemical compounds and 4100 phytocannabinoids [...]
Lire la suiteThe Impact of Cannabidiol on Psychiatric and Medical Conditions Thersilla Oberbarnscheidt, Norman S. Miller Journal of Clinical and Medical Research, 2020, 12, (7), 393-403. Doi : 10.14740/jocmr4159 Abstract Cannabidiol (CBD) is a substance chemically derived from Cannabis sativa and discussed to be non-psychoactive. According to the FDA, marijuana is classified as a schedule I substance; however, hemp which is defined as extracts from marijuana including cannabinoids containing less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is excluded from that controlled substance act and available at local convenience stores in the US as it is seen as an herbal supplement. CBD is purported to be used for various medical [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis for Migraine Strongly Linked to Rebound Headache, Megan Brooks, Medscape Medical News, 2021
Cannabis for Migraine Strongly Linked to Rebound Headache Megan Brooks Medscape Medical News © March 09, 2021 Patients with chronic migraine who turn to cannabis to relieve headache pain may be setting themselves up for medication overuse headache, preliminary research suggests, although the direction of the relationship is unclear. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, found a significant increase in the likelihood of medication overuse headache (rebound headache) in chronic migraine patients who use cannabis. Dr Niushen Zhang "This study shows that there is some kind of association between cannabis use and medication overuse headache in people with chronic migraine," lead investigator Niushen Zhang, MD, [...]
Lire la suiteCannabidiol as an Intervention for Addictive Behaviors : A Systematic Review of the Evidence Mélissa Prud’homme, Romulus Cata and Didier Jutras-Aswad Substance Abuse : Research and Treatment, 2015, 9, 33-38. doi : 10.4137/SART.S25081. Abstract : Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by the compulsive desire to use drugs and a loss of control over consumption. Cannabidiol (CBD), the second most abundant component of cannabis, is thought to modulate various neuronal circuits involved in drug addiction. The goal of this systematic review is to summarize the available preclinical and clinical data on the impact of CBD on addictive behaviors. MEDLINE and PubMed were searched [...]
Lire la suiteRepeated Ketamine Infusions Linked to Rapid Relief of PTSD Deborah Brauser Medscape. com, January 18, 2021 Medscape Medical News © 2021 www.medscape.com/viewarticle/944282_print Repeated intravenous infusions of ketamine provide rapid relief for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research suggests. In what investigators are calling the first randomized controlled trial of repeated ketamine administration for chronic PTSD, 30 patients received six infusions of ketamine or midazolam (used as a psychoactive placebo) over 2 consecutive weeks. Between baseline and week 2, those receiving ketamine showed significantly greater improvement than those receiving midazolam. Total scores on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) for the first group were almost 12 points [...]
Lire la suiteChanges in inflammatory biomarkers are related to the antidepressant effects of Ayahuasca Nicole Leite Galvão-Coelho, Ana Cecília de Menezes Galvão, Raíssa Nóbrega de Almeida, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Isaac Campos Braga, Bruno Lobão Soares, João Paulo Maia-de-Oliveira, Daniel Perkins, Jerome Sarris and Draulio Barros de Araujo Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2020, 1-9. DOI : 10.1177/0269881120936486 Abstract Background : Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazon brew and its potential antidepressant properties have recently been explored in scientific settings. We conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of ayahuasca with treatment-resistant depression patients (n = 28) and healthy controls (n = 45). Aims : We are evaluating the blood inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein and [...]
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