FDA 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 suiteHow ecstasy and psilocybin are shaking up psychiatry Regulators will soon grapple with how to safely administer powerful psychedelics for treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Paul Tullis https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00187-9?utm_source=twt_nnc&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=naturenews&sf242359384=1 Nature, 2021, 589, 506-509 doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-00187-9 Illustration by Gizem Vural PDF version On a sunny day in London in 2015, Kirk Rutter rode the Tube to Hammersmith Hospital in hopes of finally putting an end to his depression. Rutter had lived with the condition off and on for years, but the burden had grown since the death of his mother in 2011, followed by a relationship break-up and a car accident the year [...]
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 [...]
Lire la suiteCannabis and Cannabinoids: Weighing the Benefits and Risks in Psychiatric Patients Diana M. Martinez, MD Medscape .com, December 18, 2020 This transcript has been edited for clarity. Hello. I'm Diana Martinez. I'm a psychiatrist at the Columbia University Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry. Today we'll be talking about the interaction between cannabis and psychiatric disorders. When I say "cannabis," this is really the same as marijuana. I use the term "cannabis" because this is a scientific term for the plant. I'm going to start with a brief history of cannabis. It’s been used for centuries in India as both an intoxicant and a [...]
Lire la suiteMind Menders: The Future of Psychedelics for Mental Illness Batya Swift Yasgur MA, LSW Medscape.com, November 10, 2020 https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/940749?nlid=138288_425&src=WNL_mdplsfeat_201117_mscpedit_psyc&uac=292598PZ&spon=12&impID=2682236&faf=1 After a 50-year hiatus, psychedelic drugs are undergoing a research renaissance. Agents including psilocybin, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and others are all under investigation to treat a variety of psychiatric illnesses. Medscape spoke with Roland R. Griffiths, professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the Oliver Lee McCabe III Professor in the Neuropsychopharmacology of Consciousness, and director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, to discuss the status of these drugs in the United States and their therapeutic potential. Griffiths: Classic psychedelics are [...]
Lire la suiteThe experimental effects of psilocybin on symptoms of anxiety and depression : A meta-analysis Simon B. Goldberg, Brian T. Pace, Christopher R. Nicholas, Charles L. Raison, Paul R. Hutson Psychiatry Research, 2020, 284, 112749 Doi : 10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112749 A B S T R A C T The current meta-analysis examined the effects of psilocybin in combination with behavioral interventions on anxiety and depression in samples with elevated symptoms. Across four studies (one uncontrolled; three randomized, placebo-controlled; N = 117), within-group pre-post and pre-follow-up effects on anxiety and depression were large (Hedges’ gs=1.16 to 1.47) and statistically significant. Across three placebo-controlled studies, pre-post placebo-controlled effects were also [...]
Lire la suiteDevelopment of Ketamine Administration as a Treatment for Chronic PTSD Abigail B. Collins, BS; Sarah B. Rutter, MA; and Adriana Feder, MD Psychiatric Annals, 2020, 50, (2), 68-76. doi : 10.3928/00485713-20200109-01 ABSTRACT Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent, chronic, and dis-abling condition for which currently available pharmacotherapies are insuf-ficiently effective. Ketamine, which is a glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has emerged as a promising and rapid-act-ing novel treatment intervention for this disorder. Findings from a proof-of-concept, randomized, controlled cross-over study of single-dose intravenous ketamine administration (compared to single-dose midazolam) in patients with chronic PTSD suggest that ketamine is associated with rapid improvement in [...]
Lire la suitePsilocybin Delivers 'Remarkable' Relief in Severe Depression Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW Medscape.com, November 05, 2020 Psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in "magic mushrooms," rapidly improves symptoms and produces remission in as little as two sessions for patients with major depression, new research suggests. Results of a small randomized trial showed that treatment with psilocybin was associated with a greater than 50% reduction in depressive symptoms in 67% of study participants. In addition, 71% showed improvement at 4-week follow-up, with more than 50% achieving remission. "The finding that the majority of people whom we treated showed efficacy was quite a remarkable and gratifying finding and really sets the [...]
Lire la suiteEffects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder. A Randomized Clinical Trial Alan K. Davis, PhD; Frederick S. Barrett, PhD; Darrick G. May, MD; Mary P. Cosimano, MSW; Nathan D. Sepeda, BS; Matthew W. Johnson, PhD; Patrick H. Finan, PhD; Roland R. Griffiths, PhD JAMA Psychiatry, 2020, E1-E9. doi : 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285 IMPORTANCE : Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a substantial public health burden, but current treatments have limited effectiveness and adherence. Recent evidence suggests that 1 or 2 administrations of psilocybin with psychological support produces antidepressant effects in patients with cancer and in those with treatment-resistant depression. OBJECTIVE : To investigate the effect of psilocybin [...]
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