Recent research done by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College in London in collaboration with COMPASS Pathways found that psilocybin can be safely administered at 10 mg or 25 mg doses in up to six participants simultaneously.
Published in the Psychopharmacology journal, this research is a major step in showing that psilocybin is an effective and feasible therapy for mental health issues.
This psychedelic drug is acquired from the Psilocybe mushroom and it’s explored as a potential therapy in controlled settings and in combination with therapy.
It’s promoted as a possible treatment for mental health problems, including PTSD and depression resistant to standard treatment and the research on it is ongoing.
Is Psilocybin the Light at the End of the Tunnel for Mental Health Problems?
The available treatments for certain mental health issues aren’t effective or are only partially effective for plenty of patients. The early research showed the potential of psilocybin therapy to be of aid for these groups, but no trials have been done to achieve the regulatory approval and make it available for people.
This trial is the first of its type. It focused on the simultaneous administration of psilocybin and 89 healthy participants took part without recent use of psilocybin.
60 of them were randomly chosen to get either 10 mg or 25 mg dose of psilocybin in a controlled environment. Also, all of these participants got one-to-one support from psychotherapists.
The other 29 participants were in the control group and got a placebo and psychological support as well. They were monitored closely for six to eight hours per day after getting the dose and followed up to 12 weeks after it.
They were assessed for any changes, including their memory, planning, attention, and emotion processing.
The Results Are Promising & Continue Proving Psilocybin’s Potential
According to the head author of the study, Dr. James Rucker, this study shows us that psilocybin simultaneous administration is available for further exploration. It’s essential to show the safety and feasibility of its administration to multiple individuals at the same time.
It’s a promising therapy for people with severe mental health issues that can be distressing, disruptive, and disabling. During the study, none of the participants withdrew because of an adverse effect.
And, there’s no evidence of psilocybin doses causing long-term negative effects in the participants.
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