Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of serotonergic psychedelics for the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders: a systematic review of systematic reviews.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ayahuasca and other serotonergic hallucinogens in treating mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders.
Results Summary
Ayahuasca reduced depression symptoms in treatment-resistant depression, but most studies had small sample sizes, short durations, and few randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The results were promising but require further validation with larger, longer-term RCTs.
Population
Patients with treatment-resistant depression, cancer-related anxiety/depression, and alcohol/tobacco dependence.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Short-term (exact duration not specified)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
serotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelics including ayahuasca, psilocybin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) | decrease | anxiety, depression, and substance dependence | - | - | have anxiolytic, antidepressive, and antiaddictive effects | #1 |
Psilocybin and LSD | decrease | anxiety and depression | cancer patients | - | reduced anxiety and depression | #2 |
Psilocybin and LSD | decrease | symptoms of alcohol and tobacco dependence | - | - | reduced symptoms of alcohol and tobacco dependence | #3 |
ayahuasca | decrease | depression symptoms | treatment-resistant depression | - | reduced depression symptoms | #4 |
Mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the population. Although several pharmacological treatments are available, they are not effective for a significant proportion of patients and are associated with several adverse reactions. Therefore, new treatments should be explored. Recent studies suggest that serotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelics including ayahuasca, psilocybin, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) have anxiolytic, antidepressive, and antiaddictive effects. Areas Covered: A systematic review of systematic reviews assessing the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of serotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelic was performed using the PubMed data base until 11 April 2018. Systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis were analyzed, but only reviews that described at least one randomized controlled trial (RCT) were included. Expert Commentary: Psilocybin and LSD reduced anxiety and depression in cancer patients and symptoms of alcohol and tobacco dependence, and ayahuasca reduced depression symptoms in treatment-resistant depression. Although the results are promising, several studies were open label, and only few were RCTs, and most had small sample sizes and a short duration. Single or few doses of these drugs seem to be well tolerated, but long-term studies are lacking. New RCTs with bigger samples and longer duration are needed to replicate these findings.