A randomized clinical trial of repeated doses of psilocybin for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Psilocybin
- #OCD
- #Clinical Trial
- A randomized clinical trial tested repeated psilocybin doses for OCD treatment.
- Current OCD treatments like serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive-behavioral therapy often fall short.
- Psilocybin, a 5HT2a agonist psychedelic, showed potential but needed rigorous testing.
- Fifteen participants received high-dose (300 µg/kg), low-dose (100 µg/kg) psilocybin, or placebo (lorazepam) in Phase 1.
- Phase 2 involved four additional high-dose psilocybin sessions.
- OCD severity was measured using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS).
- Psilocybin was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events or psychotic symptoms.
- Psilocybin significantly reduced YBOCS scores, unlike placebo.
- 73.3% of participants were responders (≥35% YBOCS reduction) after eight weeks.
- 40% achieved remission, with effects persisting substantially at six months.
- Cumulative psilocybin dosing correlated with YBOCS score reductions.
- The study suggests psilocybin is safe and potentially effective for OCD.
- Larger trials are needed to confirm efficacy and refine protocols.