Don\u2019t panic \u2014 relief might be just one trip away.<\/p>\n
A mind-bending new study<\/a> suggests a single dose of a psychedelic drug straight out of the Summer of Love could help ease symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). <\/p>\n The best part: There\u2019s no awkward talk therapy required.\u00a0<\/p>\n Roughly 5.7% of US adults will experience generalized anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. Davide Angelini \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cTypically in these studies, it\u2019s often the case that the patients are receiving psychotherapy during the actual dosing session,\u201d Dr. Nehal Vadhan<\/a>, a clinical psychologist and researcher who was not involved in the research, told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is seen to be helpful. But it\u2019s also quite burdensome,\u201d he added. \u201cThere\u2019s also an open question as to whether psychotherapy is really necessary in order for the psychedelic to exert its beneficial impact.\u201d<\/p>\n To isolate LSD\u2019s effects, New York-based biotech company MindMed<\/a> took a fresh approach.<\/p>\n Researchers enrolled 198 participants, ages 18 to 74, all diagnosed with moderate to severe GAD. The condition affects 3.1% of American adults \u2014 about 6.8 million people \u2014 each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health<\/a>. <\/p>\n Participants were randomly given one of four doses of LSD or a placebo. While under the influence, they were monitored by professionals but received no psychotherapy.<\/p>\n MindMed\u2019s trial tested the effects of four doses of LSD compared to a placebo. AP<\/p>\n Just one day after treatment, participants given the two highest doses \u2014 100 and 200 micrograms \u2014 had already reported improvements in their symptoms.<\/p>\n Four weeks in, those same participants scored significantly lower on anxiety tests than those who received 25 or 50 micrograms of LSD or a placebo.<\/p>\n Twelve weeks later, 65% of patients given a 100-microgram dose were still benefiting, with nearly half in remission. Depression symptoms also eased significantly for this group but not for those on lower doses.<\/p>\n By the end of the three-month study, researchers concluded that 100 micrograms is the \u201coptimal dose\u201d for future clinical trials evaluating the drug\u2019s potential for treating patients with moderate to severe GAD.<\/p>\n The most common side effects were hallucinations, nausea and headaches. None of the participants engaged in self-harm or suicidal behavior, including those with a history of it.<\/p>\n \u201cThis study is a true turning point in the field of psychiatry,\u201d Dr. Maurizio Fava, study author, said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n The LSD treatment could offer a new option for people with GAD who haven\u2019t responded to traditional therapies. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Despite being one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the US, GAD has seen little innovation in treatment. The last drug approval came back in 2007<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely think psychedelics are a viable treatment for the future,\u201d said Vadhan, who serves as co-director of the Center for Psychedelics Research and Treatment<\/a> at Northwell Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cParticularly for people who have not responded to traditional treatments such as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy or the combination thereof.\u201d<\/p>\n The FDA has designated MindMed\u2019s LSD treatment a \u201cbreakthrough therapy\u201d for GAD \u2014 a status intended to speed up the development and review of new drugs that show major promise over existing options.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t expect psychiatrists to start handing out tabs anytime soon. <\/p>\n While interest in psychedelics for mental health is booming, other efforts have hit major roadblocks.<\/p>\n Last year, the FDA rejected MDMA<\/a> in combination with talk therapy as a treatment for veterans with PTSD<\/a>, citing flawed study methods, data limitations and other concerns.<\/p>\n One major issue: Most participants could tell whether they received the real drug or a placebo, which may have skewed the results.<\/p>\n Participants being able to distinguish a placebo from a psychedelic is complicating research into their potential as treatments. blackday \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n \u201cIn the case of psychedelics trials, it\u2019s very, very difficult, if not impossible, to have a placebo that truly matches all the aspects of a psychedelic experience,\u201d Vadhan said. <\/p>\n Many participants enter these trials already expecting a positive outcome, he explained, and once the drug takes effect, it is usually obvious whether they received the real thing.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can then determine their response to the drug, particularly because we\u2019re measuring all of these symptoms subjectively,\u201d Vadhan said. <\/p>\n After all, it\u2019s not like researchers can run a blood test to see if someone\u2019s anxiety has improved.<\/p>\n In MindMed\u2019s study, most participants were able to correctly guess whether they had received LSD or a placebo. A significant number in both groups also dropped out early, narrowing the final data set.<\/p>\n The company is now running a larger, late-stage follow-up trial, tracking GAD patients given 100 micrograms of LSD over a longer period. Top-line results are expected in the second half of 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cIf our Phase 3 development program is successful, it could offer a differentiated and compelling option for one of the most significant unmet needs in psychiatry,\u201d Dr. Dan Karlin, chief medical officer of MindMed, said earlier this year<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t panic \u2014 relief might be just one trip away. A mind-bending new study suggests a single dose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[530,537,6947,163,85,46,6939,482,522,6948,6949,3073],"class_list":{"0":"post-5943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-anxiety","9":"tag-depression","10":"tag-exclusive","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-lsd","15":"tag-medication","16":"tag-mental-health","17":"tag-psychedelics","18":"tag-study-says","19":"tag-therapy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}