TY - JOUR
T1 - A proposal to evaluate mechanistic efficacy of hallucinogens in addiction treatment
AU - Burdick, Brittany Vasae
AU - Adinoff, Bryon
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding presents an additional hurdle for projects. Theoretically, it may come from publicly sourced grants, but current trends show private, special interest groups as the primary financial backers. Examples include the Heffter Research Institute and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Federal agencies, such as the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), have rarely provided funding and only to projects involving non-classical hallucinogens, such as ketamine and MDMA. Studies investigating ketamine’s effects on depression, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are funded by the NIMH, Department of Defense and pharmaceutical companies. The lack of support is remarkable, given classical hallucinogens’ relative safety and their ability to potentially improve a wide range of public health concerns. Specifically, they have been indicated in treatment for addiction (4–17), depression (17), death-related anxiety (35), PTSD (36) and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) (22).
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - Current treatments for addiction are frequently ineffective. Hallucinogenic therapy has been indicated as helpful for a range of substance use disorders, yet this approach remains understudied and publicly unavailable. It is nonetheless a promising treatment, which has significant, long-term beneficial effects with single doses and a profile characterized by general safety, low toxicity, and non-addictiveness. However, pharmacological interventions, such as hallucinogens, should not be offered if the same effects (e.g. psychological insights/mystical experiences) and outcomes (e.g. decreased drug use) could be achieved absent pharmacological intervention. To date, there have been no clinical comparisons of drug-induced altered states with non-drug-induced states for addiction treatment. We propose and then outline a clinical trial to address this gap in knowledge. The proposed design would evaluate abstinence outcomes in a population of prescription opioid abusers after exposure to one of three conditions: a drug-induced altered state using psilocybin, a non-drug-induced altered state via hyperventilation (Holotropic Breathwork), and an active placebo with niacin. The outcomes of such a study would reveal important differences in therapeutic potential by discriminating hallucinogen-dependent effects from those psychological effects resulting from altered states.
AB - Current treatments for addiction are frequently ineffective. Hallucinogenic therapy has been indicated as helpful for a range of substance use disorders, yet this approach remains understudied and publicly unavailable. It is nonetheless a promising treatment, which has significant, long-term beneficial effects with single doses and a profile characterized by general safety, low toxicity, and non-addictiveness. However, pharmacological interventions, such as hallucinogens, should not be offered if the same effects (e.g. psychological insights/mystical experiences) and outcomes (e.g. decreased drug use) could be achieved absent pharmacological intervention. To date, there have been no clinical comparisons of drug-induced altered states with non-drug-induced states for addiction treatment. We propose and then outline a clinical trial to address this gap in knowledge. The proposed design would evaluate abstinence outcomes in a population of prescription opioid abusers after exposure to one of three conditions: a drug-induced altered state using psilocybin, a non-drug-induced altered state via hyperventilation (Holotropic Breathwork), and an active placebo with niacin. The outcomes of such a study would reveal important differences in therapeutic potential by discriminating hallucinogen-dependent effects from those psychological effects resulting from altered states.
KW - Addiction
KW - Drug abuse
KW - Hallucinogens
KW - Psilocybin
KW - Review
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883010169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84883010169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3109/00952990.2013.811513
DO - 10.3109/00952990.2013.811513
M3 - Article
C2 - 23968172
AN - SCOPUS:84883010169
SN - 0095-2990
VL - 39
SP - 291
EP - 297
JO - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
JF - American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
IS - 5
ER -