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According to a ground-breaking new study, taking a single dose of the hallucinogenic drug LSD can help to reduce anxiety levels. The drug's effect is not immediate but occurs within weeks - and it's significant.
The research behind this finding was carried by MindMed, a company that specializes in novel treatments for brain health disorders. The team at MindMed found that 100 micrograms of a particular kind of LSD provided significant, long-term relief to people suffering from a common form of anxiety known as generalized anxiety disorder.
New LSD study found to be a potential breakthrough in anxiety treatment
GAD causes people to worry excessively and unrealistically about everyday things.
This excessive worry leads to a constant feeling of fear and anxiety, which leaves the person feeling overwhelmed all the time. In the USA, approximately 20 million adults, or about 10% of the adult population, are currently dealing with this disorder.
Dr. David Feifel, a contributor to the study, said that in over 20 years of clinical research in psychiatry, he has come across numerous drugs in development for anxiety treatment. However, he emphasized that the efficiency and sustained relief from a single dose of MM120 is truly remarkable.
The research revealed that a 100 micrograms dose of MM120 led to a 48% rate of recovery from GAD after 12 weeks. Also, within three months, about 65% of patients showed improvements.
According to Dr. Daniel Karlin, assistant professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, the improvement for many patients was more than double that of current standard care options.
Moreover, this improvement occurred across all levels of anxiety, from mild to severe.
The study did not utilize psychotherapy during the research period. Instead, it tested doses ranging from 25 to 200 micrograms against a placebo. Based on their results, the team sided with the 100-micrograms dose for future phase three studies.
As per Karlin, they did not notice any extra improvement with the 200-micrograms dose but did witness additional adverse effects.
Could LSD help with mental health?
The adverse effects noticed were mild to moderate in intensity. They included feelings of euphoria, illusions, hallucinations, anxiety, abnormal thinking, headaches, dizziness, nausea, excessive sweating, vomiting, numbness or tingling of the skin and dilation of the pupils on the day of the dosage.
Like every new drug product, the drug will have to undergo the standard FDA approval process before it can be given to patients. The good news is that it will soon enter phase three trials. Considering how many people suffer from GAD and other forms of anxiety, this is a promising development.
One important thing to note is that this single dose of LSD showed marked improvement on depression symptoms as well. Depression and anxiety often occur together, and many people struggle with both.
According to Karlin, the drug went beyond anxiety relief and helped alleviate the overlapping symptoms of depression.
In conclusion, this new study suggests that a single dose of LSD can cut the symptoms of anxiety in half and provide relief within weeks.
This ground-breaking research is a giant leap forward in the fight against generalized anxiety disorder, providing hope for the millions struggling with this condition.
