Acute, subacute and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin in healthy humans: a pooled analysis of experimental studies
Top Cited Papers
- 20 September 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Psychopharmacology
- Vol. 25 (11), 1434-1452
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881110382466
Abstract
Psilocybin and related hallucinogenic compounds are increasingly used in human research. However, due to limited information about potential subjective side effects, the controlled medical use of these compounds has remained controversial. We therefore analysed acute, short- and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin in healthy humans by pooling raw data from eight double-blind placebo-controlled experimental studies conducted between 1999 and 2008. The analysis included 110 healthy subjects who had received 1–4 oral doses of psilocybin (45–315 µg/kg body weight). Although psilocybin dose-dependently induced profound changes in mood, perception, thought and self-experience, most subjects described the experience as pleasurable, enriching and non-threatening. Acute adverse drug reactions, characterized by strong dysphoria and/or anxiety/panic, occurred only in the two highest dose conditions in a relatively small proportion of subjects. All acute adverse drug reactions were successfully managed by providing interpersonal support and did not need psychopharmacological intervention. Follow-up questionnaires indicated no subsequent drug abuse, persisting perception disorders, prolonged psychosis or other long-term impairment of functioning in any of our subjects. The results suggest that the administration of moderate doses of psilocybin to healthy, high-functioning and well-prepared subjects in the context of a carefully monitored research environment is associated with an acceptable level of risk.Keywords
This publication has 74 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months laterJournal of Psychopharmacology, 2008
- Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safetyJournal of Psychopharmacology, 2008
- Mismatch negativity generation in the human 5HT2A agonist and NMDA antagonist model of psychosisPsychopharmacology, 2008
- Identification of a serotonin/glutamate receptor complex implicated in psychosisNature, 2008
- The behavioral pharmacology of hallucinogensBiochemical Pharmacology, 2007
- Effects of the 5-HT2A Agonist Psilocybin on Mismatch Negativity Generation and AX-Continuous Performance Task: Implications for the Neuropharmacology of Cognitive Deficits in SchizophreniaNeuropsychopharmacology, 2003
- Stable quantitative EEG difference in post-LSD visual disorder by split-half analysis: evidence for disinhibitionPsychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 1996
- Adverse consequences of lysergic acid diethylamideAddiction, 1993
- A Chronic Impairment of Colour Vision in Users of LSDThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1982
- Psilocybin-induced contraction of nearby visual spaceInflammation Research, 1970