Can Depression be Eased By Just One Dose of Psilocybin Mushrooms?
Depression is one of the most common yet hardest-to-treat mental conditions that exists in our world today. With our hectic work schedules, pressures of paying bills and providing for our families, social expectations, lack of proper sleep, lack of proper nutrition in many cases, and the millions of other situations and obstacles we may face in our daily lives, it’s no wonder so many of us are so depressed. For many, over-the-counter medications and even prescription medications and antidepressants just don’t do the trick, and unfortunately, we just have to learn to live with it. This is called treatment-resistant depression, and around 100 million people worldwide experience depression that is resistant to treatment. A substantial risk of physical illness, disability, hospitalization, and suicide exists for those with the condition. Well, thank goodness for modern science and the interesting things we keep learning as the years go by.
New Research Studies
According to a recent study, psilocybin, a synthetic version of the mind-altering substance found in magic mushrooms, helped individuals with a treatment-resistant form of depression. The 25-milligram dose of a synthetic psilocybin, COMP360, was compared to a 10-milligram and 1-milligram dose in the randomized, double-blind clinical trial, which authors referred to as “the largest of its kind.” 233 adults in the U.S., Europe, and Canada were tested, and all three doses were given in front of qualified therapists. Patients experienced a kind of “waking dream-like” state after receiving the medication, which lasted for four to six hours. People arrived early, had their psychedelic experience, and then left later that day or that night in their normal state.
According to study co author Dr. Guy Goodwin, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, “an immediate, fast, rapid-acting, sustained response to 25 milligrams (of COMP360)” was observed in the study’s results, which were published on Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine. Goodwin, the chief medical officer of COMPASS Pathways (the firm that makes COMP360), claims that magic mushrooms can be used to make this drug, but that is not how their chemical is made. It is produced in crystalline form by a clean chemical process of synthesis.
The study’s results were positive in the eyes of industry experts. Dr. Matthew Johnson, a professor of psychedelics and consciousness at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, said, “They clearly found a dose effect and clinically meaningful improvement in just three weeks.” He wasn’t a part of the recent study.
“If you were in the 25-milligram group, you were nearly three times as likely to respond than if you were in the 1-milligram group,” said Johnson, who, in 2008, coauthored safety guidelines for psychedelic research.
A noteworthy aspect of the treatment was the swift response. The greatest benefit was seen the day after the procedure. According to a statement from Dr. Anthony Cleare, a professor of psychopharmacology and affective disorders at King’s College London, this contrasts with conventional antidepressants, which take several weeks to achieve their maximal impact. He wasn’t involved in the study.
The NYU Langone Medical Center study included 29 individuals who were experiencing severe psychological discomfort as a result of advanced cancer, such as anxiety or depression. (Some of them were in remission.) Each participant took either a psilocybin or a placebo capsule; they then received the pill they hadn’t yet taken in a subsequent session. The sessions took place in a room with a couch, a sleep mask, and music to listen to for four to six hours.
Each person’s interaction with the drug was unique. However, the outcomes were astounding: six months following therapy, symptoms of depression and anxiety were reported to be reduced by 60–80% of research participants.
Similar outcomes were seen in a Johns Hopkins trial with 51 adult participants. Six months after receiving one high dose of the medication, 80% of the study participants still showed improvements in their symptoms of anxiety and sadness. 83% of respondents stated they were happier and more satisfied with their lives, and 67% said the trial was among the top five most meaningful events of their lives.
What Could This Mean For Our Future?
According to Goodwin, data from two late-stage studies investigating the substance, which is also being investigated as a treatment for PTSD and anorexia nervosa, may be made public by the end of 2024 at the earliest.
Advances in medicine and science should be nothing short of celebrated, especially for those individuals who struggle with conditions that cannot be cured by standard therapy and medications. If psilocybin and other psychedelic-assisted therapies take off and become mainstream, the lives of many thousands, if not millions, of people around the world will be forever changed and improved. These individuals would finally be able to function normally in society and enjoy their lives.
The pace of research has slowed due to the difficult legal obstacles that must be overcome in order to obtain these substances, but thanks to determined researchers and an increasing number of poorly managed mental health issues, the psychedelic research environment has blossomed.
If you or anyone you know has tried all sorts of therapies and treatments for anxiety and/or depression and nothing seems to work, please do some research and consider trying psilocybin. If it’s your first time, we always advise starting with the lowest dosage available (like microdosing with microdose capsules) so you can avoid the hallucinogenic effects but receive all the therapeutic benefits.
We urge you to take a look at our online shrooms dispensary for great deals on high-quality dried shrooms, microdose capsules, and an endless selection of delicious shrooms edibles.