Psilocybin Has Better Response Than Placebo in Antidepressant Trials
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 -- Patients treated with high-dose psilocybin have better responses than those treated with placebo in antidepressant trials, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in The BMJ.
Tien-Wei Hsu, M.D., from E-DA Dachang Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and colleagues examined the comparative effectiveness and acceptability of oral monotherapy using psychedelics and escitalopram in patients with depressive symptoms in a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis. The primary outcome was change in depression, which was measured by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
The researchers found that compared with antidepression trials of escitalopram, placebo response in psychedelic trials was lower (mean difference, −3.90). Most psychedelics were better than placebo in psychedelic trials, but in antidepression trials of escitalopram, only high-dose psilocybin was better than placebo (mean difference, 6.45). When the reference arm changed from placebo response in the psychedelic trials to antidepressant trials, the effect size of high-dose psilocybin decreased from large to small (standardized mean difference, 0.88 to 0.31, respectively). Compared with escitalopram at 10 mg and 20 mg, the relative effect of high-dose psilocybin was larger (4.66 and 4.69, respectively). Of the interventions, none were associated with higher all-cause discontinuation or severe adverse events than the placebo.
"Serotonergic psychedelics, especially high-dose psilocybin, appeared to have the potential to treat depressive symptoms," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2024
Read this next
People With Disabilities Have High Rates of Loneliness
FRIDAY, Aug. 8, 2025 -- Loneliness among people with disabilities (PWD) is high, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Maggie...
Similar Impact on Mental Health Seen for Exposure to Physical, Verbal Abuse in Childhood
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 6, 2025 -- Exposure to childhood physical or verbal abuse is similarly associated with lower mental well-being during adulthood, according to a study published...
Increases in Local Violence Tied to Higher Subsequent Suicide Rates
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- At the county level, increases in homicide rates are linked to higher suicide rates the following year, according to a study published online July 29...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.