We have heard about the studies and research going on about psychedelic qualities, but it has still not been accepted fully in the medicinal field. Psychedelic drugs are banned here in the US as it is considered to be Schedule 1 substance and is supposedly having a high potential for abuse.
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However, many medical researchers believe that this drug is a promising treatment for many health-related problems and one of them being addiction.
Lakhs of people are dying every year due to overdosing on opioids and other drugs. And there is no effective treatment available for treating this substance use disorder.
The same goes for long-time smokers who wish to quit smoking and leave a peaceful life. For kind of addiction, it is said that psilocybin is proven very effective with lower side effects.
Psychedelic and Opioid use disorder
According to a study that was done and published, it was found that there was some correlation found between the individuals who were addicted to opioid use and have used psilocybin in the past.
Such individuals had a lower risk of opioid use disorder. As the researchers had 11 criteria that were used to diagnose the opioid use disorder, there was some correlation with past psilocybin use, having lowered odds of seven items in the list and with lowered odds of two others.
There is still no definitive proof that psilocybin itself reduces the risk of opioid use disorder. In 2020, Compass a mental health care company have established the psilocybin discovery center under the sponsorship of the University of Sciences in Philadelphia.
Their main focus is developing the optimised psychedelic and related compounds targeting the 5-HT2A receptor that is said to be a mediator for the therapeutic effects of psychedelics.
Psychedelic and Smoking
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There was research done by Johns Hopkins researchers saying that a small number of long-time smokers who had failed to drop this habit, had a positive effect after a carefully controlled and monitored usage of psilocybin which is an active-hallucinogenic agent found in the magic mushrooms along with the cognitive behavioural therapy treatment program.
According to some experts, quitting smoking just doesn’t happen by consuming psilocybin just like other medications that directly affect the nicotine receptors. Instead, this happens with careful preparation and administration, psilocybin can lead to a deep reflection in one’s life and bring about the motivation to change a life.
Psilocybin has the potential to break through the addictive pattern of thoughts and behaviours that have become a part of your life after many years of usage of smoking.
Psilocybin and Anxiety
In another study by Johns Hopkin researchers, it was seen that the majority of people suffering from cancer-related anxiety or depression have seen substantial relief from this problem in six months after using the higher dosage of psilocybin.
This was completely done in a tightly controlled environment condition with the presence of clinically trained monitors.
The report suggests that all the patients who were going through depression, anxiety, and death anxiety have seen a substantial improvement with increased quality of life, being positive and optimistic.
The most interesting and fascinating part that was discovered here was that a single dosage of psilocybin that usually lasts for four to six hours has shown an enduring decrease in the symptoms of depression and anxiety in patients.
Thus, it is said to be a great tool to help people with this condition. It was great for people who were going through these problems as a cancer-related side effect.
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Conclusion
With the overall research, it is thus evident that psilocybin is a great treatment for any kind of substance abuse disorder, smoking addiction and anxiety-related problems. It has also proven beneficial for risks related to using substances like cocaine, marijuana and opioids.
