New Research: “Optimal dosing for psilocybin pharmacotherapy”
Without a doubt this healing fungi is beyond fabulous. Only days ago Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers published very timely study on what's became far more than a fad - the use...
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Without a doubt this healing fungi is beyond fabulous. Only days ago Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers published very timely study on what's became far more than a fad – the use of psychedelics for mental health maintenance and treatment. The evidence of safety in the use of this substance is overwhelming to researchers – but just like Cannabinoid medicine dosing is an issue that will be debated for the decades to come.
Their study was based on the explosion of interest in psychedelic use especially over the past year as the populous searched for ways to free their minds of the chaotic conundrum we all knows as the pandemic. Researchers came to conclusions on dosing – and this is so very important with this type of compound. They found in this extensive study that 'fixed dosing' is far more reliable than attempting to base the amount given on height/weight much like other drugs – putting the far out fungus in the same type of category we put cannabis in – one in which users will determine what works for them and not some chart.
Micro-dosing or the taking of small doses that don't cause a noticeable psychoactive effect have became a daily ritual for millions of people – and without much direction. Multiple states and municipalities have all but legalized magic mushrooms, or Psilocybin, by removing the criminality in the personal use of them.
The decriminalization of the therapeutic classic psychedelic drug commonly referred to as magic mushrooms due to their ability to allow people to free their mind and laugh for awhile has the GCRC inbox flooded with new studies daily from around the world. Due to the natural element of treatment and the vast ability to allow people to regain their mental health via the use of them, we analyze this research closely.
What started out as a good time for many has turned into one of the number ways to truly 'reset your life' during a nearly global lockdown. There's a plethora of people using, growing, and even selling them openly all over the nation and around the world.
The use of psychedelic's as medicine dates back in history so far back that it nears that of cannabis as well. Plants with these compounds have been used by non-Western cultures as sacramental tools for thousands of years. They have shaped multiple religions and are still used throughout the world today as part of religious ceremonies for many cultures.
Examples of this include the legendary 'Soma' that appears throughout the Sanskrit texts that form the Hindu religion, the active component of which was possibly the hallucinogenic Amanita Muscaria (the Fly Agaric mushroom).
And in the Elyusinian Mystery Rites the ancient Greeks gave initiates a drink made from wheat most likely infected with the Ergot fungus – the active component of which is a close relative of the synthetic compound LSD.
‘The rejection of any source of evidence is always treason to that ultimate rationalism which urges forward science and philosophy alike’ – Alfred North Whitehead
We can't reprint the research but those interested in the scientific angle can take a look at:
First Published February 20, 2021 *click on the title and read the full paper*
Albert Garcia-Romeu et al, John Hopkins University
Background: Growing evidence suggests psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic, is a safe and promising pharmacotherapy for treatment of mood and substance use disorders when administered as part of a structured intervention. In most trials to date, psilocybin dose has been administered on a weight-adjusted basis rather than the more convenient procedure of administering a fixed dose.
Aims: The present post hoc analyses sought to determine whether the subjective effects of psilocybin are affected by body weight when psilocybin is administered on a weight-adjusted basis and when psilocybin is administered as a fixed dose.
Methods: We analyzed acute subjective drug effects (mystical, challenging, and intensity) associated with therapeutic outcomes from ten previous studies (total N=288) in which psilocybin was administered in the range 20 to 30mg/70 kg (inclusive). Separate multivariate regression analyses examined the relationships between demographic variables including body weight and subjective effects in participants receiving 20mg/70kg (n=120), participants receiving 30mg/70kg (n=182), and participants whose weight-adjusted dose was about 25mg (to approximate the fixed dose that is currently being evaluated in registration trials for major depressive disorder) (n=103).
Results: In the 20mg/70kg and 30mg/70 kg weight-adjusted groups, and in the fixed dose group, no significant associations were found between subjective effects and demographic variables including body weight or sex. Across a wide range of body weights (49 to 113kg) the present results showed no evidence that body weight affected subjective effects of psilocybin.
Conclusions: These results suggest that the convenience and lower cost of administering psilocybin as a fixed dose outweigh any potential advantage of weight-adjusted dosing
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–Mike Robinson, Founder – Global Cannabinoid Research Center
This article is educational commentary from GCRC. It is not a report of study findings and is not medical advice. Speak with a qualified healthcare professional about your own health.
