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Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Bogenschutz MP, Ross S, Bhatt S, et al. JAMA Psychiatry 2022;79(10):953-962
Clinical trialPsilocybinalcohol use disorder
This was the first randomised, double-blind trial of psilocybin for alcohol use disorder. 95 adults with alcohol dependence received 12 weeks of talking therapy and two day-long medication sessions, either psilocybin or diphenhydramine, an antihistamine used as an active placebo. Over the following 32 weeks, people given psilocybin had heavy drinking days on 9.7% of days, against 23.6% in the placebo group, and drank less on average. There were no serious adverse events among those given psilocybin. The authors say the results support further study of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder.
What it found
- Over the 32 weeks after the first dose, heavy drinking days were 9.7% of days with psilocybin and 23.6% with diphenhydramine, a difference of 13.9 points (95% CI 3.0 to 24.7; P=.01)
- Average daily drinks were also lower with psilocybin
- No serious adverse events among participants who received psilocybin