Research library / Meta-analysis
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Krebs TS, Johansen PØ. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2012;26(7):994-1002
Meta-analysisLSDalcohol use disorder
In the 1960s and early 1970s, several randomised trials tested LSD as a treatment for alcoholism. This meta-analysis pooled the six eligible trials, with 536 participants in total. People who received a single dose of LSD as part of an alcoholism treatment programme were about twice as likely to show reduced alcohol misuse at follow-up as those in the control groups, and the trials agreed closely with one another. The authors conclude that a single dose of LSD was associated with a decrease in alcohol misuse.
What it found
- LSD was associated with less alcohol misuse at follow-up (odds ratio 1.96, 95% CI 1.36 to 2.84; p=0.0003)
- Between-trial heterogeneity was negligible (I2 = 0%)