Psychedelic Medicine: Future Directions for Alcoholic Dependence Treatment
Clearmind Medicine Inc. is a psychedelic pharmaceutical biotech company. The Company is focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and underserved health problems, including alcohol use disorders. The Company researches and develops psychedelic-based compounds and attempts to commercialize them as regulated medicines, foods, or supplements. The Company’s intellectual portfolio consists of 15 patent families, including 27 granted patents and 24 pending applications.
Introduction
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are common health disorders that carry significant social, epidemiologic and individual impacts. Though existing treatment intervention such as pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and mutual-help groups, many of the sufferers of AUDs do not find lasting recovery. This challenge underlines the need for the development of new therapeutic interventions to this problem. In recent years, there has been much focus on other skill derived substances due to their possible effectiveness in the treatment of AUDs. In this post, we will talk about the contemporary perspective of the psychedelic research, describe the rationale for the therapeutic effects, and – ultimately – study the clinical trials associated with AUDs indications.
Recent Development in Psychedelic Studies
After many years of prohibition, psychedelic research has been experiencing a revival due to partial or full permission to use these compounds in clinical and research activities. This has in turn spurred the escalation of several psychedelic agents in terms of their treatments, such as psilocybin, ayahuasca and ketamine. Notably, these compounds have multiple uses in the treatment of diseases, including depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders as well as in end of life psychotherapy. The use of these substances in the treatment of AUDs is an area of interest because alcohol use disorders are commonly accompanied by other psychiatric disorders and addressing this issue may therefore necessitate the use of multiple substances.
The Mechanism of Action of Psychedelic Therapeutics
Psychedelic substances help to treat ailments by modulating the release of other neurotransmitter including serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate among others. Another way in which they may be effective as treatments is through the profound change in level of consciousness which can lead to introspection, and therefore emotion resolution. This ability to elicit experiences which help people to reflect on themselves is especially important in combating such problems as addictions and alcohol use disorders.
One main component of the how the methods are applied in a psychedelic session is integrating, having patients talk with the therapist about what transpired in the session and encouraging them to bring its insights to their daily lives. It enriches the patient’s personal development, solves the lack of psychological needs, and allows avoiding relapses and temptations on the way to sobriety. This of course may ultimately prove to be effective in addressing the causes of AUDs in a more comprehensive way than merely aiming at the symptoms associated with the altered states of consciousness, the emotional processing, and integration.
Clinical Studies Related to the Use of Psychedelic Medicines for AUDs
A number of the clinical trials of psychedelic derived therapeutics for the treatment of AUD have been conducted or are in progress. Psilocybin, the psychoactive component found in “magic mushrooms”, is one of the substances to have been subjects of multiple clinical trials. A single dose of psilocybin with psychological intervention was found in a study conducted at the Johns Hopkins University to reduce amount of alcohol intake and quit completely in patients with AUDs even six months after taking the treatment. Such outcomes suggest that it is worthy to consider psilocybin as a prospective instrument in treating AUDs.
Another candidate for the treatment of mood disorders is ketamine, which is a dissociative anaesthetic with immediate pro- antidepressant effects. The most studies in which ketamine was researched considered its utilization in the treatment of patients with depression and suicidal thoughts, but it was also identified that the compound can help manage AUDs. Research has shown that a course of ketamine drips can serve as an effective treatment for patients with AUDs preventing them from relapse and decreasing cravings and activation of the glutamate neurotransmitter and encouraging neuroplasticity. These results hint at ketamine’s potential as an important treatment for AUDs, especially for patients with major depressive disorder.
Other hallucinogens including ayahuasca and ibogaine has also been investigated for possible medical uses in management of AUDs. Despite these compounds are still on trial, much literature and scientific observations suggest that they have the capacity to heal through emotional healing, spiritual experiences and mind set.
Issues and Prospect
Though the beneficial effects of psychedelic therapeutic in the treatment of AUDs evidenced by the data on clinical trails, yet there are some issues that should be resolved before the substance can be regarded as treatment options. Legal status of psychedelics is a major concern: most of these compounds are Schedule I controlled substances in the United States, and clinical application is either impossible or challenging, research is extremely limited. This classification is to a considerable extent based on the stereotypic concepts of safety and efficacy of these agents and there are moves afoot to recategorize them more in tune to their therapeutic utility and safety profile.
But another important issue is with regard to the safety and effectiveness of using psychedelics as they can lead to undesired psychological effects and have contraindication risks for inpatients and for people who have had traumatic experiences. We should select strictly, dosing correctly, and apply the correct psychological intervention before, during and after the therapy to reduce risks. Besides, the creation of clear guidelines on how the various treatments will be administered and the preparation that health care practitioners who will be delivering the treatments need to undergo is important if the various forms of treatment are to become popular across the globe.
Moreover, the implementation of special psychological side effects of psychedelics in the scope of the treatment plans approved, will help overcome the AUDs (Alcohol Use Disorder) and keep the person sober. One of the directions of further research is the study of the possibility of their use in combination with other methods of activity.
Therefore, the prospect of using other psychedelic derived therapeutics in managing AUD represents a major breakthrough and a very encouraging trend in addiction treatment. The mode of action of these substances in addition to result from the present clinical trials imply that these compounds hold the promised in AUDs since they get to the root of the problem-a natural born addict. Over time, the study is bound to come across legal, safety, as well as integrative aspects of these technologies which should be tackled head on if depression together with other disease constituents is to be conquered and opportunities of using alcohol use disorder recovery technologies optimally are to be actualized.