Single Dose Of Psilocybin Provided ‘Rapid Onset’ Relief Of OCD Symptoms, Study Finds

A single dose of psilocybin produced “statistically significant” alleviation of symptoms for people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), with “no serious adverse events,” according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire and Imperial College explored the therapeutic potential of the psychedelic for OCD, recruiting 19 people with the diagnosis to see whether psilocybin therapy could mitigate compulsive tendencies.

Participants were given two doses separated by four weeks—one milligram and 10 milligrams. Both appeared to reduce OCD symptoms, but the researchers found that the 10 milligram dose was especially “well-tolerated and potentially efficacious in patients” with the condition.

“Psilocybin produced a rapid-onset, moderate to large effect on compulsive symptoms, which lasted up to one week after dosing,” the study, published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, found. “Future randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials investigating a longer course of multiple weekly.”

“10 mg of oral psilocybin was acceptable for and well-tolerated by patients with OCD.”

The effects of psilocybin largely tapered two weeks after it was administered, leading the study authors to conclude that “10 mg dose of psilocybin can achieve a rapid onset of a relatively short-lived improvement in OCD symptomatology.”

They also noted the high volume of applications among prospective patients, “which means there is a significant interest for psilocybin in the OCD community.”

Of course, the study’s relatively small participant pool represents a limitation, the researchers said, stressing the need to do follow-up studies with a broader patient population and, ideally, a longer timeline to collect data.

“Psilocybin produced a rapid-onset, moderate to large effect on obsessive-compulsive symptoms, lasting up to one week.”

The lack of adverse incidents reported in the study is largely consistent with a scientific review that was published by the American Medical Association (AMA) last year. That review determined that single-dose psilocybin use is “not associated with risk of paranoia,” while other adverse effects such as headaches are generally “tolerable and resolved within 48 hours.”

Also, result of a clinical trial published by AMA in December “suggest efficacy and safety” of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of bipolar II disorder, a mental health condition often associated with debilitating and difficult-to-treat depressive episodes.

The association also published research last August that found people with major depression experienced “clinically significant sustained reduction” in their symptoms after just one dose of psilocybin.

Image courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.