Hallucinogenic side effects of therapeutically interesting synthetic and natural psychedelics could be avoided, Finnish researchers write in Nature Neuroscience. The study sheds new light on the role of receptor binding in psychedelics’ mechanism of action, opening the door to innovative treatments for depression.

There has long been interest in the potential therapeutic effects of synthetic and natural psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin – the active compound in magic mushrooms – in the treatment of depression. But it remains a controversial topic. Doctors and therapists are concerned about the risks of self-experimentation with psychedelics in the absence of supervision and supportive psychotherapy. The therapeutic context is very important, as unsupervised use can lead to the notorious ’bad trip’, in which users experience intense anxiety and hallucinations. 

Inconsistencies 

In addition to the health risks of psychedelics, natural products such as psilocybin are often inconsistent. This makes it difficult to obtain approval from agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Furthermore, they evaluate the safety and efficacy of drugs, not the circumstances of use. How should these agencies deal with a drug that requires special monitoring, therapy, and a specific environment for a safe effect?