depressionFull doseFullStrong evidence

In ordinary depression, psilocybin beat placebo by twelve points

Not treatment-resistant patients this time, just people with depression.

2023Published
Phase 2 randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trialStudy type
104 peopleSample
What our evidence ratings mean

What they did

One hundred and four adults with major depressive disorder at eleven US sites were randomly assigned to a single 25mg dose of synthetic psilocybin or a niacin placebo, each given with psychological support.

What they found

Depression scores in the psilocybin group were 12.3 points lower on the MADRS scale than placebo at 43 days, with the difference already visible by day eight.

12.3 ptsbetter than placebo at day 43
Day 8when the gap appeared

Worth knowing

Niacin causes a flushing sensation but does not feel like psilocybin, so participants could likely tell which group they were in. That problem affects almost every trial in this section.

Raison et al. Single-Dose Psilocybin Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. JAMA, 2023.

Read the source

Keep reading

depressionOnly the highest dose eased treatment-resistant depressiondepressionPsilocybin and a standard antidepressant, with no clear winnermeta-analysisPsilocybin survived the placebo correction, but the effect shrank to small

Every trial in this section used a single large dose, given in a clinic, with trained people in the room for the whole session. That is a different activity from anything sold on this site. More on why that distinction matters.

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Microdosing 8Depression 9Anxiety 6Addiction 9Cognition 6Ageing and injury 3Brain and plasticity 7Other conditions 9Safety 6All research 63

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