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Treat pain and mental health simultaneously

Tasmanian ketamine study to treat chronic pain patients

About 60% of patients with chronic pain also suffer from a second condition like depression or anxiety.

A University of Tasmania researcher predicts that ketamine therapy will have a “dual beneficial effect” on both pain and mental health.

Other chronic pain experts share this belief. “The domains of pain, anxiety and depression are all connected. If you treat one, another often gets better,” according to researcher Dr. David Borsook.

The hypothesis will be put to the test in an upcoming study of 30 chronic pain patients, which received a $80K grant from the Clifford Craig Foundation.

The Examiner

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If you’re on antidepressants, psilocybin may be safer than MDMA

Psilocybin safer to take with psychiatric medications than MDMA, researchers say

An analysis of 40 publications found that MDMA interacts with antidepressants more than psilocybin.

Taking MDMA on antidepressants could lead to toxic levels of serotonin and may be fatal, with MAOIs posing a particularly high risk.

While there is less research on psilocybin, a study from MindMed and Liechti Labs found that the SSRI escitalopram was safe to take with psilocybin, and even reduced trip anxiety.

However, the analysis found that buspirone, chlorpromazine, ketanserin, or risperidone reduced psilocybin’s subjective effects.

This helpful chart has more information on how psychedelics interact with antidepressants, but remember that this is not medical advice. 

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Two approaches to treating depression with DMT

Small Pharma Expands Potential of Commercial Portfolio with DMT-based Psychedelic Assets

After finding its DMT formulation to be well-tolerated, Small Pharma (DMT) is launching two new trials this year. 

One will assess how DMT interacts with SSRIs in patients with depression and the other will compare the drug’s effects when administered through muscles versus veins. 

The company has also developed a form of DMT that lasts longer than the typical 30 minute trip, but is still much shorter than a psilocybin or LSD trip.

Biomind Labs (BMND) is taking the opposite approach. The company reduced a DMT trip to just 10-15 minutes by making a formulation that’s inhalable.

Biomind’s formulation will be assessed in a Phase II trial for treatment-resistant depression, which just received approval by the Brazilian Institutional Review Board.

We’re eager to see if the length of the trip makes a difference!

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Biomind Labs Inc.

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A modern twist on a decades-old therapy technique

Incannex Executes License Agreement with Monash University to Develop a Combination Treatment Using Virtual Reality and Psychedelics

Exposure therapy has been a common treatment for anxiety disorders (especially OCD) since the 70’s. It involves gradually exposing patients to triggering situations in a safe environment so they can work through their irrational response.

Now imagine being exposed to your triggers through immersive virtual reality… while on psychedelics.

It may sound scary, but psychedelics could actually provide feelings of safety and allow patients to change their perspective and response to the stimuli.

This is how Incannex Healthcare (IXL) plans to treat patients with severe anxiety disorders in upcoming trials in collaboration with Monash University.

The Australian company debuted on the Nasdaq this week under the symbol ‘IXHL’.

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24 hour trip anyone?

MINDCURE Achieves Key Development Milestone for Novel Ibogaine Program

Tripping on ibogaine can last over 24 hours, and it’s not always pleasant. But the wide range of benefits could make it worthwhile. 

MINDCURE (MCUR) hopes so at least. The company filed a provisional patent for synthetic ibogaine mixtures to treat various central nervous system disorders like:

  • Addiction
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Chronic pain such as migraines and cluster headaches

The company aims to be a global supplier of synthetic ibogaine for research purposes and expects to have supply available by the end of Q2 this year.

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LSD and psilocybin have the same effects, apparently

MindMed Announces Publication of Study Comparing the Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Psilocybin in Healthy Subjects

MindMed’s latest study compared the experiences of LSD and psilocybin in high and low doses. 

Subjects were assessed on a scale that measures changes in consciousness like feelings of unity and bliss, ego dissolution, auditory and visual sensations, spiritual experiences, and insightfulness.

Researchers found “no evidence of qualitative differences in altered states of consciousness”  between the substances, except that LSD lasted longer. Any other differences could be attributed to the dose, not the substance.

They found that 20 mg psilocybin is equivalent to 100 µg LSD (a 1:200 ratio), and that body weight had no influence on the concentration of the drugs in blood plasma.

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World’s first DMT trial for depression

World’s First clinical trial for DMT-assisted therapy in Major Depressive Disorder Shows Consistent Quality of Psychedelic Response in Phase I

Small Pharma (DMT) successfully completed a phase I trial on the safety of DMT in preparation for a phase II trial on depression. Researchers discovered that:

  • Most of the 24 patients described the experience as pleasurable and not too challenging (even though no one had tried psychedelics before)
  • Although there were 20 adverse events (85% mild, 15% moderate, and 0% severe), no patient regretted participating
  • The trip lasted 20 minutes, and DMT was nearly undetectable in the blood after 60 minutes
  • For three months following the dose, there were no significant negative effects on anxiety or well-being

Phase II results are expected in the first half of this year, which will reveal how one dose compares to two doses in treating depression.

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How psychedelics treat eye disease

PharmaDrug Receives Positive Results for DMT-Analogue Program to Treat Glaucoma

Glaucoma can cause irreversible vision loss and blindness. Current medications require multiple daily applications and have side effects like redness and stinging of the eyes.

PharmaDrug (PHRX) wants to develop a superior treatment using analogues of DMT.

The company discovered that the compounds can “activate protective pathways within critical cellular compartments of the eye” to reduce pressure inside the eye. 

PharmaDrug will collaborate with the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation to produce a device that can deliver low doses of the drug to the front of the eye. 

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Can psilocybin treat the deadliest mental health disorder?

Recruitment for an upcoming trial – Psilocybin as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study

Anorexia has a higher mortality rate than any other psychiatric condition, as patients have a high risk of death by both suicide and organ failure.

Current treatments work for less than half of patients, which is why Imperial College London is preparing to study psilocybin therapy as an alternative. 

The school is recruiting female patients who have had a diagnosis for at least 3 years and have tried other forms of treatment without success. They’ll each receive 3 doses of psilocybin, and researchers will use several MRIs and EEG scans to understand the effects of the treatment.

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