Patient perceptions towards psychedelics for musculoskeletal pain: A cross-sectional survey
medRxiv June 1, 2026 Erica J. Li, Basmah Mosharraf, Hiba Ali et al.
In a survey of 295 adults with musculoskeletal pain attending a hospital orthopaedic clinic, most perceived psilocybin as moderately to highly effective for pain (76%) and expressed moderate-to-high willingness to try microdoses (58%) or macrodoses (53%) of psilocybin for pain. Prior non-therapeutic psychedelic use was the strongest predictor of willingness to try a macrodose (B=3.16) or microdose (B=2.82), while pain severity had a small but significant effect. Only 3% had discussed psychedelics with a healthcare provider, and health risks were the primary concern (33%). The findings suggest neutral-to-positive perceptions, with gaps in patient knowledge and health concerns as key barriers to address in future trials.