Frontiers in Pain Research
March 18, 2025
Jenna McAfee, Avinash Hosanagar, Vijay Tarnal et al.
18 citations
In a small open-label pilot trial, five people with fibromyalgia received two doses of psilocybin (15 mg and 25 mg) along with psychotherapy. The treatment was well-tolerated: there were temporary increases in blood pressure or heart rate during dosing that returned to normal, no serious adverse events, and four of five participants had short-lived headaches. One month after the second dose, participants reported large reductions in pain severity, pain interference, and sleep disturbance. One participant rated their symptoms as very much improved, two as much improved, and two as minimally improved. Recruitment stopped early due to generalizability concerns and changing FDA guidance, but the results suggest psilocybin-assisted therapy is safe for fibromyalgia and warrants larger trials.
The Journal of clinical psychiatry
May 26, 2025
Rachel M Pacilio, Sagar V Parikh, Jamarie Geller
4 citations
Ketamine is increasingly used for psychiatric disorders outside academic settings, but little is known about real-world practices. A survey of U.S. community-based ketamine clinics and a review of their websites found that all clinics use ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, and many also prescribe it for treatment-naive depression (72.3%), bipolar depression (78.9%), and subclinical depression (59.7%). Over 80% of clinics offer maintenance treatment, often for prolonged periods, and over 40% provide ketamine for at-home use. Fewer than 30% of clinics are run by psychiatric physicians, and over 25% by nonphysician providers. The findings indicate significant variability in indications, duration, formulations, and settings, highlighting a need for increased oversight and specific practice guidelines.
Current psychiatry reports
February 1, 2025
Jamarie Geller, Eric Whitney
3 citations
Clinical trials show psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for adults with depression and MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for adults with PTSD yield encouraging results, including for treatment-resistant depression and durable remission rates. No studies have examined these treatments in adolescents. Given the high burden of untreated psychiatric illness in youth, investigating safety and efficacy in younger patients is recommended, with research and implementation tailored to adolescent needs and equity considered at every stage.
Front Hum Neurosci
December 11, 2024
Scott Shannon, Jamarie Geller
3 citations
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects over 13 million people in the US annually, with women experiencing it at two to three times the rate of men and higher rates among African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and the homeless. Current treatments are inadequate: only about 50% of patients complete trauma-focused psychological therapy, and response rates among those who do are roughly 50%; approved medications like sertraline and paroxetine have small effect sizes (0.28 and 0.23). MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) represents a paradigm shift, combining a psychotherapeutic container, the MDMA catalyst, and a carrier of music and eyeshades. Phase III studies show a large effect size of 0.91 with no serious adverse effects, offering durable improvement and potential transdiagnostic utility for trauma-related conditions.
Journal of psychoactive drugs
January 1, 2025
Jamarie Geller, Nicolas Glynos, Andrew Lemmen et al.
Trainees in medical and allied professions learn about psychedelics and related therapies mainly from social media and word-of-mouth, sources that do not improve their knowledge. Structured education is scarce, and overall psychedelic literacy is low, but those who participate in programming at their own institutions show greater knowledge. As psychedelic therapies become more available and research advances, academic training programs must include relevant material to prepare future professionals to educate and counsel patients.