Are Psychedelics Effective for Treating Substance Use Disorders?
May 28, 2025 DOI: 10.64239/pi-qt7504
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychedelics are not yet ready for routine clinical use in treating substance use disorders. Psilocybin shows the most promise for alcohol use disorder, but the supporting evidence is only moderate in quality. Overall, the evidence is low, with a high risk of bias from poor blinding. Only half of the studies were randomized controlled trials, and 44% were conducted over 50 years ago under less rigorous standards. Ketamine should be considered only as a last resort for patients who have not responded to FDA-approved medications for alcohol or opioid use disorders.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Current evidence is insufficient to support the use of psychedelics for substance use disorders in routine clinical practice, with psilocybin having the most supportive but moderate-quality data for alcohol use disorder. |
Abstract
Current evidence remains insufficient to support the use of psychedelics for substance use disorders in routine clinical practice. Psilocybin has the most supportive data for alcohol use disorder, though it is of moderate quality. The evidence quality is generally low, with significant risk of bias due to poor blinding. Only half of identified studies were RCTs, with 44% conducted over 50 years ago under less rigorous standards. Consider ketamine only as last resort for patients who failed adequate trials of FDA-approved medications for alcohol/opioid use disorders.