LSD and psilocybin for chronic nociplastic pain: A narrative review of the literature supporting the use of classic psychedelic agents in chronic pain.
South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde November 6, 2023 J Van Der Walt, R Parker 3 citations
Managing chronic nociplastic pain remains challenging because pain is multidimensional and current treatments often fall short. Classic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin, which act on the serotonin system, have a long history of use for chronic pain and mental health conditions. Recent research on psychedelics for major depressive disorder opens opportunities to apply these drugs to chronic pain management. This narrative review provides healthcare workers with a framework for understanding how these drugs act on chronic nociplastic pain pathways, along with a brief history of their use. The authors conducted a PubMed search using keywords including 'chronic pain,' 'psilocybin,' and 'lysergic acid diethylamide' without date limits, supplemented by Google Scholar searches and updates from leading pain journals.