LSD-induced hallucinogen persisting perception disorder treatment with clonidine: an open pilot study
International Clinical Psychopharmacology January 1, 2000 A Lerner, Marc Gelkopf, Igor Oyffe et al. 39 citations
A small pilot open study tested whether clonidine, a drug that reduces sympathetic nervous activity, could help people with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) caused by LSD. Eight patients who had had HPPD for at least three months and had been drug-free for at least three months took a low dose of clonidine (0.025 mg three times daily) for two months. Two patients dropped out. Among the six who completed the study, scores on the Clinical Global Impression Scale dropped from an average of 5.25 (severe) to 2.5 (mild), and self-reported symptom severity fell from 4 to 2 on a 0-5 scale. The findings suggest that clonidine may alleviate LSD-related flashbacks linked to excessive sympathetic nervous activity in some patients.