Antidepressant, Antipsychotic, and Hallucinogen Drugs for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Convergence at the Serotonin-2A Receptor
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services June 30, 2016 Robert H. Howland 22 citations
Antidepressant, atypical antipsychotic, and hallucinogen drugs act partly through the serotonin-2A (5HT2A) receptor. Hallucinogens like psilocybin bind as agonists at this receptor, altering perception, mood, and cognition. Some hallucinogens are being tested in small Phase 2 studies for depression, alcoholism, smoking cessation, anxiety, and PTSD. However, concurrent use of antidepressants or atypical antipsychotics may attenuate hallucinogens' therapeutic effects because those medications desensitize or down-regulate 5HT2A receptors. This finding has implications for optimizing hallucinogen therapy in psychiatry.