Psychedelics for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders
SUCHT - Zeitschrift für Wissenschaft und Praxis / Journal of Addiction Research and Practice December 1, 2025 Johannes Klaus, Fritz Schneider, Rena Schaletzky et al.
An umbrella review of 13 systematic reviews and meta-analyses examined the efficacy of classic and non-classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, mescaline, and ibogaine) for treating substance use disorders, including alcohol, tobacco, opioid, and cannabis use disorders. Only two reviews performed meta-analyses; the rest provided narrative syntheses. Twelve reviews were rated critically low in methodological quality, and one was rated low. While some reviews reported promising effects, particularly for alcohol use disorder, others concluded the evidence remains inconclusive or inconsistent. Overlap of primary studies across reviews was slight. The overall evidence base is limited by methodological weaknesses and inconclusive results.