ISSN 1068-5308
34 papers in the library · 3 citations · publishing 2016-2026
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update November 3, 2022
Two sessions of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy reduced heavy-drinking days and other alcohol-related problems more than placebo plus psychotherapy in a randomized trial of patients with alcohol use disorder. No serious adverse events or psychotic disturbances occurred with psilocybin. Results appeared in JAMA Psychiatry.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update August 1, 2021
Adding MDMA to manualized therapy for PTSD significantly improves symptoms and reduces functional impairment compared to placebo, based on a Phase 3 trial. No increase in adverse events, including suicidality, was observed with MDMA use. Results were published online May 10 in Nature Medicine.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update July 5, 2021
A 6-week clinical trial compared the psychedelic psilocybin with the antidepressant escitalopram in patients with moderate to severe depression and found no significant difference in antidepressant effects between the two treatments. Some secondary outcome measures favored psilocybin, but those analyses were not adjusted for multiple comparisons. The findings suggest that psilocybin did not demonstrate superior antidepressant efficacy over escitalopram in this patient population.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update January 7, 2021
Patients with major depressive disorder who received two administrations of the psychedelic psilocybin as part of a psychotherapy regimen experienced rapid and lasting improvement in depression symptoms, according to a randomized open-label trial. These findings extend previous research suggesting antidepressant effects for psilocybin in patients with cancer and treatment-resistant depression. Results were published online November 4, 2020, in JAMA Psychiatry.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2018
A randomized trial found that military veterans and public safety officers with chronic PTSD experienced a reduction in symptoms when the psychedelic drug MDMA was given in conjunction with psychotherapy. Doses of 75 mg and 125 mg, each administered in two experimental sessions spaced 3 to 5 weeks apart, were more effective than a control dose of 30 mg.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update August 1, 2016
Intravenous ketamine given twice a week or three times a week produced sustained antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant depression, compared with placebo. Because both dosing frequencies showed similar results, a twice-weekly regimen may be a suitable initial repeated-dose approach for this population.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update January 29, 2025 M. D. Lawrence H. Price
People who visited an emergency department for a psychedelic-drug-related reason had a higher risk of later developing a psychotic disorder compared with the general population. They also were more likely to develop a schizophrenia spectrum disorder than people who had an ED visit involving alcohol or cannabis. These findings come from a retrospective cohort study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update May 28, 2023
People who microdosed expected changes in 18 affective states, including anger, anxiety, calmness, cognitive functioning, craving, creativity, feeling connected, energy, focus, guilt, happiness, meditative state, motivation, openness, sadness, self-efficacy, stress, and well-being. At the final visit, they reported whether microdosing actually changed these states. Adverse events were recorded. Blinding was assessed on each dose day by asking participants to guess if they received LSD or placebo.
The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update September 1, 2022
A medication that combines dextromethorphan and bupropion reduced depressive symptoms more effectively than an active comparator and placebo in adults with major depressive disorder, according to two trials. Remission rates with the combination separated from the comparator and placebo by week 2 of treatment in each study. The Phase 2 trial results appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Phase 3 trial results appeared in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.