Psychedelics and chronic pain: self-reported outcomes on changed substance use patterns and health following naturalistic psychedelic use
British Journal of Pain February 11, 2025 Anne Baker, Stephanie Lake, Philippe Lucas et al. 7 citations
Most people with chronic pain who use psychedelics to self-treat report ceasing or decreasing their use of other substances, especially alcohol and prescription opioids. In a survey of 466 adults, 86.3% said they stopped or reduced at least one non-psychedelic substance because of psychedelic use, with 21.2% reporting the decrease lasted over 26 weeks. Alcohol (71.1%) and prescription opioids (64.1%) were most often decreased or stopped. Illicit opioids (27.8%) and cannabis (21.5%) were more likely to be increased or initiated. Psilocybin was rated the most effective psychedelic for physical and mental health symptoms. Findings suggest potential benefits and risks of naturalistic psychedelic use for chronic pain.