Psilocybin - A Drug to be Considered for the Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients

Cancer patients face an elevated risk of anxiety and depression, which further diminish their quality of life. Existing antidepressant and antianxiety medications often fail to adequately improve quality of life by reducing these symptoms. Recent reviews examine the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of psilocybin as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression in this population.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Cancer patients are more vulnerable to developing psychiatric disorders like anxiety and depression. These conditions give an additional burden leading to poor quality of life. The available antidepressant and antianxiety drugs are not very useful in improving quality of life by reducing anxiety and depressive episodes. Therefore, there is a need for good drugs to alleviate the psychiatric problems among cancer patients. The recent reviews deal with the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of psilocybin in the treatment of patients suffering from anxiety and depression.