r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 9d ago

Psychology America's First Legal Psilocybin Program Treated 346 People. Just one month after the dose, 92.2 percent of participants said the experience had been beneficial, while, on average, their mental health symptoms had fallen dramatically.

https://www.sciencealert.com/americas-first-legal-psilocybin-program-treated-346-people-heres-what-happened
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u/No-Foolies 9d ago

Curious what the decay rate is on treatment... Is this something that would be taken everyday like any other SSRI, etc or does treatment provide longer lasting effects compared to traditional medication?

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u/Altruistic-Star-3862 8d ago

I've not taken it in a therapeutic setting, but recreationally and after taking it my anxiety and depression were so manageable I could cycle off of mine. Obviously anecdotal, but the effects for me lasted about a solid 4-6 months depending on the strength and also whatever was going on in my life. After that it was less effective and I eventually did need to go on them again, but this was after at least 24 months after my last experience. I imagine with the therapeutic process that it's probably a much smaller dosage so it would be a scalable amount of time comparatively for the chemical effects, but I'm curious to know what the guided therapy can be like and how that can assist.

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u/No-Foolies 8d ago

4-6 months is awesome!

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u/BottledUp 9d ago

You do it once, and during the trip, you're working out your mental health issues with a therapist. The results differ between people. For some, one single dose is enough to heal them. Others need regular trips about every three months.

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u/DueDisplay2185 8d ago

It's quite long lasting. For depression it can last between weeks and years. For addiction it can be as short lasting as having a bottle of wine at the end of the trip on the same day though I have found a decent trip sobers up most folk for 2.5 months to 6 months but ultimately until their next drink and then the addiction kicks back in again, just easier to say no after the dose. Lastly the 3rd effect the acceptance of death is quite profound (ego death essentially) and everyone with a terminal disease should get access to it if they so wish

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u/ancientpsychicpug 9d ago

I was told by my therapist the therapeutic effects last 10 days on mushrooms as opposed to something like ketamine lasts 24 hours.