Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Mental Health Addiction

Psilocybin use was associated with lowered odds of opioid use disorder

by Emily Manis
April 22, 2022
in Addiction, Psilocybin, Psychedelic Drugs

[Follow PsyPost on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience]

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Opioid abuse is a prevalent and very dangerous substance use disorder. Psychedelic use has been proposed as a treatment for various substance use disorders, leading people to question if it would be an effective treatment for opioid abuse. A study published in Nature: Scientific Reports suggests that psilocybin use, but no other psychedelics, was linked to lower odds of opioid abuse.

Opioid abuse is a serious and deadly public health crisis. It has a very high rate of death, accounting for around 70% of overdose deaths in the US. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this problem has only gotten increasingly worse. Despite the prevalence of opioid addiction, there are not many effective pharmacological treatments for it. Classic psychedelics have been used to treat different kinds of substance use disorder, though the research on this is still emerging and is somewhat limited.

Grant Jones and colleagues used data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health from 2015 to 2019. This survey utilizes a nationally representative sample of the US, not including military members, incarcerated individuals, or people experiencing homelessness. Lifetime use of 4 commonly used psychedelics were the main independent variables used for this study. This study also utilized demographic information, self-reported risk behaviors, and lifetime use of other substances. The main dependent variable was meeting criteria for opioid use disorder.

Results showed that the only substance that was associated with lower chances of opioid use disorder was psilocybin. Psilocybin was related to lowered odds for 7 of the 11 DMS-IV criteria that make up opioid use disorder. Peyote, mescaline, and LSD did not have this same relationship, showing either no significant relationship or even an increase in opioid dependence. Psilocybin users who have or have not used opioids differed on all demographic traits measured by this study, which include sex, education, race, income, age, and marital status.

This study took steps into seeing if psychedelics may be a viable treatment for opioid abuse. Despite this, it has limitations. Though this study utilized a very large and representative sample, The National Survey on Drug Use and Health excludes some groups of people that may have high rates of drug abuse, including people experiencing homelessness. In addition, due to the cross-sectional nature of this study, no causal relationships can be assumed.

The study, “Associations between classic psychedelics and opioid use disorder in a nationally-representative US adult sample“, was authored by Grant Jones, Jocelyn A. Ricard, Joshua Lipson, and Matthew K. Nock.

ShareTweetSendScanShareSharePinSend
Previous Post

Having an unsupportive romantic partner is associated with neurophysiological changes in error processing

Next Post

Meta-analysis of 97 studies indicates mental disorders are linked to cognitive dysfunction across multiple domains

STAY CONNECTED

TRENDING

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Brain stimulation technique combined with cognitive training reduces ADHD symptoms in children

Psychedelic mushrooms and quiet quitting: Psilocybin use tied to working fewer overtime hours

Male weightlifters who use steroids are more prone to psychopathology than those who do not

Mindfulness study: Practicing self-compassion reduces impulse buying

Four distinct trajectories of psychopathic traits identified among youth in the legal system

RECENT

2016 election study uncovers surprising unconscious memory shifts among voters

New study highlights psilocybin’s promise for major depressive disorder treatment

Neuroimaging study reveals hate speech dulls brain’s empathy responses

Most Americans think that other people view pornography more often than they do, study finds

Pandemic lockdowns amplified smartphone mimicry, study reveals

Brain stimulation technique combined with cognitive training reduces ADHD symptoms in children

Mindfulness study: Practicing self-compassion reduces impulse buying

Male weightlifters who use steroids are more prone to psychopathology than those who do not

Currently Playing

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

New psychology research shows how narcissistic tendencies influence perceptions of intellectual humility

Narcissism
Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Unintended pregnancies take a toll on the mental health of new fathers

Mental Health
New study provides insight into the psychological core of dark personality traits

Four distinct trajectories of psychopathic traits identified among youth in the legal system

Psychopathy
Social working memory abnormalities may be a neurocognitive mechanism underlying poorer social connection in PTSD

Exposure to wood smoke leads to complex and long-lasting neuroinflammatory and neurometabolomic alterations

Mental Health
People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

People who were better supervised by parents as early adolescents tend to have higher earnings as adults

Business
People who consume more ultra-processed foods are more likely to experience psychological distress later in life

People who consume more ultra-processed foods are more likely to experience psychological distress later in life

Mental Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Drug Research
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Meditation
  • Psychology of Religion
  • Aviation Psychology and Human Factors
  • Relationships and Sexual Health
  • Evolutionary Psychology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychedelic Drugs
  • Dark Triad
  • Political Psychology

About

PsyPost is a psychology and neuroscience news website dedicated to reporting the latest research on human behavior, cognition, and society. (READ MORE...)

  • Contact us
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist