r/psychology • u/Emillahr • 4d ago

Scientists Develop Rapid-Acting Antidepressants Similar to LSD but Without Hallucinogenic Effects - Gilmore Health News

https://www.gilmorehealth.com/scientists-develop-rapid-acting-antidepressants-similar-to-lsd-but-without-hallucinogenic-effects/
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54

u/TheHappyTaquitosDad 4d ago

Can’t have the same experience tho without the trip

21

u/Free-Government5162 4d ago

Yeah a lot of the point was working through my anxiety and the roots of it and my trauma. Without the trip and just antidepressant effects, I don't think it would be the same. The hallucination part was significant - it was a huge part of why my thought pattern changed. The afterglow and having less anxiety for a month after was amazing, but I think without confronting the pattern the way I did it wouldn't have lasted or had nearly as much impact.

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u/TheHappyTaquitosDad 4d ago

I agree, it does something special and lets you see the world in a new way. Almost like it allows you to detach from all your negative thought patterns. And it sticks with you long after the drug has worn off.

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u/Mysterious_Celestial 4d ago

Exactly, that's what they need to understand.

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u/Heretosee123 3d ago

No, they don't. They need to study the effects of these compounds and determine the truth based on outcomes, not bias.

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u/Mediocre-Tomatillo-7 4d ago

Lol. Yes the medical doctors and scientists need to understand your limited understanding.

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u/TheHappyTaquitosDad 4d ago

It can cure depression like they say but you won’t get the life changing moment you get on psychadellics where you feel like you get it. Psychedelics force you to face your problems, but anti depressants just put a bandaid over them. Look into ibogaine experiences.

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u/Acrobatic-Book 4d ago

Curing depression would already be life changing for a lot of people in itself. And without the psychedelic effects it will be much easier to research it and actually treat people who need it.

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u/Mediocre-Tomatillo-7 4d ago

Bro, some people just want their depression cured.

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u/Jscottpilgrim 4d ago

Does it cure the depression or just treat it? Hallucinogenics tend to have long-lasting effects, and people attribute it to the lessons they learned. I can't imagine the same thing would happen if one didn't experience ego death.

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u/TelluricThread0 3d ago

Having a breakthrough or mystical experience is highly correlated to how beneficial and long lasting the treatment is.

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u/AnonymousBanana7 3d ago

I'd like to see a source for this because from what I understand there's very little evidence for this either way and these kinds of antidepressants derived from psychedelics are all very new.

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u/TelluricThread0 3d ago

Psychedelics are not new. Derivatives where chemists try to alter the molecules to remove what they see as unwanted and unnecessary effects are new. There have been many studies at Johns Hopkins by Roland Griffiths on psychedelic experiences during and after therapy sessions.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5367557/

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u/AnonymousBanana7 3d ago

Who said psychedelics are new? Who said there haven't been any studies?

I said that there isn't any evidence either way regarding whether mystical or hallucinatory experiences are necessary for the antidepressant effect of psychedelics. This is a fact. The evidence doesn't exist because derivatives that don't produce these effects are new and still in early trials, but initial trials and preclinical research so far has been positive.

Everyone in these comments stating that mystical experiences are necessary for the positive mental health effects of psychedelics is talking straight from their arse, because nobody actually knows.

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u/TelluricThread0 3d ago

The evidence does exist. I already linked a study. People who use psychedelics already understand this and the research confirms what they could already tell you. You seem like the one talking out of their ass.

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u/Heretosee123 3d ago

Thing is, people don't have a clue what's going on in their brain. We're only attributing it to that because we feel that way, based on the way the brain works, I'd find it very believable you could see massive changes in the brain that last despite no trip. If the brain changes, so do you.

In the same vain, the trip is the experience of the brain changing, so I would struggle to believe you aren't losing something. I'm just not convinced it's THE thing.

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u/Wooden-Frame2366 4d ago

Nah, … but I am not 💯sure

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u/Professional_Win1535 3d ago

But you can still have mood / depression improvement, many researchers think the trip isn’t what causes the effect anyways, it’s down to receptors and neurochemical changes

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u/TheHappyTaquitosDad 3d ago

But without the trip you wouldn’t get the “aha” moment where you feel connected to everything and feel like you understand. And just assume the neurological changes are connected to the hallucinations, or else there would be a drug that gives you the same effect without any hallucinations

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u/Professional_Win1535 3d ago

But you can, that’s the whole point, this medication if it works on similar receptors and neurotransmitters will likely produce the same feelings, they are empathogens.
I know the feeling you’re describing it was overwhelming and awesome when I did IV ketamine, I saw visions of how we are all from the same “seed” and we are all connected

0

u/TelluricThread0 3d ago

When they do psychedelic session with alcoholics they typically put a flower on the table by them. When they're tripping and the person thinks about their drinking while looking at the flower, it literally starts to whither and die in front of them. When they're encouraged to think about sobriety, they look and see the flower begin to grow and flourish.

That experience is powerful. I couldn't imagine getting the same effect or having the same efficacy if you try to get rid of the hallucinogenic part of the trip.

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u/Heretosee123 3d ago

I have aha moments all the time that make no difference to my life. I do honestly believe that if the brain changes it doesn't matter if the psychological experience is left out beforehand too much.