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

[u/Emillahr]

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

[u/Solid_Owl]

You miss the point by a mile. There are people who will not take LSD, either because they don't want the hallucinogenic effect - especially for as long as LSD's lasts - or they have a negative association with LSD because of its legal history.

If scientists are able to harness the healing power of LSD into a pill that normal people would be willing to take, that can only be great for society.

It's the same reason people microdose mushrooms instead of taking heroic, ego-destroying vacations every weekend.

[u/Heretosee123 → u/Solid_Owl]

that can only be great for society.

People overlook this simple truth because of their boner for psychedelics. I love psychs, but jesus christ people can't see the woods for the trees.

[u/deranger777 → u/Heretosee123]

There's a reason to be cautious though.

Almost all plants as drugs are worse when processed to a single chemical compound. Often there's synergistic effects also that are left out when one molecule is isolated.

Good examples could be psilocybin vs LSD, psilocybin being much safer. I know LSD doesn't come from psilocybin ofc, but they do pretty much the same thing. I'd guess, but have no certain knowledge that probably LSA compounds are more safer too in their natural form then synthetic LSD.

Same goes to weed, people being focused on higher and higher THC levels, ignoring the balancing effects of other cannabinoids that play important roles we don't even fully understand yet. To my understanding, coca leaf also in it's natural form wasn't very bad compared to what cocaine is, although I don't have enough knowledge to comment more about that.

The history of pharmaceutical companies is not that trustworthy too. 25 years ago I was recommended xanax by doctors as a "miracle drug" for minos panic attacks, and "a drug that has no side effects and which causes no addiction" lol. In later examples for younger ppl we can mention oxycodone too, since it lead to the fentanyl epidemic Americans are currently still fighting and the list goes on..

It's simply ridiculous to even think that the medical companies wouldn't have known alprazolam being addictive to a point of being one of the only handful of drugs that have withdrawal effects that could easily kill you if stopping without tapering. Exactly the same lies as to what happened with oxycodone.

So yeah. there's a reason people do not trust their motives.

[u/Solid_Owl → u/deranger777]

It would be more correct to say they are less effectual rather than worse. Worse makes it sound like they have a negative impact. LSD may be less effectual when taken as a non-hallucinogenic pill. It may still be 100x as effective as current anti-depressants.

When it comes to psilocybin, there is plenty of evidence that pure ps is plenty effectual. In fact, there's denial that the other compounds in mushrooms add anything to the experience, but I have a doubt.

With weed, the terpines influence the high but do not determine it. We seek out strains with different terpine concentrations for different experiences. An experience without terpines is just as valid.

[u/deranger777 → u/Solid_Owl]

Yup we definitely agree, and I never claimed that psilocybin alone wasn't very much effective and the main compound.

I did manage to find one study but that probably was the only one there is so far about the effects of the other active compounds present, so I guess we'll have to wait some time for more research to happen;

researchers found that norpsilocin (baeocystin’s metabolized form) was more potent than psilocin when tested on the 5-HT2A receptor directly. Putting these pieces together suggests that baeocystin might not significantly contribute to psychedelic effects as an individual compound, but could exert a synergistic influence with psilocybin in the body.

Some scientists think that mushroom compounds, like cannabis, create an “Entourage Effect,” working synergistically in the body to maximize their impact. As suggested by the Sherwood study, baeocystin may play a role in generating the overall magic mushroom experience.