Psychedelic Treatments for Substance Use Disorder and Substance Misuse: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of empirical intervention studies
PubMed 36933948 · doi:10.1080/02791072.2023.2190319
What was done
A mixed-methods systematic review searching 11 databases, trial registries, and psychedelic organization websites for English-language empirical studies published between 2000 and 2021. Eligible studies evaluated adults undergoing treatment with psilocybin, ibogaine, or ayahuasca (alone or adjunct to psychotherapy) for substance use disorder (SUD) or subdiagnostic substance misuse.
What was found
Seven studies across 10 papers met inclusion criteria, evaluating diverse addictions including opioid, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, and unspecified substance misuse. Reported measures of abstinence, substance use, psychological and psychosocial outcomes, craving, and withdrawal indicated positive results; however, the abstract provides no specific numerical values or pooled effect estimates. Qualitative synthesis (from 3 studies) reported subjective improvements in self-awareness, insight, and confidence. The authors concluded there is currently insufficient research evidence to support the effectiveness of any psychedelic for any specific substance disorder.
Why it matters
Despite recent clinical and public interest, this review shows that empirical evidence for psychedelic-assisted substance use treatment remains limited, scarce across specific substance categories, and insufficient to guide standard practice.
Limits
The abstract reports no numerical outcome data, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. Included studies span diverse substances and interventions, and the underlying evidence base is limited by scarce data, lack of large sample sizes, and absent long-term follow-up.
Cited by
- context Treatments with psychedelics such as ibogaine or ayahuasca can rapidly shift a person's relationship with and desire for addictive substances like opiates or alcohol within 72 to 96 hours.