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For a long time, addictions were a very difficult problem to solve, since they involved highly complicated problematic use that was extremely hard to break. For this reason, a group of scientists from Great Britain, the United States, and Sweden found a new natural drug with the potential to fight cocaine use.
This is a mushroom derivative that appears to have enabled test subjects to remain without using this substance for 180 days after the treatment ended.
Everything we know about addictions is about to change: How does this new treatment work?
A new clinical trial published by the scientific journal JAMA Network Open revealed a major breakthrough in the field of addictions. For the first time, an experimental treatment based on the use of psilocybin yielded positive results for cocaine use disorder.
The study, conducted by specialists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Karolinska Institute, and Johns Hopkins University, included 40 adults with this type of problem who took part in psychotherapy sessions while receiving a single dose of psilocybin or placebo.
Six months after the treatment ended, 30% of those who received this psychedelic compound had completely stopped using cocaine, while the placebo group recorded no cases of total abstinence. Those who continued with this practice reduced the frequency of use.
Problematic cocaine use: the effects this breakthrough aims to produce
The main goal of the treatment is to modify behavior patterns and reduce the compulsion associated with cocaine use.
Psilocybin acts on brain circuits linked to reward, compulsive behavior, and emotional regulation, areas severely affected by the most severe addictions.
Currently, there is no approved medication that has demonstrated real and conclusive efficacy against this disorder, so it is still in a preliminary stage that must be replicated in larger studies before it can become an approved treatment.
According to the article in the journal, this compound had already shown favorable results in people with problematic alcohol and tobacco use, and even in cases of depression.