22 Oct What experts say about taking psilocybin as an alternative treatment for depression
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN
CNN — The matchup: Two doses of psilocybin, the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms,” against a six-week course of the popular antidepressant escitalopram, often sold as Lexapro or Cipralex. Escitalopram is one of a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.
The projected winner: The drug that produces the best outcome at six months in the battle against depression, which affects more than 300 million people worldwide.
The stakes are high for psilocybin clinical trials — there’s a pressing need for a more effective medical solution in the fight against depression, especially treatment-resistant depression. Of the nearly 9 million people with major depression in the United States who have tried pharmaceuticals, 2.8 million are estimated to be resistant to multiple antidepressants. Read more…