Study: Brief Psychedelic Nasal Spray Eases Stubborn Depression For Weeks

Key Points:

• A clinical trial published in JAMA found that a single nasal spray dose of the psychedelic drug mebufotenin (5-MeO-DMT) rapidly eased treatment-resistant depression, with effects peaking within 15 minutes and fading in under an hour.
• The study involved 193 adults with moderate to severe depression unresponsive to multiple antidepressants, randomized to receive either 12 mg, 8 mg, or a very low 0.3 mg dose of the spray, with depression scores significantly improving in the active dose groups by day 29.
• About one-third of participants on active doses experienced at least a 50% reduction in symptoms, with benefits appearing the day after treatment and lasting through eight weeks, while side effects were mostly mild or moderate.
• Most patients on active doses met clinical discharge criteria within two hours post-treatment, suggesting a much shorter clinic visit compared to longer psychedelic therapies like psilocybin or LSD sessions.
• Researchers noted that longer-term studies are needed to confirm sustained benefits, and the shorter duration of the psychedelic experience may improve accessibility and convenience for patients with treatment-resistant depression.