Psilocybin Therapy’s Impact on Chronic Pain Management: What the Research Says
Who knows that one day, psychedelics will become an alternate option for chronic pain relief. As per several surveys, psychedelics, especially psilocybin, work as pain management alternatives. According to recent findings, mental issues and chronic pain are interrelated. Around 75% of people suffering from mental problems have shown chronic pain symptoms as well. Moreover, healing mental health disorders has been shown to relieve chronic pain. In this regard, therapists consider the therapeutic effects of psilocybin to treat both chronic pain and cognitive disorders. Stay with us to find out how psilocybin and psychedelics are wonderful options for chronic pain management, as per the researchers.
How Psilocybin Reduces Chronic Pain?
Receptors greatly affect how our body perceives pain while sending signals to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The receptor that is responsible for sensing pain is the 5-HT2A. Depending on whether the pain is severe or persistent, the 5-HT pathway can either suppress or stimulate it. While peripheral 5-HT2A receptors can make you feel pain, the receptor 5-HT1A pathway frequently has a pain-relieving impact on chronic pain management. Researchers found a positive effect of psychedelics in pain relief by activating 5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe, an area of the brain that is closely related to pain reduction.
Role of Psychedelics in Chronic Pain Management: Research-based Findings
The popularity of Psychedelics has been greatly enhanced by their potential to heal mental problems. This sparks more interest in professionals to find its role in other ailments like chronic pain.
The two main elements that determine how we perceive pain are depression and anxiety. They help the body transition from acute to chronic pain. According to the CDC, approximately 51 million Americans experience chronic pain that prevails for up to 3 months.
The National Institute of Health announced would sponsor $8.4 million for the research of the safety and effectiveness of psychedelic therapies for chronic pain management. As per the NIH, Psychedelic-assisted therapy is an emerging plan that works as a pain management alternative in adults.
Significant Effect to Treat Cluster Headache
Schindler and his team examine the therapeutic effects of psilocybin to heal cluster headaches under an exploratory clinical experiment. The total number of 30 participants were randomly selected and given 3 doses of psilocybin and placebo, separated by roughly five days. Furthermore, the study indicated psilocybin's potential as a therapeutic substance for managing cluster headaches. Its administration decreased the episodes of cluster attacks without causing any significant side effects.
Healing Cancer-Associated Depression
As per the recent findings, the therapeutic effects of psilocybin involve a major decrease in feelings of sadness and depression in cancer patients. They are found to be emerging substances to deal with chronic pain management in cancer survivors. These studies found improvement in overall life quality, spirituality, and health of those cancer patients.
In 2022, Maia and her colleagues reviewed 20 studies to find out the therapeutic potential of psilocybin and LSD for cancer patients. As per the analysis, they found great outcomes of psychedelics in pain relief, managing psychological symptoms, and chronic pain management.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
A study of the research published in January 2023 examined the pain management alternatives in which psychedelics work as a pain relief. They included psychedelics' anti-inflammatory qualities, changing how different regions of the brain deal, process, and perceive pain. Stimulate serotonin receptors, which are known to be involved in pain processing.
Psilocybin activates the neuroplastic effects of the brain, which leads to rewire brain circuits to relieve chronic pain. They are thought to be the best pain management alternatives as compared to the short-term effects of conventional painkillers.
Reduces Mechanical Hypersensitivity
The study published in Current Biology in December 2023 concluded the psilocybin role in reducing mechanical hypersensitivity. The researchers of the University of Michigan found psilocybin to work dramatically in chronic pain management in experimental rat models. Rats that had chronic pain were given intravenous injections of formalin, a substance that is known to produce persistent pain sensitivity.
The different groups of rats were given varying amounts of psilocybin, and the researchers watched to see how it affected their pain sensitivity. A saline solution and a moderate to high dosage of psilocybin were given to the rats.
According to the findings, within the duration of 28 days, psilocybin at both low and high dosages considerably decreased mechanical hypersensitivity.
This is especially essential as per the belief that chronic pain frequently persists long after the underlying tissue damage has healed, and many chronic pain problems are believed to be caused by neuroplastic changes in the brain and spinal cord. At that point, the pain seems to be a complicated body and mind interaction based on ingrained experience rather than a symptom of actual tissue damage.
Healing Fibromyalgia
The most prevalent indicator of fibromyalgia is widespread musculoskeletal pain, which is frequently accompanied by insomnia and cognitive impairment. According to the survey, 2% to 8% of people have this chronic pain disease, and it's more prevalent in women. Glynos and his co-researchers used a cross-sectional, anonymous, online poll with 354 fibromyalgia sufferers from North America to examine the potential of psychedelics. Of the 12 patients who used psychedelics to treat chronic pain, 11 reported symptom improvement, and 29.9% of participants reported having used psychedelics in the past.
Conclusion
If taken in the right setting and with the right clinical supervision, psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD may work as pain management alternatives to cure chronic pain. Until now, psychedelics are not fully legalized in every region, but, as per their remarkable role in healing mental health and chronic pain, in future, the states will be more recognized and decriminalize these substances.
