THE ESSENTIAL
- In recent years, research has increased on psychedelic substances (LSD, psilocybin, etc.) administered in palliative care to treat the symptoms of patients at the end of life.
- With promising results: psychedelics not only reduce physical pain, but also sleep disorders, depression and fear of death. Not to mention that they seem to strengthen social bonds and improve acceptance of the disease.
- One of the keys lies in the approach to care. “Unlike conventional treatments, palliative care with psychedelics requires the constant presence of the doctor or therapist, close and personalized support for the patient.”
In recent years, palliative care has taken a close interest in psychedelic substances to help patients cope better with the last moments of their illness. And studies on the subject are increasingly convincing, according to a recent article published in the journal Medscape. Driving this growing interest is Dr. Roland Griffiths, an American psychopharmacologist who has devoted much of his career to studying the effects of psychedelics on cancer-related depressive symptoms.
Psilocybin or LSD to Reduce Death Anxiety
In 2016, Griffiths and his team from Johns Hopkins University (United States) notably demonstrated the effectiveness of psilocybin, an active compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms, in reducing anxiety related to death in a group of 51 patients. suffering from terminal cancer. Five years later, diagnosed with advanced colon cancer himself, Dr. Griffiths found himself in the position of his own patients, faced with the fear of death. In an interview given shortly before his death in 2023, he shared his experience of a session under LSD which, according to him, modified his perception of the illness, improving his mood, his quality of life and his feeling of inner peace. .
Since this discovery, research into psychedelics administered in palliative care has increased. In 2022, a meta-analysis compiled 20 studies on the use of LSD and psilocybin, among others, to treat the symptoms of end-of-life patients. With promising results: psychedelic substances not only reduce physical pain, but also sleep disorders, depression and fear of death. Not to mention that they seem to strengthen social bonds and improve acceptance of the disease.
And, while 55% of studies mention mild to moderate side effects such as nausea or fatigue, the results show that, when well managed, psychedelics can be wise to improve patients’ quality of life.
The need for therapeutic monitoring when taking psychedelics
One of the keys to the success of these therapies lies in the approach to care. “Unlike conventional treatments, palliative care with psychedelics requires the constant presence of the doctor or therapist, close and personalized support for the patient”specifies the article. The program includes sessions lasting several hours, with frequent monitoring and regular contact between sessions. Clearly, support must not only be technical, it must also have a “human paste”.
Some health centers, such as the Cancer Institute of São Paulo (Brazil), have already started to integrate psychedelics like ketamine into their protocols. The recognition of these substances by health authorities, although still limited, could pave the way for broader and more systematic use in palliative care.
