Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update

January 9, 2024

It's encouraging to hear about the advancement in this science, especially concerning end-of-life treatment. This area has significant potential for improving the quality of life in its final stages. Expanded studies can indeed provide deeper insights and potentially pave the way for more effective treatments and care strategies. The focus on such research can also lead to better understanding and management of the physical, emotional, and psychological needs of individuals during this critical time.

As the owner of Shroomability, I strongly support this treatment and deeply wish it had been accessible for my mother, who unfortunately suffered greatly before passing away from cancer. It is my hope that, following FDA approval, this essential medication will become widely available in all hospice care facilities, offering much-needed relief and comfort to the terminally ill.

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review article summarizes clinically and socially relevant developments over the past five years in the therapeutic use of the classical tryptamine psychedelic substance psilocybin, with respect to the common challenges faced by palliative care patients and their care teams. Psilocybin is available in whole fungal and isolated forms but is not yet approved for therapeutic use in the United States. Using targeted database and gray literature searches, and author recall, key sources were identified, reviewed, and synthesized as to the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in palliative care.

Recent Findings

Life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses and faced by palliative care patients are comorbid with emotional and spiritual distress. Research and field reports reviewed suggest that psilocybin has significant and in some cases, sustained anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and entheogenic effects with a favorable safety profile. Limitations of the research include the risk for selection bias toward healthy, white, financially privileged individuals, and in general, follow-up timelines too short to appropriately evaluate durability of outcomes in psychospiritual benefits and quality of life.

Summary

While more research is needed for palliative care populations specifically, reasonable inferences can be made regarding the potential for benefit to palliative care patients from psilocybin’s demonstrated anxiolytic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory and entheogenic effects. However, major legal, ethical and financial barriers to access exist for the general population; obstacles which are likely worsened for geriatric and palliative care patients. Empiric treatment and large-scale controlled trials of psilocybin should be conducted to further investigate the findings of the smaller studies reviewed here across a variety of populations, for a greater understanding of therapeutic benefit and clinically relevant safety criteria, and to support thoughtful legalization and medical access.

Read the full report here

Keywords: Psilocybin, Palliative care, Geriatric medicine, Psychedelics, Psychospiritual health, Review

Back to blog