Measuring the appetite for Psilocybin Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder

Abstract: Measuring the appetite for Psilocybin Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder

Background: The opioid epidemic has emerged as a significant public health crisis, affecting millions of people worldwide. Traditional approaches to Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment, such as medication-assisted therapy such as opioid substitution therapy (OST) have demonstrated efficacy. Still, the chronic nature of the disorder and high relapse rates call for innovative solutions and treatments. Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in mushrooms, has garnered attention for its therapeutic potential, having shown recent benefits in treatment of tobacco use disorder [2]

Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) has been demonstrated to improve recruitment, remove barriers to participation and ultimatley produce higher-quality research output. As part of the development of a trial of Psilocybin Therapy for Opioid Use Disorder, two sessions were run to help shape the research question and gain perspective from people with lived experience of substance use disorder or opioid use disorder.

Methods: Two patient and public involvement (PPI) sessions, with 12 participants with experience of a substance use disorder, detox services, or psychedelic use as part of clinical trials were invited to participate in a two-hour session.

Results: Feedback from participants was broadly supportive. Important points were raised about consenting procedures, advertisement and recruitment to ensure low attrition rate which will be taken forward into trial design. A broader discussion about co-production was held, with most participants stating they would be willing to contribute to further sessions and be involved in the trial design process.

Conclusions:
Psilocybin therapy for OUD represents a novel and potentially transformative approach. The convergence of positive clinical outcomes, neurobiological changes, and subjective experiences highlights the multifaceted benefits of this intervention. However, this research cannot have an impact if it is designed without considering the needs of those who will benefit from it. This work has demonstrated that there is desire for both novel treatments for Opioid Use Disorder and participation in this.