VIDEO: One dose of LSD improved generalized anxiety disorder up to 12 weeks

NEW YORK — One dose of lysergide produced clinical remission of generalized anxiety disorder as soon as 4 weeks after treatment, according to a study presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting.

The phase 2b study showed that “lysergide, or LSD, can produce rapid, substantial and durable improvements in general anxiety disorder that lasted up to 12 weeks,” Daniel R. Karlin, MD, MA, chief medical officer at MindMed, said in this Healio video.

According to the study, 198 patients with generalized anxiety disorder and moderate to severe anxiety were randomized to receive one dose of MM-120, or lysergide, at 25 µg, 50 µg, 100 µg or 200 µg or placebo.

Half of the patients who received a single 100 µg dose were in clinical remission at 4 weeks, “which is quite remarkable,” Karlin said. “What’s even more impressive is ... at week 12, 48% of people were still in remission. This is a potentially paradigm-shifting treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.”

References:

• Karlin DR, et al. Screening adults in the U.S. general population to detect cases of undiagnosed generalized anxiety disorder. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 4-8, 2024; New York.
• Karlin DR, et al. Quantifying the burden of undiagnosed generalized anxiety disorder in the U.S. general adult population. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 4-8, 2024; New York.