Psychedelics & Empathogens
Psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, DMT/ayahuasca, mescaline, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT — substances that produce profound altered states.
Latest reporting
Washington Is Sprinting to Approve Psychedelics. It Left the VA at the Starting Line.
A record FDA hearing this week showed how fast federal psychedelic policy is moving. Nearly five million veterans who already use these drugs still don't know if telling their doctor could cost them their benefits.
The FDA Wants to Talk About Psilocybin's Future. It Won't Touch Who's Using It Right Now.
The FDA holds a public hearing today on psilocybin's therapeutic future while explicitly excluding legal status from the agenda — even as poison control calls and unsupervised use keep climbing.
The FDA's Next Psychedelic Hearing Skips the Question That Sank MDMA Therapy
FDA's September 14 hearing covers training and access, not trials — even after new rules for the blinding problem that sank Lykos's 2024 MDMA application.
Through eight lenses
Science
5-HT2A agonism (classical psychedelics), MDMA serotonin/dopamine/NE release, ibogaine multi-receptor (anti-addiction window).
The FDA Finally Wrote Rules for Psychedelic Trials. Now It Wants to Hear If They're Any Good.
Sep 6The FDA Rejected MDMA Therapy Because It Couldn't Trust the Data. The New Application Doesn't Have New Data.
Sep 1MDMA Therapy's Second Shot at FDA Approval Skips the One Thing That Sank It Last Time
Aug 25
Biology
Acute autonomic effects, serotonin syndrome risk in combos, ibogaine cardiac risk (QT prolongation — real, requires screening), HPPD rare but possible.
Psychology
"mystical experience" correlating with therapeutic outcome (Griffiths et al.); challenging experiences and how they're handled in set/setting.
Policy
Mostly Schedule I; Oregon Measure 109, Colorado Prop 122, FDA breakthrough designations; MDMA 2024 rejection; state-level initiatives for decrim/regulated access.
Trends
Psychedelic clinic growth (often off-label ketamine), "microdosing" research (mostly null), ayahuasca tourism.
Treatment
Psilocybin+therapy for AUD (NYU + Hopkins RCTs); ibogaine for OUD (Stanford case series, Kentucky state research); MDMA-AT for PTSD (post-2024 setback, new trials).
Harm Reduction
Set/setting, integration, contraindications (SSRIs, heart conditions, family psychosis history for classical psychedelics), test kits.
Washington Is Sprinting to Approve Psychedelics. It Left the VA at the Starting Line.
Sep 16The FDA Wants to Talk About Psilocybin's Future. It Won't Touch Who's Using It Right Now.
Sep 14People Who Drink and Occasionally Use Psilocybin Score Lower on Depression Scales. Don't Call It a Treatment Yet.
Aug 7