Safety and Efficacy of Repeated Low-Dose LSD for ADHD Treatment in Adults

Summary & key facts

This was a 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that tested low-dose LSD (20 μg) given twice weekly in 53 adults with moderate to severe ADHD. Both the LSD group and the placebo group showed similar symptom reductions by week 6 (LSD mean change on the ADHD rating scale −7.1 points; placebo −8.9 points), so LSD did not reduce ADHD symptoms more than placebo. The authors reported the treatment was physically safe and psychologically well tolerated in this outpatient study.

Key facts:

• Trial design: A 6-week, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05200936).
• Participants: 53 adults were randomized (27 to LSD, 26 to placebo); mean age 37 years (SD 12); 22 participants (42%) were female.
• Eligibility: Adults 18–65 with a prior ADHD diagnosis and moderate to severe symptoms, defined as AISRS score ≥26 and Clinical Global Impression Severity score ≥4. (AISRS is an investigator-rated ADHD symptom scale.)
• Dose and schedule: Participants received 20 μg of LSD or placebo twice weekly for 6 weeks (12 doses total).
• Primary outcome and results: Change in ADHD symptoms from baseline to week 6 measured by AISRS. Mean AISRS change was −7.1 points for LSD (95% CI, −10.1 to −4.0) and −8.9 points for placebo (95% CI, −12.0 to −5.8). There was no difference b
• Safety: The study reports that repeated low-dose LSD was physically safe and psychologically well tolerated overall in the outpatient setting.
• Authors’ conclusion: The investigators concluded that low-dose LSD was not more efficacious than placebo for reducing ADHD symptoms in this trial and noted the findings call into question anecdotal microdosing practices.
• Funding and oversight: The study was financed and legally sponsored by Mind Medicine, which supervised the study and provided data; the authors stated Mind Medicine had no role in the data analysis or writing of the manuscript.

Abstract

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05200936.

Topics

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Alternative medicine Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Clinical Global Impression Clinical trial Developmental psychology Internal medicine Mathematics Medicine Pathology Placebo Psychiatry Psychology Randomized controlled trial Rating scale Repeated measures design Statistics