Sir Patrick Vallance said more extensive testing is needed on the use of ecstasy and LSD to combat depression.
A former chief scientific adviser to the government, made famous during the pandemic, claimed there was “anecdotal” evidence to suggest that psychedelics work.
But Sir Patrick, who resigned last month, said it was “really shocking” how few patients were enrolled in clinical trials.
Speaking at the Hay Festival, he answered an audience member who asked whether taking psychedelic drugs would help his 107-year-old grandmother, who has been suffering from depression for seven years.
“I don’t think grandma should be given an ecstasy tablet,” replied Sir Patrick. “But I think this is a very important point. We need to test these things properly.”
Sir Patrick Vallance (pictured), who became a celebrity during the COVID-19 pandemic when he appeared next to Boris Johnson and Sir Chris Whitty during a tense Downing Street press conference, said his 107-year-old grandmother had taken psychedelic drugs. was responding to an audience member who asked if taking
Dame Kate Bingham (pictured), former chairman of the UK’s Vaccine Task Force, also spoke with Sir Patrick at the event. “From a regulatory perspective, it is difficult to resolve how psychedelic drugs can be regulated so that they can be safely administered to people over the age of 85 and young people with serious conditions. I think so,” she said. . But she added: “I think this is a really exciting area.”
The mind-altering properties of hallucinogens and party drugs have been known for centuries. However, ecstasy is now included in Schedule 1 of the Substance Abuse Act, along with drugs such as LSD.This means it cannot be legally possessed or prescribed and requires a Home Office license to use in research.
“One of the things that’s really shocking is how few people are in clinical trials.”
He told an audience at a Welsh literary festival: “Most of the time we don’t know what we’re doing. Why don’t we get more people into clinical trials and try to figure it out?”
The mind-altering properties of hallucinogens and party drugs have been known for centuries.
But psychiatrists say there is growing evidence that similar trip-inducing effects could revolutionize mental health treatments.
Mental health charities and psychiatrists sent a letter to the government earlier this month calling for legal changes to psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms.
Activists hope it will be easier to use for the NHS and medical research.
A Home Office license is required for research use.
Recreational use remains illegal, and British citizens found in possession of class A drugs face up to seven years in prison.
Ecstasy and LSD are also under the strictest controls.
Sir Patrick said at the festival: Some of it is pretty anecdotal.
“Why don’t we stop talking anecdotally and try to actually solve it properly?”
“The healthcare system can focus more on asking questions, testing things properly, and getting answers as quickly as possible.”
Sir Patrick, who rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic after appearing next to Boris Johnson and Sir Chris Whitty during a tense Downing Street press conference, was the former chairman of the UK’s Vaccine Task Force at a panel event. Lectured with Dame Kate Bingham.
Dame Kate also told the audience: “We now have strong data showing that different interventions can affect depression and mental health.”
She added, “Treatment-resistant depression is a very important mental health challenge.
“From a regulatory perspective, I think it’s a tough one to solve. How can we regulate the safe administration of psychedelic drugs to people over the age of 85 and young people who are very ill?” Is it okay?”
As for psychedelics, however, Dame Kate added, “I think this is a really exciting area.”
The latest NHS data show that prescriptions for antidepressants among teens in the UK increased by a quarter in 2020 compared to 2016.The biggest increases were at ages 13 and 19, when prescription rates rose by about a third
Antidepressant prescription rates have also surged by about 40% among young people, who often leave home to start work for the first time.
The main treatments for anxiety and depression in the UK include counseling and talking therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Medication is also provided. His prescriptions for antidepressants such as Prozac, Dispine, Molypaxin, and Cipramil have more than doubled over the past decade.
About 22 million antidepressant prescriptions were prescribed to an estimated 6.6 million patients between October and December 2022, according to NHS data.
Researchers say the development of new treatment options in recent decades has been disappointing.
Psilocybin is touted as a promising treatment. Experts believe a synthetic version could even be introduced in the NHS to treat depression within the next decade.
Researchers at the University of Oxford tested psilocybin in more than 200 people with treatment-resistant depression, a form of severe depression that does not improve with currently approved drugs and therapies.
Volunteers were counseled and medicated in a one-time, eight-hour “daydream” session in a dedicated room.
Patients who received the highest dose of the drug experienced the greatest reduction in depression severity over the 12-week period. They were most likely to go into remission.
Researchers have now advanced to a Phase 3 trial to test its safety and efficacy in a larger group.
Previous studies have found that the drug may also reduce other mental health problems such as anxiety, anorexia, and addiction.
Scientists believe the therapy works by “opening up” the brains of people with mental health problems, making them more flexible, fluid, and less bogged down by negative thoughts. I believe there is
However, all drug use, recreational or otherwise, can be dangerous and threaten health.
Doctors warn that using ecstasy (MDMA) can cause overheating and dehydration. His high levels of MDMA in pills can also cause fatal side effects, such as cardiac arrest caused by disconnection between the brain, heart and lungs.
According to the latest official figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, there will be 82 deaths in 2021, caused by MDMA and ecstasy, ten times the number of eight recorded in 2010.
