ABSTRACT
Objectives: Ayahuasca (AYA), a natural psychedelic brew prepared from Amazonian plants and rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine, causes effects of subjective well-being and may therefore have antidepressant actions. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a single dose of AYA in six volunteers with a current depressive episode. Methods: Open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit. Results: Statistically significant reductions of up to 82% in depressive scores were observed between baseline and 1, 7, and 21 days after AYA administration, as measured on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Anxious-Depression subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). AYA administration resulted in nonsignificant changes in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and in the thinking disorder subscale of the BPRS, suggesting that AYA does not induce episodes of mania and/or hypomania in patients with mood disorders and that modifications in thought content, which could indicate psychedelic effects, are not essential for mood improvement. Conclusions: These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder. .
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Banisteriopsis/chemistry , Depressive Disorder/drug therapy , Hallucinogens/therapeutic use , Phytotherapy , Analysis of Variance , Anti-Anxiety Agents/therapeutic use , Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale , Harmine/therapeutic use , N,N-Dimethyltryptamine/therapeutic use , Severity of Illness Index , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Os autores descrevem as principais comorbidades em pacientes com transtorno bipolar e suas implicações no diagnóstico e tratamento. A presença de comorbidades dificulta o diagnóstico e o manejo clínico do paciente e está associada à pior resposta ao tratamento. Dada a grande freqüência da comorbidade de transtorno bipolar com transtornos de ansiedade, é obrigatória sua pesquisa em pacientes bipolares. O tratamento do paciente bipolar com comorbidade quase sempre envolve a utilização de um estabilizador do humor. Com base nos dados de literatura não é possível dizer que um seja melhor que outro em pacientes com transtorno bipolar e comorbidade com outro transtorno. Quando se faz necessário o uso de antidepressivos há cuidados e riscos que devem ser lembrados. Os benzodiazepínicos podem ser úteis como coadjuvantes na farmacoterapia desses pacientes.