Alice Huxley travelled all her
life as a commercial pilot. When terminal bowel cancer
left her bedridden, she nose-dived into a severe depression
and seemed destined to end her days in the depths of despair.
Fortunately, modern medicine is
rarely prepared to accept what 'destiny' throws its
way. A team of researchers at Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre
in Torrance, CA are asking a pretty radical question
about the treatment of palliative cancer patients: Should
doctors prescribe hallucinogens so patients like Alice
can go on one last trip before they die?
To get to the bottom of this controversial
subject, the team has begun an FDA-approved study into
the effects of psilocybin, a psychoactive chemical found
in 'magic mushrooms,' on reducing the anxiety of terminal
cancer patients. When the drug takes effect, it can
help patients to dissociate mind and body, alleviating
the anxiety of physical illness.
HALLUCINOGENIC
HISTORY
Psilocybin is similar in structure and effect to lysergic
acid diethylamide (LSD), whose research use dates back
well before the flower children got hold of it. In the
40s LSD was marketed as a psychiatric cure-all. In the
60s researchers also experimented with cancer patients
with good results — those who dropped acid reported
lower anxiety, reduced pain, less fear of death and
better moods.
"I was aware of the research done
in this area dating back 35 or 40 years," says Dr Charles
Grob, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Harbor-UCLA
and lead scientist on the team. "Although it used relatively
simplistic methodologies compared to what we'd use today,
it indicated that there might be promise in using this
model with a patient population."
DAY-TRIPPER
POTENTIAL
University of Toronto neuroscientist Dr Jeffrey Henderson
agrees that there's potential in this renewed area of
research. Because LSD and psilocybin are chemically
similar to serotonin, he explains, they affect the same
chemical systems targeted by many antidepressants. "It's
not a huge reach that using these drugs to get in there
and interfere with the natural serotonin system in the
brain might break that cycle of events that lead to
depression," he says.
But Dr Henderson is quick to emphasize
that psychedelic drugs can exacerbate underlying mental
conditions. LSD research came to a virtual halt by the
mid-70s because of concerns about unpredictable side
effects. The UCLA team has learned from the past and
carefully screens its participants. Trained staff are
on hand to calm patients in the event of a 'bad trip,'
administering a low dose of a benzodiazepine if necessary.
Another possible limitation of
the study is measuring whether patients' moods have
improved or not. "You can have endpoints that are a
bit touchy-feely, and it can be very difficult to interpret
the results," says Dr Henderson. Dr Grob agrees, but
notes it's not impossible to detect reduced anxiety
in terminal patients. "When you're faced with a life-threatening
condition, anxiety often looms very large," he says.
|
