By
- Patrick Darrington | pdarrington@al.com
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that sites in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa will be part of a clinical trial to determine if psilocybin is an effective, safe method to treat depression in veterans
The trial comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April to accelerate the review and testing of certain psychedelic drugs as potential treatments for mental health conditions
Dubbed Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression or PIVOT, the trial will involve safely testing veterans with certain mental health issues, according to a press release from the Department of Veterans Affairs
Five locations across the country will participate in the trial including the two in Alabama – Birmingham VA Health Care System and Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center
Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound that comes from numerous species of mushrooms or “magic mushrooms.”
Despite the trial, psilocybin is illegal to individually possess under federal law as it is deemed a Schedule 1 controlled substance
“The randomized, controlled trial will enroll Veterans diagnosed with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, with or without concurrent PTSD, and will compare outcomes between two dosages of psilocybin,” the Department of Veterans Affairs said
“The study will measure effectiveness by comparing participants’ levels of depression before treatment and after treatment. It will also assess PTSD symptom severity, tolerability of side effects, and overall patient-reported depression.”
The agency said veterans are discouraged from self-medicating with psychedelics or different un-tested methods when VA facilities offer evidence-based treatment option
Birmingham VA Health Care System Executive Director/CEO, Dr. Ladi Kukoyi, said the facility was committed to the PIVOT trial and pursuing new evidence based methods of helping veterans
“By participating in this trial, our facility is helping advance innovative research into new treatment options that may offer meaningful relief for Veterans, both here in central and northern Alabama and across the country.”
