A psychedelic compound from toad venom is the latest promising treatment for anxiety and depression, a new study reveals.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say that the 'mystical experience' of the compound, called 5-MeO-DMT, may actually be a quick-acting way to reduce the symptoms of crippling mental health problems.
In the last several years, scientists have been increasingly focusing on psychedelics like psilocybin and ketamine as potential treatments for anxiety, depression and PTSD because the drugs require only short sessions to work.
And 5-MeO-DMT is the latest experimental drug to be investigated as a possible therapy for people who don't respond to more traditional treatments.
The venom of the homely Colorado River Toad (pictured) contains 5-MeO-DMT, a psychedelic compound that reduced anxiety and depression symptoms for 80 percent of those who tried it
For decades, psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD, ketamine and DMT have been used recreationally by people searching for meaning and mystical experiences.
But now scientists think that hippies and club kids might be onto something - if the drugs are used properly, in controlled settings and in conjunction with talk therapy.
One of the issues facing people struggling with mental illness is that relief is never never instantaneous.
Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are proven to work - best when they're taken in tandem with therapy - but it can take weeks, even months, for their effects to set in.
And nearly half of depressed patients (45 percent) are 'treatment resistant,' meaning that the drugs don't work.
The standard recommendation for next-steps is to up the dosage, add on more drugs or try a different drug.
That means starting the waiting game over, or risking broader-sweeping effects. Many patients wind up in a seemingly endless cycle of trial-and-error treatment with little to no relief.
Psychedelics have a different pharmacology from pharmaceutical drugs like selective serotonin reuptake
