Cannabis And Psychedelics Seen As Effective For Eating Disorders, Study Finds
A new study has found that cannabis and psychedelics are perceived to be the most effective drugs that help alleviate eating disorder symptoms.
A group of researchers from the University of Sydney has conducted a survey on over 6,000 people suffering from eight eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge-eating disorder, and found that most of them rely on cannabis and psychedelics to help alleviate their symptoms.
Published on JAMA Network Open-Psychiatry this week, the study tried to understand which prescription and nonprescription drugs are used by people with eating disorders, and how they are associated with symptoms.
To do so, participants, diagnosed with eating disorders and mainly from English-speaking countries, completed an online survey on recent prescribed and nonprescribed drug use, as well as perceived benefits and harms. Initially, 7,648 respondents were recruited; 6,612 completed demographics, and 5,123 finished the survey.
The findings of the survey showed that overall, the best-rated drugs for eating disorder symptoms among respondents were psilocybin, cannabis, and lysergic acid diethylamide. For example, for respondents with anorexia, cannabis received the highest rating.
When asked to identify their drug of choice for self-medicating eating disorder symptoms, the most popular drug among respondents was cannabis, but when normalized by number of users, fluoxetine, an antidepressant, ranked highest.
Among 6,136 respondents, prescription psychotropics were rated highest for mental health. Psilocybin, LSD, and cannabis also received strong ratings.
'A striking outcome was the favorable self-reported ratings of psychedelics and cannabis for alleviating ED symptoms, eclipsing the ratings of commonly prescribed psychotropics,' the study reads.
Can Cannabis Help Alleviate Eating Disorder Symptoms?
The study also highlighted that daily cannabis users reported perceived benefits for their eating disorder symptoms.
Researchers said that 'there is scant research around the use of cannabinoids in individuals with eating disorders apart from small trials supporting the efficacy of dronabinol, which is synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol, in those with anorexia nervosa.' They also added that cannabis may benefit people with restrictive and food-aversive eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, 'by increasing the hedonic value of food.'
This is in line with previous studies on the effects of cannabis on appetite. A study published last year showed that mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH), a region in the brain that regulates various physiological processes, controls increased appetite following cannabis use.
In contrast, cannabis received poor ratings from people with bulimia and binge-eating disorder, likely because its appetite-stimulating effects can trigger or worsen binge-and-purge behaviors, thereby intensifying the symptoms of the eating disorder.
Psilocybin and LSD were consistently rated highly across all diagnostic groups for their ability to improve eating disorder symptoms, enhance overall mental health, and be well tolerated.
However, the study has several limitations. The survey primarily included participants from high-income, English-speaking countries with internet access. It may have also attracted people with eating disorders who are more inclined toward new ways to treat their eating disorder symptoms or have positive attitudes or prior positive experiences with drugs. Furthermore, diagnoses were based on self-report rather than formal clinical assessment, and comorbid conditions were not evaluated. Additionally, recall bias may have influenced participants' reports of drug use and symptoms.
Therefore, because some findings are based on small sample sizes within specific diagnostic related to eating disorders and drug-use groups, the researchers highlighted that this study's results 'should be interpreted as exploratory rather than definitive.'
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