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Magic mushroom compound tested to help people quit cocaine

NCT ID NCT02037126

Disease control Sponsor: University of Alabama at Birmingham Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, could help people reduce or stop using cocaine. Forty adults who wanted to quit cocaine were given either psilocybin or a placebo (diphenhydramine, an antihistamine) in a controlled setting. Researchers measured days of cocaine abstinence and brain changes using MRI. The goal was to see if psilocybin-assisted therapy is feasible and worth studying further for cocaine addiction.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
psilocybin (a psychedelic compound)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new treatment approach for cocaine addiction using psilocybin-assisted therapy.
What could go wrong
This is a small Phase 2 trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Psilocybin can cause intense psychological effects and is not yet proven effective for cocaine use.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2

Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.

Participants

40 people

The number who actually took part.

Start date

May 2015

Finished

May 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

25 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 25 years of age and older * Score of at least 3 on the Severity of Dependence Scale * Desire to cease cocaine use as indicated by a goal of complete cocaine abstinence on the Thoughts about Abstinence questionnaire * Ability to read/write in English * No prior hallucinogen use or it will have been at least 3 years since their last use of a hallucinogen * Availability of a friend or family member into whose care the participant can be released following their drug administration session. * In good general health as assessed by detailed medical history and physical examination * Abstinence from cocaine for at least 7 days prior to experimental drug administration as confirmed via urinalysis and no signs of intoxication on other drugs. Exclusion Criteria: * 24 years of age and younger * Women who are pregnant or breast feeding * Current psychiatric diagnoses other than substance abuse/dependence * Current hypertension (exceeding 140 systolic and 90 diastolic at resting as described below) * Use of tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, haloperidol, St. John's Wort, or other antipsychotic medications, mood stabilizers, or medications with serotonin activity * History of any psychotic disorders * History of bipolar I or II disorder * First or second-degree relatives with any psychotic disorders, or bipolar I or II disorders * Current suicidal or homicidal ideation * Planning to move from the Birmingham area in the next 6 months * Contraindications of MRI (metallic objects in the body, claustrophobia, difficulty with prior MRI)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cocaine dependence Cocaine-Related Disorders

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cocaine-related disorders

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • UAB Outpatient Clinical Research Unit

    Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States

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