Could LSD help curb heavy drinking? new trial investigates
NCT ID NCT05474989
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether moderate to high doses of LSD can reduce heavy drinking in people with alcohol use disorder. 128 participants who have recently detoxified will receive either LSD or a low-dose placebo, along with therapy. The study tracks drinking behavior and brain changes over 30 weeks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a new treatment option to help people with alcohol use disorder reduce heavy drinking.
- What could go wrong
- This is a mid-stage trial with only 128 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. LSD can cause intense psychological effects, and the study is still recruiting.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 128 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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25 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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.
Key inclusion criteria: * Age ≥ 25 years * Participants must meet the DSM-5 criteria for a moderate to severe alcohol use disorder and must intend to stop or decrease their drinking for at least the duration of the study * Participants must have underwent an alcohol detoxification within the 60 days prior to screening or, in cases where no detoxification is necessary, must have been abstinent for at least 14 days. * A minimum of 4 HDD within the last 30 days before detoxification or cessation of alcohol use (a HDD is defined as 5 or more standard drinks per day for a man and 4 drinks for a woman; a standard drink is defined as 12 g of alcohol) Key exclusion criteria: * Significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms at screening * Participating or starting in any formal treatment for AUD from visit 1 until completion of the double-blind phase * Treatment with disulfiram during the study * Past or present diagnosis of a DSM-5 psychotic or bipolar disorder in subjects or first-degree relatives * Current suicidality or history of a serious suicide attempt
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Basel
RECRUITINGBasel, Switzerland
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University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Bern
RECRUITINGBern, Switzerland
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a bike ride curb drinking and heal the liver?
- Can just seeing and smelling a drink trigger alcohol cravings?
- Can a diabetes drug curb alcohol cravings?
- Can a psychedelic compound help veterans and first responders with PTSD and alcohol use disorder?