LSD trial aims to ease End-of-Life distress
NCT ID NCT05883540
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether low or moderate doses of LSD can reduce anxiety, pain, and depression in people with advanced or terminal illnesses. Sixty participants will receive either two moderate doses or two very low (placebo-like) doses of LSD in a double-blind setup. The goal is to see if LSD can improve psychological well-being and quality of life during palliative care.
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 it works, this could offer a new way to reduce anxiety and improve quality of life for people with terminal illnesses.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 60 participants. The effects may be modest or not better than placebo, and LSD can cause psychological distress in some people.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Expected to finish
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May 2028
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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22 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.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≥ 22 years. * Advanced or End-stage fatal disease of any cause with a life expectancy ≥ 12 weeks and ≤ 2 years * Sufficient understanding of the study procedures and risks associated with the study. * Participants must be willing to adhere to the study procedures and sign the consent form. * Participants must be willing not to drive a traffic vehicle or to operate machines within 24 h after LSD administration. * Participants must complete an actual "Emergency Medical Directive" * Participants with central nervous system (CNS) involvement of cancer are eligible if the following apply: * treated and stable CNS lesion(s) OR untreated but asymptomatic/stable lesions, defined as clinically and/or radiologically stable for ≥ 4 weeks before screening * no seizures within ≥ 4 weeks; if on antiepileptic medication: stable dose ≥ 4 weeks and no relevant drug-drug interactions expected * no requirement for high-dose corticosteroids, defined as ≤10 mg prednisone equivalent per day on a stable or decreasing dose * no leptomeningeal metastases * no concomitant therapeutic anticoagulation Exclusion Criteria: * Life expectancy \< 12 weeks * Known hypersensitivity to LSD * Requiring ongoing concomitant therapy with a psychoactive prescription drug which might interfere with the study drug, and unable or unwilling to comply with the washout period. * Current use of a potent drug CYP2D6 inhibitor * Women who are pregnant or nursing or intend to become pregnant during the course of the study. * Somatic disorders including CNS involvement of cancer, untreated epilepsy with a history of generalized grand-mal seizures, history of delirium, end-stage heart failure (NYHA IV), untreated hypertension or insufficiently treated hypertension, angina pectoris, severe liver disease or severely impaired renal function, or other that in the judgement of the investigators pose too great potential for side effects. * Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g., due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant. * Participation in another study with an investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study * concomitant diagnosis of past or present psychotic disorder, first-degree relative with psychotic disorders * concomitant diagnosis of past or present bipolar disorder * current delirium * substance use disorder (within the last 2 months, except nicotine, opioids used for analgesia, and benzodiazepine treatment for anxiety). * Weight \< 45 kg * Suicidal ideation with active intent or plan to act on suicidal thoughts as assessed by the treating investigator. * CNS involvement of cancer if * CNS disease is unstable or high-risk, including clinically and/or radiologically progressive lesions, signs of raised intracranial pressure, radiologically uncontrolled edema, need for escalating corticosteroid doses, or any neurological condition judged to pose too excessive risk. * CNS-directed therapy (surgery and/or radiation) within ≤ 4 weeks
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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
4 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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Spital Uster AG, Division of Internal Medicine
RECRUITINGUster, 8610, Switzerland
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University Hospital Basel, Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology
RECRUITINGBasel, 4031, Switzerland
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University Hospital Geneva, Palliative medicine department
RECRUITINGCollonge-Bellerive, 1245, Switzerland
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University Hospital Zurich, Clinic for Radio-Oncology, Competence Centre Palliative Care
RECRUITINGZurich, Switzerland
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