Psilocybin-Assisted vs Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder

This pilot study will collect preliminary data that measures the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy vs ketamine-assisted psychotherapy on patients struggling with alcohol use.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Alcohol Use Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Psilocybin; Drug: Ketamine

Detailed Description

This pilot study will be a double blind, randomized, active-comparator controlled trial with two study arms. Subjects randomized to Arm 1 (n=10) will receive individual psychotherapy sessions plus a 25mg dose of psilocybin, while Arm 2 subjects (n=10) will receive individual psychotherapy sessions and a 200mg dose of ketamine. Psychotherapy sessions will involve integrative psychotherapy modalities.

At baseline, subjects will be consented, randomized into one of the two arms, complete psychiatric and medical evaluations, and will undergo an MRI scan. The first two therapy sessions (week 1 and week 2) will be used to learn about the participant's life story, engage the patient, and evoke their reasons for wanting to change their pattern of alcohol use. At week 3, participants will undergo a psilocybin-assisted therapy session or a ketamine-assisted therapy session. The last 2 psychotherapy sessions will be focused on integration of their experiences in the drug administration session and will include a second MRI scan and more assessments. Therefore, each arm receives 4 psychotherapy sessions, and the primary difference between the groups is which drug participants receive. After the psychotherapy sessions are completed at the end of week 4, subjects will be followed weekly for 4 weeks. At the last follow-up (week 8), they will undergo a third MRI scan and a final assessment. At the conclusion of the study, those randomized to the ketamine group will be offered a psilocybin-assisted therapy session, and two follow-up/integration sessions in an open-label extension. The open-label extension will also include an additional 4 weeks of follow-up.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 20
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Iowa
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 25 years to 50 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 25-65 years old
• Male
• English fluency
• Meets criteria for DSM-V moderate or severe AUD.
• Have at least 4 heavy drinking days (5 or more standard drinks in a day) in the past 30 days.
• No history of a of cerebrovascular accident, asthma, or significant alcohol withdrawal history
• No seizure disorder, coronary artery disease, heart failure, uncontrolled hypertension, insulin-dependent diabetes
• No current substance use disorder other than AUD
• Negative drug screen (other than THC) on drug administration day
• No prescription medications classified as UGT1A9 inhibitors, UGT1A10 inhibitors, aldehyde or alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitors.
• At least a high-school level of education or equivalent (e.g. GED).
• Lived at current residence for at least 3 months.
• Family member/friend for pick-up, overnight post-drug session monitoring.
• No hallucinogen or ketamine use in past 1 year
• No self-reported, personal, or familial history of specific psychotic disorders/episodes as subjects who take psilocybin may experience a worsening and/or persistent psychotic state. Therefore, these subjects are excluded due to an abundance of caution since even a family history may create a vulnerability to psychosis.
• No serious traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the past 2 years.
• No known allergies to rescue medication (diazepam)
• Weight between 110 and 330 lbs

Exclusion Criteria:

• Drug/medication assessment that yields: nonprescription medication use, nutritional supplement, or herbal supplement (except when approved by the study investigators), medically unstable, current medication use that has significant potential to interact with study drug (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, psychostimulants, treatments for addictions, other dopaminergic or serotonergic agents, lithium, anticonvulsants, or benzodiazepines).
• Psychiatric assessment that yields:1) history of severe suicide attempt, 2) current suicidality 3) first degree relative with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 4) comorbid substance use including cocaine, psychostimulant, or opioid use disorder within past 12 months and/or any use within past 30 days, 5) history of co-occurring psychotic episode/diagnosis including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform, substance-induced psychosis, delusional disorder, or psychosis not otherwise specified, 6) high risk of adverse emotional or behavioral reaction based on the medical monitor's clinical evaluation that may also yield evidence of serious current stressors, a lack of meaningful social support, antisocial behavior, and/or serious personality disorders amongst other conditions.
• Medical assessment that yields: serious ECG abnormalities (evidence of ischemia, myocardial infarction, QTc prolongation [QTc > .045]), serious abnormalities of complete blood count or chemistries, medical conditions that would preclude safe participation (significantly impaired liver function).
• MRI contraindication (pacemaker, etc.)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psilocybin Group (Arm 1)	Drug: Psilocybin; 1 oral dose
Active Comparator: Ketamine Group (Arm 2)	Drug: Ketamine; 1 oral dose

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Timeline Follow-Back for Alcohol to assess change	quantifies daily alcohol use	weekly, over the course of 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
T1rho	Measures biological changes in the brain	three times (before intervention, immediately after intervention, and 4 weeks-post intervention)
Resting state fMRI	Measures biological changes in the brain	three times (before intervention, immediately after intervention, and 4 weeks-post intervention)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility and acceptability of the protocol	Measure study's rate of attrition by recording the number of participants who withdraw from the study or are discharged from the study before completion	1 year
Feasibility and acceptability of the protocol	Measure frequency and nature of adverse events (AEs) through recording total number of AEs and their severity on a scale of mild to moderate to severe (1-3 scale with 3 being the worst outcome)	1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Peggy C Nopoulos
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Peggy C Nopoulos, MD, University of Iowa

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Johnson M, Richards W, Griffiths R. Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. J Psychopharmacol. 2008 Aug;22(6):603-20. doi: 10.1177/0269881108093587. Epub 2008 Jul 1.
• Bogenschutz MP, Forcehimes AA, Pommy JA, Wilcox CE, Barbosa PC, Strassman RJ. Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study. J Psychopharmacol. 2015 Mar;29(3):289-99. doi: 10.1177/0269881114565144. Epub 2015 Jan 13.
• Davis AK, Barrett FS, May DG, Cosimano MP, Sepeda ND, Johnson MW, Finan PH, Griffiths RR. Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 May 1;78(5):481-489. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3285.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 2, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 12, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 12, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): June 16, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): November 17, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 13, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ketamine; psilocybin
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Substance-Related Disorders; Chemically-Induced Disorders; Alcohol-Related Disorders; Alcoholism; Organic Chemicals; Heterocyclic Compounds; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Hydrocarbons; Cyclohexanes; Cycloparaffins; Hydrocarbons, Alicyclic; Hydrocarbons, Cyclic; Alkaloids; Indoles; Indole Alkaloids; Indolizidines; Indolizines; Tryptamines; Ketamine; Psilocybin
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202205036

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No