Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Pilot Proof of Concept Study Evaluating the Potential Psilocybin Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) as a Therapeutic Tool for Patients Suffering From Severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This study will serve as a pilot randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Patients with severe IBS will undergo 3 pre-psychotherapy sessions with two licensed and trained psychedelic therapists, then will be randomized to undergo a guided psychotherapy session with single 25 mg oral "high" dose of psilocybin or a single 100 mg dose of niacin (active placebo) and attend 4 post-therapy integration sessions.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Psilocybin 25 mg; Behavioral: Psychotherapy Treatment Session; Drug: Niacin 100 mg

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 10
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Maysaa El Zoghbi; Phone Number: 216-835-7626; Email: Maysaa.ElZoghbi@nyulangone.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Aasma Shaukat; Phone Number: 646-501-2906; Email: Aasma.shaukat@nyulangone.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10016
      • NYU Langone Health

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Severe IBS patients meeting Rome IV criteria. Severe IBS is defined by IBS-SS >300, or one or more emergency room (ER) visit for abdominal pain in the last year.
• Experiencing persistent IBS symptoms despite pharmacologic therapy
• Have an identified support person
• Agree to be accompanied home (or to an otherwise safe destination) by the support person, or another responsible party, following dosing
• Participants of childbearing potential must agree to practice an effective means of birth control throughout the duration of the study.
• Participants must agree to send outside medical records in order for the study team to verify eligibility.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unstable medical conditions or serious abnormalities on complete blood count, chemistries, or ECG that in the opinion of the study physician would preclude safe participation in the trial. Some examples include:

  • Congestive heart failure
  • Clinically significant arrhythmias (e.g.,
  • Ventricular fibrillation, torsades) or clinically significant ECG abnormality (i.e., corrected QT interval > 450)
  • Recent acute myocardial infarction or
  • Evidence of ischemia (in the last year)
  • Malignant hypertension
  • Congenital long QT syndrome
  • History of valvular heart disease
  • Acute renal failure
  • Moderate to Severe hepatic impairment (Child Pugh class B and C).
  • Respiratory failure
  • Recent stroke (< 1 year from signing of consent)
  • Laboratory tests abnormalities (ALT ≥ 2X upper limit of normal (ULN), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≥ 2X ULN, Hemoglobin<11.5, platelets <150, White Blood Cells (WBC)>10, Sodium>150, Potassium K<3.5 or K>5.2)
  • Abnormal and clinically significant results on the physical examination (BP>139/89 mmHG), heart rate (HR)>90bpm,
  • History of Pulmonary hypertension

• Significant central nervous system (CNS) pathology. Examples include:

  • Primary or secondary cerebral neoplasm
  • Epilepsy
  • History of stroke
  • Cerebral aneurysm
  • Dementia
  • Delirium

• Primary psychotic or affective psychotic disorders. Examples include current or past DSM-5 criteria for:

  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
  • Schizoaffective disorder
  • Bipolar I or II disorder with psychotic features
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Substance induced psychotic disorders
  • Paranoid personality disorder
  • Delusional disorder
  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Any other psychotic illness

• Family history of psychotic or serious bipolar spectrum illnesses. Examples include first-degree relative with:

  • Schizophrenia spectrum disorders
  • Schizoaffective disorder
  • Bipolar I disorder with psychotic features
  • Any other psychotic illness

• High risk of adverse emotional or behavioral reaction based on investigator's clinical evaluation. Examples include:

  • Agitation
  • Violent behavior
• Active substance use disorders (SUDs) defined as Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for moderate or severe alcohol or drug use disorder (excluding caffeine and nicotine) within the past year

• Clinically significant suicidality or high risk of completed suicide defined as:

  • 'Yes' to C-SSRS Suicidal Ideation items 4 or 5 within the last 2 months at Screening or 'since last visit' at Baseline
  • Any C-SSRS Suicidal Behavior item within the past 12 months at Screening or 'since last visit' at Baseline, as defined by 'Yes' to any of the following on the C-SSRS: actual attempt, interrupted attempt, aborted attempt, or preparatory acts
  • Have any suicidal ideation or thoughts, in the opinion of the study physician or PI, that presents a serious risk of suicidal or self-injurious behavior
• History of hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD)
• Pregnancy/lactation
• Cognitive impairment as defined by: Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test (MoCA) < 23

• Concurrent Medications

  • Antidepressants
  • Centrally-acting serotonergic agents (e.g., monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs))
  • Antipsychotics (e.g., first and second generation)
  • Mood stabilizers (e.g., lithium, valproic acid)
  • Aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibitors (e.g., disulfiram)
  • Significant inhibitors of UGT 1A0 or UGT 1A10
  • Niacin
• Subjects should not also be taking serotonin-acting dietary supplements (such as 5-hydroxy-tryptophan or St. John's wort)
• Have a positive urine drug test including Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Buprenorphine, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), Methadone, Opiates (Morphine, Oxycodone), Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Have a psychiatric condition judged to be incompatible with establishment of rapport with the study therapists or safe exposure to psilocybin
• Have any psychological or physical symptom, medication or other relevant finding prior to randomization, based on the clinical judgment of the PI or relevant clinical study staff that would make a participant unsuitable for the study.
• Have an allergy or intolerance to either psilocybin on Niacin
• Be enrolled in another clinical trial assessing intervention(s) for anxiety, depression, and/or existential distress (e.g., pharmacologic or psychotherapeutic interventions)
• Are unable to provide external medical records or refuse to provide external medical records.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention: Psilocybin; Participants assigned to the intervention arm will receive psilocybin.	Drug: Psilocybin 25 mg; Psilocybin 25 mg (active treatment) administered during the psychotherapy treatment session.; Behavioral: Psychotherapy Treatment Session; The psychotherapy treatment sessions will be conducted by two therapists, who will be both present for all the sessions during three phases of treatment: Preparation, Medication Administration, and Integration.
Placebo Comparator: Control: Niacin (Placebo); Participants assigned to the control arm will receive a placebo (niacin).	Behavioral: Psychotherapy Treatment Session; The psychotherapy treatment sessions will be conducted by two therapists, who will be both present for all the sessions during three phases of treatment: Preparation, Medication Administration, and Integration.; Drug: Niacin 100 mg; Niacin 100 mg (placebo) administered during the psychotherapy treatment session.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Abdominal Pain Severity Numeric Rating Scale (APS-NRS) Score	A single-item assessment of abdominal pain severity in patients with IBS. Patients rate their pain severity on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). The total score ranges from 0-10; lower scores indicate less severe pain.	Baseline, Week 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) Score	The IBS-SSS asks five questions about the severity of IBS symptoms over the past 10 days: abdominal pain, abdominal distention, bowel habits, and quality of life. Each question is rated on a 100-point scale. The total score is the sum of responses and ranges from 0-500; lower scores indicate less severe symptoms, where 75-175 = mild; 175-300 = moderate; and greater than 300 = severe.	Baseline, Week 6
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: Anxiety Score	The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale asks 14 questions related to anxiety and depression. The Anxiety subscale comprises 7 questions; each are rated on a scale from 0-3. The total Anxiety score ranges from 0-21; higher scores indicate more severe anxiety.	Baseline, Week 6
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: Depression Score	The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale asks 14 questions related to anxiety and depression. The Depression subscale comprises 7 questions; each are rated on a scale from 0-3. The total Depression score ranges from 0-21; higher scores indicate more severe depression.	Baseline, Week 6
Number of Participants with "Type 3" or "Type 4" Rating on Bristol Stool Form Scale	The Bristol Stool Form Scale rates the consistency of stool on the following scale: Type 1 and 2: May be difficult to pass, may indicate constipation. Type 3 and 4: Ideal stools. Type 5: Trending toward diarrhea. Type 6 and 7: Diarrhea. This measure assesses the number of participants with Type 3 and 4 (ideal) stools.	Baseline
Number of Participants with "Type 3" or "Type 4" Rating on Bristol Stool Form Scale	The Bristol Stool Form Scale rates the consistency of stool on the following scale: Type 1 and 2: May be difficult to pass, may indicate constipation. Type 3 and 4: Ideal stools. Type 5: Trending toward diarrhea. Type 6 and 7: Diarrhea. This measure assesses the number of participants with Type 3 and 4 (ideal) stools.	Month 6

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: NYU Langone Health
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Maysaa El Zoghbi, NYU Langone Health

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 31, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 31, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Intestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Colonic Diseases; Colonic Diseases, Functional; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Pyridines; Heterocyclic Compounds, 1-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds; Heterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring; Heterocyclic Compounds, Fused-Ring; Alkaloids; Indoles; Indole Alkaloids; Indolizidines; Indolizines; Tryptamines; Acids, Heterocyclic; Nicotinic Acids; Psilocybin; Niacin
• Other Study ID Numbers: 24-00001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made available to other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No