Scientists Create Trip-Free , LSD-Based Drugs to Potentially , Treat Anxiety and Depression. While psychedelics like magic mushrooms or LSD can act as powerful antidepressants, they can also cause vivid hallucinations that limit their use. While psychedelics like magic mushrooms or LSD can act as powerful antidepressants, they can also cause vivid hallucinations that limit their use. NPR reports that scientists have synthesized a new drug based on LSD that can relieve anxiety and depression without the mind-bending side effects. We found our compounds had essentially the same antidepressant activity as psychedelic drugs, Dr. Bryan Roth, study author and a professor of pharmacology at UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, via NPR. NPR reports that the discovery could lead to faster-acting medications for anxiety that have fewer side effects and last longer. NPR reports that the discovery could lead to faster-acting medications for anxiety that have fewer side effects and last longer. A large team of scientists focused on molecules that impact the brain's serotonin system, which plays a huge role in regulating moods. Ultimately, the team selected two molecules that were "extremely effective" at relieving depression in mice. NPR reports that the team still needs to refine the new molecules before they can be tested on people. If the approach proves successful in humans, it would help overcome a major obstacle for using psychedelics to treat depression. According to David E. Olson, a chemical neuroscientist at the University of California, drugs based on psychedelics , "take us a step closer to a cure, rather than simply treating disease symptoms." . According to David E. Olson, a chemical neuroscientist at the University of California, drugs based on psychedelics , "take us a step closer to a cure, rather than simply treating disease symptoms." . The team's findings were published in the journal 'Nature.'
