Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jul 1:272:112699.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2025.112699. Epub 2025 May 8.

Exploring psychedelic experiences among people who regularly use methamphetamine: Findings from an international survey

Dilara Bahceci  1 , Krista Siefried  2 , Maureen Steele  3 , Mary Harrod  4 , Georgina Bell  5 , Monica J Barratt  6 , Christopher R Nicholas  7 , Anthony Rodgers  8 , Peter S Hendricks  9 , Christopher S Stauffer  10 , Paul Liknaitzky  11 , Jonathan Brett  12
Affiliations

Exploring psychedelic experiences among people who regularly use methamphetamine: Findings from an international survey

Dilara Bahceci et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Objective: Methamphetamine use disorder, associated with significant morbidity and mortality, has limited effective treatments. Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy shows promise, but data on its safety and efficacy in this population are limited. This exploratory study describes the demographic, substance use, and mental health characteristics of people who used methamphetamine and psychedelics and the context and outcomes of their psychedelic experiences.

Methods: A retrospective survey collected data on demographics, substance use patterns, mental health, and psychedelic use. Binomial logistic regression explored associations of post-psychedelic positive mood and social functioning ('increased'/'not increased') and substance use ('reduced'/'not reduced') with demographics, psychosocial factors, mental health, substance use patterns, and psychedelic use context.

Results: Among 268 participants, 48.5 % had a diagnosed mental illness, 45.1 % were at risk of suicide, 61.2 % reported psychotic symptoms, 45.1 % had high-risk methamphetamine use, and 82.1 % had taken substances other than methamphetamine and psychedelics. Most psychedelic experiences were unplanned (52.6 %), recreationally motivated (73 %), and combined with other drugs (52.6 %). Post-experience, participants reported improved mood (59.3 %) and social functioning (49.6 %), and reduced use of methamphetamine (34.0 %) and other substances (35.1 %). Forward planning and less challenging experiences were linked to improved mood (aOR 1.84, p = 0.048; aOR 2.21, p = 0.012) and reduced substance use (aOR 2.27, p = 0.008; aOR 3.58, p < 0.001).

Discussion: Psychedelic use among people who use methamphetamine may improve mood and social function, and reduce substance use. The complex findings highlight the potential importance of psychosocial and environmental factors ("set and setting") in determining outcomes, underscoring the need for controlled clinical trials and tailored harm reduction strategies.

Keywords: Addiction; Hallucinogens; Methamphetamine; Polysubstance; Psychedelics; Substance use disorder.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships, which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jonathan Brett reports financial support was provided by National Health and Medical Research Council. Dilara Bahceci reports a relationship with Psylo that includes: employment. Monica J. Barratt reports a relationship with Bluelight.org that includes: board membership. Paul Liknaitzky reports a relationship with Incannex Healthcare Ltd that includes: board membership and funding grants. Paul Liknaitzky reports a relationship with Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies that includes: funding grants. Paul Liknaitzky reports a relationship with Beckley Psytech that includes: funding grants. Paul Liknaitzky reports a relationship with The MIND Foundation that includes: board membership. Paul Liknaitzky reports a relationship with Clarion Clinics that includes: board membership. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Eleusis Benefit Corporation that includes: consulting or advisory. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Reset Pharmaceuticals Inc. that includes: consulting or advisory. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Silo Pharma that includes: consulting or advisory. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Bright Minds Biosciences Ltd that includes: consulting or advisory. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Journey Colab Corporation that includes: consulting or advisory. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Equulus Therapeutics that includes: board membership. Peter S. Hendricks reports a relationship with Mycelial Health that includes: board membership. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

LinkOut - more resources