Summary
In this podcast episode, host Peter Etia interviews David Nutt, a professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. Nutt discusses his fascination with the brain and how he became interested in psychiatry. He shares a memorable experience with a patient who had olfactory hallucinations due to temporal lobe disorders. Nutt also talks about the use of drugs to study the brain and the development of his interest in the neuropharmacology of regulated substances.
The podcast discusses the history of drug policy and the framework for evaluating drug harm. The speaker explains that every British drug law until 2016 was made at the behest of the Americans, who defined drug policy starting in 1934 with the attack on the liberalization of drinking and the attack on cannabis. The framework for evaluating drug harm includes parameters such as how harmful and addictive a drug is, as well as the harm to the individual and society.
The speaker argues that the drugs that have been most vilified, such as LSD, psilocybin, and MDMA, are actually the least harmful. The top three drugs in terms of harm to the individual are opioids, followed by cocaine derivatives, and then amphetamine derivatives. The speaker also discusses the opioid crisis in America, which was caused by an excessive rollout of strong morphine derivative painkillers, followed by their dispersion into society and the subsequent reaction to stop prescribing them.
In this podcast episode, the host and guest discuss the use of psychedelics in treating addiction. They discuss the potential benefits of using ibogaine or other psychedelics to disrupt persistent patterns of over attention and enhanced love for drugs. The guest explains that the default mode network in the brain is responsible for coordinating access to good and bad memories, drug use, and resisting drug use.
The conversation then moves on to discuss MDMA, its history, and its potential therapeutic benefits, particularly in treating PTSD. The use of ketamine in treating depression is also discussed, with a focus on its short-term effects and the development of a nasal inhalation treatment called S-ketamine. The speaker recommends avoiding daily use and limiting usage to twice a week.
The speaker discusses a study on psilocybin and its potential use as an anti-depressant without the negative side effects of traditional anti-depressants. They highlight the importance of exploring this further and note that the study shows psilocybin to be as effective as Lexapro but with better outcomes for sexual dysfunction and other issues. The speaker also discusses the potential for micro-dosing psilocybin and notes the lack of controlled studies in this area due to legal restrictions. They believe that depression will be the first area to see progress in psilocybin research and note a current multi-center study by Compass Pathways. The speaker also discusses the economic incentives and intellectual property issues surrounding psilocybin research.
