ReviewTherapeutic advances in psychopharmacology2023
The psychedelic afterglow phenomenon: a systematic review of subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics.
Review in Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA - a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy and Safety of Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression: The EPISODE Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Autonomic nervous system activity correlates with peak experiences induced by DMT and predicts increases in well-being.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024Trial
- High ventilation breathwork as a non-pharmacological model for inducing psychedelic-like states: expert evaluations of therapeutic potential and risk.Npj mental health research · 2026Article
- Intact neurophysiological markers of death denial in long-term ayahuasca users.Psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Ten practical suggestions for setting up a psychedelic study.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Psilocybin Treatment as an Adjunct to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders: Therapeutic Rationale & Considerations for Protocol Development.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Psychedelic Modulation of Excitation/Inhibition Balance: A Dual-Phase Neurodevelopmental Model.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2026Review
- Managing Psychological Challenges in the Subacute ("Afterglow") Window of Psychedelic Drug Effects.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Design, Spectral Insights, and Enhanced Antioxidant Potential of Novel Phenothiazine DerivativesAnti-inflammatory & anti-allergy agents in medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Phenomenology of Psychedelic Experiences and Psychedelic-Associated Distressing Effects: Quantifying Subjective Experiences.Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · 2026Review
- Review
- Embracing change: impermanence acceptance mediates differences in death processing between long-term ayahuasca users and non-users.Psychopharmacology · 2025Article
- Psilocybin as a psychophysical adaptogen in chronic pain rehabilitation.The journal of pain · 2025Article
- The Afterglow Inventory (AGI): Validation of a new instrument for measuring subacute effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Review
- How do psychedelics impact people with a history of non-affective psychosis? A qualitative study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Neuropsychological profiles of patients suffering from hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD): A comparative analysis with psychedelic-using and non-using controls.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Exploring the neurobiological correlates of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in eating disorders: a review of potential methodologies and implications for the psychedelic study design.Journal of eating disorders · 2024Review
- Psychotomimetic compensation versus sensitization.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Classic serotonergic psychedelics have anecdotally been reported to show a characteristic pattern of subacute effects that persist after the acute effects of the substance have subsided. These transient effects, sometimes labeled as the 'psychedelic afterglow', have been suggested to be associated with enhanced effectiveness of psychotherapeutic interventions in the subacute period. Objectives: This systematic review provides an overview of subacute effects of psychedelics. Methods: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection) were searched for studies that assessed the effects of psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, mescaline, or ayahuasca) on psychological outcome measures and subacute adverse effects in human adults between 1950 and August 2021, occurring between 1 day and 1 month after drug use. Results: Forty-eight studies including a total number of 1,774 participants were eligible for review. Taken together, the following subacute effects were observed: reductions in different psychopathological symptoms; increases in wellbeing, mood, mindfulness, social measures, spirituality, and positive behavioral changes; mixed changes in personality/values/attitudes, and creativity/flexibility. Subacute adverse effects comprised a wide range of complaints, including headaches, sleep disturbances, and individual cases of increased psychological distress. Discussion: Results support narrative reports of a subacute psychedelic 'afterglow' phenomenon comprising potentially beneficial changes in the perception of self, others, and the environment. Subacute adverse events were mild to severe, and no serious adverse events were reported. Many studies, however, lacked a standardized assessment of adverse effects. Future studies are needed to investigate the role of possible moderator variables and to reveal if and how positive effects from the subacute window may consolidate into long-term mental health benefits.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.