ReviewExploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy2026
Self-medication with psychedelics: a scoping review and narrative synthesis of review-level evidence.
Review in Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: As public and scientific interest in psychedelics grows, unsupervised use for health purposes is increasing. In the U.S., past-year hallucinogen use nearly doubled from 2015 to 2023. Many individuals report self-treating physical or psychological symptoms without medical supervision using psychedelics-a practice termed self-medication. Despite this trend, review-level syntheses remain scarce. Aim: This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize review-level evidence on the self-medication of psychedelics, including which substances are used, for what health-related purposes, and what benefits and harms have been reported. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of review-level evidence on self-medication with psychedelics, following the PRISMA PRISMA-ScR (2018) checklist. Searches in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar (October-November 2024) used the terms ("self-medication" OR "self-treatment") AND "psychedelics." Eligible reviews examined unsupervised use of classical or non-classical psychedelics for physical, mental, or behavioral conditions. Four reviewers independently screened all records. Data extraction was conducted using Elicit AI and was manually verified by reviewers. Methodological quality was assessed using AMSTAR criteria. Results: Three reviews met inclusion criteria (systematic, scoping, narrative). Psilocybin and LSD were most frequently reported, primarily for cluster headache and chronic pain. Outcomes included abortive relief, prophylactic relief, and prolonged remission, often from microdosed regimens. Approximately 40% achieved full remission; 70% reported preventive benefit. Adverse effects were rare and brief. Motivations for self-use centered on coping, desperation, and dissatisfaction with conventional care. Conclusions: Preliminary review-level evidence suggests that individuals self-medicating with psychedelics-particularly psilocybin and LSD-report symptom relief for conditions such as cluster headache, though findings remain limited by scarce and heterogeneous data. More rigorous research is needed to clarify effectiveness, safety, and real-world patterns of use.
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.