Psychedelics to manage opioid use with Noa Krawczyk

In this episode, Dr Elle Wadsworth talks to Dr Noa Krawczyk from the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine about her and her co-authors research report on self-reported experiences and perspectives on using psychedelics to manage opioid use among participants of two Reddit communities. Noa discusses the current treatments available for opioid use disorder and why psychedelics are having their moment as an alternative medicine, and what people who use opioids found when taking psychedelics with the intention of reducing or stopping their opioid use.

· What is Reddit and why is Noa using it to answer her research questions [01:24]

· The headline findings of the study [02:17]

· The comparison of demographics of Reddit and the wider population of people who use opioids [03:46]

· What the current treatments are for opioid use disorder in the US and why people are seeking alternatives [05:22]

· Why Ibogaine stands out as a prominent psychedelic in the discussion [08:12]

· The mechanisms of action found in the analysis [09:45]

· The benefits and drawbacks of using psychedelics [13:26]

· What we can take from the paper for policy and practice [15:28]

About Elle Wadsworth: Elle is an academic fellow with the Society for the Study of Addiction. She is based at the University of Bath and her research interests include drug policy, cannabis legalisation, and public health. Elle is also a senior analyst at RAND Europe, working on projects focusing on national and international drug policies.

About Noa Krawczyk: Noa Krawczyk, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Associate Director of the NYU Langone Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy. Her research focuses on studying ways to address barriers to evidence-based treatment for opioid use disorder at the individual, program, and policy levels. Her work centers on bridging research and practice by collaborating with drug user organizations, health system leaders, public health and government agencies, and advancing science that can help inform evidence-based policies and practices that reduce harm and promote well being.

About co-author Megan Miller: Megan Miller, MPH, is a Research Coordinator in the Center for Opioid Epidemiology and Policy at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and served as the primary data analyst for the Reddit study. She holds an MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

NK receives fees as an expert witness in ongoing opioid litigation. MM has no conflicts of interest to declare.

Original article: Self-reported experiences and perspectives on using psychedelics to manage opioid use among participants of two Reddit communities https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16767

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