Colorado River Toad’s poison (pictured) is made up of 5-MeOdMT. This psychedelic compound reduced depression and anxiety symptoms in 80 percent.
One of the promising treatments for depression and anxiety, according to 2019 research was a psychotropic compound made from toad vanom.
Johns Hopkins University researchers believe that 5-MeO–DMT may be an effective way to treat crippling mental disorders.
Because the drug works in short doses, it has been noticed that scientists are increasingly focusing their attention on psychedelics, such as ketamine or psilocybin, to help with anxiety and depression.
As a potential therapy for patients who aren’t responding to traditional therapies, 5-MeO/DMT is the most recent experimental drug being investigated.
Since decades people have enjoyed recreational use of psychedelic substances like LSD, DMT, ketamine, and psilocybin.
However, scientists now think hippies and clubbers might be on to something. If the drugs were used in controlled settings and in conjunction therapy, they could prove beneficial.
People with mental illnesses face the problem of not getting immediate relief.
The effectiveness of antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs has been established. But, the effect can sometimes take up to a few weeks to manifest.
Nearly half (45%) of depression patients are “treatment resistant,” meaning they don’t respond to drugs.
For next steps, the standard advice is to either increase dosage or add additional drugs.
This means you have to start the wait game again or face more severe consequences.
A lot of patients end up trapped in a cycle of endless trial and error with no relief.
Psychedelics are a completely different pharmacology than pharmaceutical drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibiters (SSRIs).
They only work for a brief time and act instantaneously on various receptors. They can stimulate self-exploration, and act as a kind of reset for the brain.
The clinical trials for psilocybin, ketamine, and PTSD treatment are currently underway. Additionally, Dr Alan Davis from Johns Hopkins Psychedelic Research Unit stated that he would like to continue exploring more psychedelics.
Namely, 5-MeO-DMT.
It can be extracted from poison the Colorado River Toad uses for defense against predators. Or it can be synthesized.
Five-MeOdMT has been called the “god molecule” by some. It is four to seven times more powerful than DMT.
It also affects the brain’s Serotonin system, however in a different manner to traditional antidepressants. The drug produces hallucinogenic effects, such as seeing complex patterns or fractals.
This 2019 study was Dr Davis’s first exploration of the drug. It simply examined people who used it in a controlled environment.
According to the study, this means that you are in a ritualistic group setting and taking a prescribed dose with support and guidance before, during, and after.
5-MeO DMT takes only an hour or two-and-ahalf hours, with about 80 percent saying that they still feel anxious and depressed after such short “trips”.
The more people experienced 5-MeO on-demand treatment, the better they were able to reduce their depression or anxiety symptoms.
For at least 80 percent of study participants, 5-MeO/DMT was among their five most significant experiences in life.
Some people experienced ‘challenging’ aspects of a psychedelic experience like paranoia or physical discomfort, but this did not seem to have any bearing on whether or not 5-MeO -DMT increased their anxiety and depression.
While it is too early to know if the toad poison psychedelic will soon be available in pharmacies, Dr Davis is excited to examine its possibilities given that many people have experienced relief from using it.
He said, “It’s important to analyze the short- and longer-term effects on 5-MeO–DMT. This may increase mood or be especially mood-enhancing for individuals suffering from clinically significant depression.”
“Despite this, the research is still in its early stages and more investigation in healthy volunteers is needed.”