Introduction
With a rise in diseases and a lack of finding efficient medicines due to deforestation and other environmental factors, we’ve now had to look at previous unconventional medicines, which had effect. The oldest piece of evidence that shows drugs being used to treat patient’s dates back to 5000 years ago, it refers to over 250 plants some of which alter the patient’s current state such as poppy, henbane and mandrake. In 1920 the British government passed an act illegalising particular state altering substances due to substance abuse. The tougher control on drugs meant less people were interested in researching the potential medical effects of them. Pharmaceutical companies then began producing alternative drugs to help combat diseases staying within the lines of the ‘dangerous drugs act’. However in today’s day and age researchers are beginning to see the potential benefits from using unconventional drugs to help treat illnesses the studies are mostly based around stimulants, hallucinogenic, opioids and disassociates, however, along with the benefits there are risks many people are asking, ‘are the risks worth the benefit?’
Since recent legalisation in the United States of America Marijuana known more commonly in the United Kingdom as cannabis has seen many medical wins. Cannabis contains tetrahydrocannabinol and at least 113 active Cannabidiol. The psychoactive component responsible for the ‘high’ state is THC. Different strains of the plant have different concentrations of THC and CBD. The most medically used component is CBD. Effects of the plant often last for between 2-6 hours. Cannabidiol has been found to not produce an intoxicating feeling and have been found to have success in treating addiction and epilepsy. CBD was found to have an effect on neurotransmitters that were associated with addiction. A case study of a bipolar man who had a daily habit of marijuana was given CBD and was found be able to have no marijuana use and to experience no anxiety that is often associated with stopping smoking. Another study found that animals that were given opioids and psycho-stimulants didn’t struggle as much with addiction when fed CBD. Dr Orrin Devinsky conducted an experiment on CBD and epilepsy his findings where twelve out of two hundred and thirteen people did not finish the trial due to negative effects, however those who completed the study averaged on a 54% decrease in the amount of seizures they were having. Cannabis has also been found to have success in helping to treat certain cases on cancer as THC and cannabidiol compounds along with other encourage programmed cell death which normal cells are not affected by. Cannabis is also a Anti-proliferative which stops the multiplying of cancer cells this was proven to occur in a test on rodents. Alongside all of this its also a anti-angiogenesis which stops tumours from being able to grow and develop a blood supply.
Recently there has been research into the benefits of using lysergic acid synthesised by Albert Hofman in Switzerland. When used in high doses cause an altered sense of reality, hallucinations and a distorted sense of time. Research has been done onto the effects of using low doses to combat depression. One researcher called Feilding describes it as, “ a kind of anarchy, a more chaotic state, in which new ideas, associations, and observations can come up.” The drugs ability to connect and increase activity in certain areas of the brain such as the default node network (a collection of hub like centers that control the lower areas of the brain) this part of the brain is responsible for building up our perception/consciousness. The drug mimics serotonin and causes mass stimulation of the neurotransmitters and causes a mass release.
A major cause of chronic depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain as a result of reduced activity in the neurotransmitters, Monoamines and Norepinephrine. Low serotonin is a symptom of depression this can be caused by negative thinking, and not engaging to pleasure inducing activities. A famous psychologist, Beck produced the cognitive triad which is an irrational and pessimistic view on the 3 elements in a person’s thought processes that plays a part in depression, self thought, environmental thought and thinking about the future. Someone who is depressed will follow a rigid mode of thinking where they only think about negative preconceptions and generalisations that they have pre-thought of and will have difficulty to change their thought processes.
Using hallucinogenic drugs to treat depression has major risks attached to the treatment more so than other opinions. As the drugs cause a mass stimulation of neurons in the brain, the brain gets pushed to work past its set optimal rate. An increase in brain activity can lead to severe brain damage in some cases where the drug has been used recreationally its lead to a disease called persisting perception disorder, this is where the drugs effects don’t wear off in the desired time and stay often for many months to come. By artificially altering someone’s mind set it also has the ability to open them up to undesirable experiences, for example many people who have taken hallucinogens experience a bad trip which could be even detrimental for someone who is experiencing mental health issues already. Conventional treatment SSRI’s are a much safer option, however, they are a slower treatment as a base level of serotonin has to be reached and treatment with SSRI’s also doesn’t help solve the actual problem they just help to prevent the symptoms. Both treatments will require side therapy. SSRI’s produce a base mood level higher than the patients current one to work with in therapy whereas, LSD provides an alternative mind set to work with which in therapy is more flexible to new ideas. This provides an unconventional refreshing method.
A ‘new’ upcoming drug, which is also on trial for its medical benefits, is ketamine. Ketamine is commonly misused as a recreational drug, inducing the user into an anesthetic trance like state. Medically ketamine is used to treat pain and to sedate a patient, its value is that the heart and respiratory systems remain functional even during sedation. John Krystal chief of psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital has referred to the drugs effects as ‘profound’ along with saying it works ‘far more rapidly.’ Than SSRIS. Krystal says they are unsure why the drug works so well with depression, however one theory is that it promotes the regrowth of connections between the brain cells which are associated with emotion and feelings. A study in 2000 was conducted by Berman et al. to study the effect of ketamine on the symptoms of depression. 0.5mg/Kg was injected into 8 patients 4 out of 8 patients had a 50% decrease in Hamilton’s depression rating system at the day three follow up.