Could cannabis and psychedelics help treat eating disorders?

12 hours ago 3

An international survey into non-prescribed drug use has made a surprising link between cannabis, psychedelics and treating eating disorders.

The Australian-led survey of 7600 self-selected respondents across 83 countries has revealed that cannabis and some psychedelic drugs, including “magic mushrooms” and LSD, were the most effective among self-medicated, non-prescription drugs for alleviating symptoms associated with illnesses including anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating.

Published in JAMA Network Open this week, the research has been led by PhD student Sarah-Catherine Rodan at the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics. Professor Iain McGregor, academic director of the Lambert Initiative, is senior author on the paper.

Treating eating disorders is notoriously difficult, but a new study into cannabis and psychedelics offers hope.

About 1 million Australians live with an eating disorder, and almost one-third of adolescents in this country engage in disordered eating in any given year, according to National Eating Disorders Collaboration. They are notoriously difficult to treat and, according to the Butterfly Foundation, have the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric disorders.

Rodan says the study found that beyond cannabis’s reputation for stimulating appetite, it offered a variety of potential benefits to users suffering from illnesses such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

“Cannabis has mood-elevating, anxiety-reducing gastroprotective and anti-nausea properties,” she says. “Patients with avoidant/restrictive feeding intake disorder and anorexia nervosa report symptoms of anxiety and related abdominal pain and nausea, which can reduce appetite and exacerbate disordered eating.

“Cannabis also has anxiolytic properties and may reduce food-related anxiety and guilt.”

The survey also investigated ways participants were ingesting drugs, which affected the positive or negative outcomes.

“Respondents primarily smoked cannabis, and edibles were the second most commonly used product,” says Rodan. “In terms of improving eating disorder-related symptoms, no differences were observed in the way cannabis was consumed.

“However, those that consumed cannabis flower via smoking or cannabis concentrates reported worse side effects. Some people were using CBD-only products which had few side effects: these were reported as good for general mental health.”

Respondents reported that smoking cannabis came with more negative side effects than other methods.

How often did they use?

While the study asked respondents to report on all drug taking (alcohol, tobacco, nicotine and cocaine were found to be the worst for alleviating symptoms), it also focused on frequency. It found that while the beneficial effects of cannabis wore off once users stopped, the impacts of psychedelics were longer lasting, with one or two doses a year delivering long-lasting benefits.

“In the context of psychedelics, previous research around depression has shown that even a single dose can lead to sustained therapeutic benefits lasting weeks or months,” Rodan says. “In contrast, the effects of cannabis tend to be more transient, with benefits typically experienced only during active use and diminishing quickly once use is discontinued.”

Respondents to the survey did so anonymously. They were overwhelmingly female (94 per cent) and 40 per cent of them had been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. About one-third of respondents did not have a formal diagnosis but reported eating disorders that “caused them distress”.

Jayashri Kulkarni, professor of psychiatry at The Alfred and Monash University, who has done extensive research on eating disorders but was not involved in this study, says given the size and depth of the group surveyed, the results look promising. However, she says there are some caveats, particularly because it is hard to separate one condition, or morbidity, from another.

“The comorbidity in mental health complicates things” she says. “This is something all of us face – just clear delineated markers in mental health. Lots of people with eating disorders also have other conditions like ADHD. [The group surveyed] is a messy group, and it’s self-selected.”

“With those flaws in mind, they found interesting real-world situations that people living with eating disorders have had.”

More research for a complex illness

Kulkarni says that while it is not the first study to find cannabis and psychedelics can be beneficial to those with eating disorders, it does contribute to a growing body of evidence pointing to the need for further research.

“It is not a new concept but it is another one that shows there is something in this,” she says.

“Behind eating disorders there is often a lot of trauma that has created, particularly in women, a maladaptive response to trauma with an eating disorder. A woman or girl will try to control what she can – and food is something she can control. There is a lot of work with psilocybin (found in mushrooms) in treating eating disorders.

“A survey like this is good in one way but it is very messy in another way, and we have to be careful what we extrapolate from this.”

For the researchers, the next steps are already in play. The Lambert Initiative in collaboration with the Inside Out Institute at the University of Sydney is preparing to launch clinical trials into psilocybin, while a pilot program into the effectiveness of non-intoxicating cannabis component cannabidiol (CBD) in treating severe anorexia in young people is almost finished.

In the meantime, Rodan cautions against self-medicating to treat mental illness.

“While our findings suggest that many individuals perceive cannabis and psychedelics as helpful in managing eating disorder symptoms, it’s important to emphasise that self-medicating with these substances without medical oversight can carry significant risks,” she says.

She says drugs such as these are just one element as part of a multidisciplinary treatment plan.

“For those considering this path, we strongly encourage seeking professional guidance and exploring safe, legal, and evidence-based treatment options,” she says. “Accessing support through qualified clinicians or structured clinical trials ensures that care is both ethical and appropriately monitored. Also be aware that while psychedelics are reported by users to be effective across all eating disorders, cannabis benefits do not appear to extend into ‘binge’-type disorders such as bulimia and binge-eating disorder, and as such are best avoided in those with such disorders.”

Butterfly National Helpline, 1800 33 4673; Lifeline 13 11 14.

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