Study: Single-Dose LSD Produces Months-Long Anxiety Relief — JAMA Trial Shows

Anxiety disorders are among the most common—and most treatment-resistant—mental health conditions. For people who don’t respond to daily antidepressants or who cannot tolerate long-term medication, treatment options can be limited. A recent randomized clinical trial led by MindMed tested whether a single oral dose of LSD could provide meaningful, lasting relief. The study’s primary results were published in JAMA. JAMA Network

Why researchers tested LSD for anxiety

Psychedelics like LSD affect serotonin systems and neural circuits that influence mood and cognition, and the subjectively meaningful psychedelic experience may help people break rigid patterns of worry and avoidance—core features of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). That scientific rationale, together with promising early work on other psychedelics, motivated MindMed’s trial program. MindMedJAMA Network

What the trial did and found

• Participants & design: Nearly 200 adults diagnosed with moderate-to-severe GAD were randomized to receive a single dose of MM120 (a pharmaceutically optimized form of LSD) at 25, 50, 100, or 200 micrograms, or placebo. Many participants tapered off prior daily medications before dosing. JAMA NetworkMind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.
• Primary outcomes: Participants reported anxiety symptoms on standard rating scales at baseline and at prespecified follow-ups. JAMA Network
• Key results: The 100 µg and 200 µg groups showed rapid and clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety—often within 24 hours—with average score drops substantially larger than placebo at one month; nearly half of participants in the higher-dose groups reached remission at follow-up. Lower doses (25–50 µg) did not outperform placebo. These findings were reported in the JAMA publication and widely summarized in major news outlets. JAMA NetworkLive ScienceAP News

The placebo effect and blinding challenges

Placebo recipients improved as well—a common outcome in anxiety trials where attention, expectation, and study care influence results. Blinding was imperfect: many participants correctly guessed whether they received LSD, complicating interpretation. Still, investigators judged the magnitude of benefit in the high-dose groups to exceed what could be explained by expectation alone. JAMA NetworkAP News

Safety, tolerability, and side effects

Short-term adverse events included nausea, headache, and dose-dependent perceptual changes (visual distortions or hallucinations). Higher doses produced more frequent and intense subjective effects. Investigators stressed that dosing occurred in controlled clinical settings with medical oversight and that further safety data from larger, longer trials are needed. JAMA NetworkMedical Xpress

What this could mean for patients and clinicians

The results suggest a potential new pathway for people with severe anxiety who haven’t benefited from standard care: a single, supervised dose that yields rapid functional gains could be transformative. However, LSD is not yet an approved mainstream treatment. Wider adoption would require confirmatory phase-3 data, regulatory approval, standardized safety protocols, and training for clinicians delivering psychedelic-assisted care. MindMed has already advanced further trials to answer these questions. Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.MindMed

Next steps and unanswered questions

Key open questions include:

• How durable are benefits beyond three months?
• What dose and psychological-support package is optimal?
• Which patients are best suited to this approach, and who is at higher risk for adverse outcomes?
  Larger, longer randomized trials and independent replication will be essential before clinicians can consider routine use. JAMA NetworkMind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.

Bottom line

A randomized JAMA trial indicates that a single high dose of MM120 (LSD) produced rapid, clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety for many participants—renewing interest in psychedelic-assisted psychiatry while underscoring the need for more data on long-term safety and effectiveness

External links (sources I used — click to open)

• JAMA study abstract / article — “Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” JAMA Network
• MindMed press release (company announcement / trial context). Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc.+1
• Earth.com article (original piece you gave me). Earth.com
• Associated Press coverage summarizing the findings and context. AP News
• LiveScience summary and reporting on the trial results. Live Science