Cannabis and psychedelics were among the few substances rated positively for relieving symptoms of eating disorders (EDs), according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
The study, which surveyed 7,648 individuals with self-reported EDs or disordered eating, found that while prescription psychotropics were often perceived as beneficial for overall mental health, they were generally not considered helpful for treating ED symptoms themselves. The exceptions were fluoxetine for bulimia nervosa and lisdexamfetamine for binge-eating disorder. In contrast, alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco were rated as having the most harmful effects.
Conducted between November 2022 and May 2023, the international survey included participants from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with the majority being female and an average age of 24.3 years. The most commonly reported diagnoses were anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder.
Participants rated their experiences with various substances on a 5-point scale. Cannabis and psychedelics stood out for their self-perceived ability to alleviate ED symptoms, prompting the authors to call for further clinical research into their potential therapeutic use in treating these conditions.
“The findings of this survey study of prescription and nonprescription drug use suggest that cannabis and psychedelics were perceived by survey respondents as efficacious in alleviating their ED symptoms, which supports further research in this area”, concludes the study. “Prescription psychotropics were perceived as being relatively ineffective for ED symptoms but beneficial to general mental health.”
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