Can I take psilocybin while using blood pressure medication?

There is limited published research which has examined interactions between psilocybin and common blood pressure medication such as lisinopril or Metoprolol. However, eHealthMe, an American medical analysis website launched in 2008 that provides patients and healthcare professionals with tools to study approximately 1.2 billion drug outcomes, has not identified a drug interaction between psilocybin and lisinopril or psilocybin and Metoprolol.

There is some evidence that psychedelics have acute effects on the body when ingested, including raising blood pressure and heart rate (Muttoni et al., 2019). In another study, psilocybin was found to only moderately elevate blood pressure 60 minutes following ingestion (Hasler et al., 2003). These effects are short lasting and resolve after the effect of the psychedelic has subsided. The authors of the latter article concluded that administration of psilocybin provided no cause for concern in healthy subjects, but advise subjects suffering from cardiovascular conditions, such as untreated hypertension, to abstain from using psilocybin.

In another study, lifetime use of classic psychedelics was associated with 14% lower odds of hypertension (Simonsson et al., 2021). The authors concluded that these findings may be explained by multiple factors, including (1) long-term health behavior changes induced by classic psychedelic use, (2) improvements in mental health and decreases in chronic stress, which are known risk factors for hypertension, (3) and several immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects that are of importance for the development and progression of hypertension.

In summary, there is currently no evidence for drug interactions between psilocybin and lisinopril or Metoprolol, but individuals diagnosed with hypertension may be at increased risk immediately after the ingestion of psilocybin due to acute physiological effects.

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