Can microdosing psilocybin be used to treat chronic pain?

Patient 1, a 37-year-old man who had quadriplegia secondary to a vehicular accident approximately 8 years earlier in which he sustained a cervical spinal cord injury, reported experiencing near total relief from lower extremity neuropathy with dried ground psilocybin 250 mg lasting 6 to 8 hours.

Patient 2 was a 69-year-old woman with complex regional pain syndrome secondary to lower extremity trauma approximately 5 years earlier. This patient had been using 500-mg psilocybin-containing mushrooms daily for 7 to 10 days followed by 2 or 3 days of abstinence, which provided the patient with 80% pain relief for 3 to 4 hours without psychedelic effects.

Patient 3 was a 40-year-old woman with radiculopathy secondary to degenerative disc disease manifesting as stiff musculoskeletal pain in the lower back. This patient consumed a chocolate bar containing 1000 mg of dried ground mushroom every 6 to 8 weeks and reported reduced pain from a score of 8 to 0 for 2 to 4 weeks.

Although the authors concluded that the use of low dose psilocybin shows promise in the treatment of chronic pain, they advised that further research is needed to understand dose ranges and the mechanisms of action in the management of chronic pain.