Psilocybin for a Postsurgical Inpatient Population for Pain, Mood, and Opioid Use Disorder

Grant Application

Primary Investigator: Trent Emerick, MD, MBA

Co-Investigators: Sharvari Shivanekar, MD, Murat Kaynar, MD, MPH, Ajay Wasan, MD, MA, MSc, Hsing-Hua Sylvia Lin, MS, PhD, and Raquel Forsythe, MD

Proposed Innovation

Patients with a history of opioid use disorder (OUD) who undergo trauma surgery have an increased risk of postoperative depression and anxiety — conditions that also put them at risk of developing chronic pain and a worsening of their OUD.

Psilocybin, a hallucinogenic known as “magic mushrooms,” may help reduce postoperative pain scores and chronic pain scores in patients with a history of OUD. This pilot study will investigate whether psilocybin administered in the intensive care unit following surgery can “rewire” the brain to prevent poor outcomes in patients with OUD who experience trauma and surgery.

Improvements in Action

In this study, a small cohort of inpatients with OUD will be enrolled after trauma surgery. Pain scores and prescription inpatient opioid utilization will be tracked postoperatively and compared to patients who receive the typical standard of care postoperative treatment.  Functional outcome metrics will also be tracked, and these patients that were enrolled in the study will be followed longitudinally over the next six months to monitor their progress.

Intended Outcomes

Investigators believe that psilocybin administered to at-risk trauma patients following surgery will result in a decreased risk of developing chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and opioid-related harm.