Recreational Drugs Repurposed for Medicinal Use
Will be published approx. on 31. July 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
196 pages
978-1-009-58534-7 (ISBN)
Description
Recreational drugs that were once proscribed are now being explored as new pharmacotherapies. This topical book provides a balanced guide to new and far-reaching changes in our health system and our drug laws. Written by leading scientists, practitioners and researchers, it examines the evidence, discusses the history and context, and describes the pharmacology of recreational drugs that are being repurposed as medical treatments as well as recreational drugs that are currently being investigated. Amongst the drugs covered are psilocybin, cannabis, ketamine, MDMA, amphetamine and methylphenidate. Where known, the mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetics, putative indications, and safety and tolerability are described for each agent. Drugs used by indigenous communities for ritual purposes, currently being considered for treatment by the mainstream medical establishment, are also investigated. This is an up-to-date evidence-based resource for all people interested in the medical use of recreational drugs.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
ISBN-13
978-1-009-58534-7 (9781009585347)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Seetal Dodd is Affiliate Professor in the School of Medicine at Deakin University, Melbourne, and at The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) at Barwon Health in Geelong, Australia. Michael Berk is currently a NHMRC Leadership 3 research Fellow and is Deakin Distinguished Chair of Psychiatry at Deakin University in Melbourne, and at Barwon Health in Geelong, Australia, where he heads the Institute for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT). Stephen M. Stahl is Distinguished Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside, and Honorary Visiting Senior Fellow in Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.
Content
1. Introduction Seetal Dodd, Stephen M. Stahl and Michael Berk; 2. Ritual to relief: ethical frontiers in repurposing psychoactive substances Emma O'Leary; 3. Psilocybin and hallucinogenic mushrooms Mathieu Fradet, Carlton M. Kelly, Anna J. Donnelly and Trisha Suppes; 4. Ayahuasca: pharmacology, safety, and therapeutic effects Rafael Guimaraes dos Santos and Jaime Eduardo Cecilio Hallak; 5. Recreational drugs repurposed for medicinal use-cannabis Mike Armour, Justin Sinclair and Hannah Adler; 6. Ketamine in clinical practice: transitioning from anesthetic agent to psychiatric therapeutic Jose Manuel Quintero, Rosa Helena Bustos, Sharon Lechtig-Wassermann, Stephania Beltran and Carlos A. Zarate, Jr.; 7. MDMA-assisted therapy: challenges, clinical trials, and the future of MDMA in treating behavioral disorders Steve O'Brien and David Nutt; 8. Central nervous system stimulants in recreational and medical use Seetal Dodd, Laura Ospina Pinillos and John Markowitz; 9. From betel nuts to Cobenfy: how an ancient recreational drug gave rise to a new class of schizophrenia medications Justin F. Creeden, Siddharth N. Machiraju, Johansen B. Amin and Stephen M. Stahl.