Distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and D-amphetamine in healthy subjects.
In a randomised, double-blind, cross-over study in 28 healthy subjects, single doses of LSD (0.1 mg), MDMA (125 mg) and d-amphetamine (40 mg) produced similar autonomic responses but clearly distinct subjective and endocrine profiles. LSD caused the strongest alterations of consciousness, ego dissolution, cognitive impairment and anxiety; MDMA produced the most positive/empathetic effects and increased plasma oxytocin; d-amphetamine primarily raised blood pressure and enhanced activity and concentration, while none of the drugs altered plasma BDNF — results that can inform dose-finding in substance-assisted psychotherapy.
Authors
- Patrick Vizeli
- Stefan Borgwardt
- Felix Müller
Published
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classic psychedelic, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is an empathogen, and d-amphetamine is a classic stimulant. All three substances are used recreationally. LSD and MDMA are being investigated as medications to assist psychotherapy, and d-amphetamine is used for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. All three substances induce distinct acute subjective effects. However, differences in acute responses to these prototypical psychoactive substances have not been characterized in a controlled study. We investigated the acute autonomic, subjective, and endocrine effects of single doses of LSD (0.1 mg), MDMA (125 mg), d-amphetamine (40 mg), and placebo in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study in 28 healthy subjects. All of the substances produced comparable increases in hemodynamic effects, body temperature, and pupil size, indicating equivalent autonomic responses at the doses used. LSD and MDMA increased heart rate more than d-amphetamine, and d-amphetamine increased blood pressure more than LSD and MDMA. LSD induced significantly higher ratings on the 5 Dimensions of Altered States of Consciousness scale and Mystical Experience Questionnaire than MDMA and d-amphetamine. LSD also produced greater subjective drug effects, ego dissolution, introversion, emotional excitation, anxiety, and inactivity than MDMA and d-amphetamine. LSD also induced greater impairments in subjective ratings of concentration, sense of time, and speed of thinking compared with MDMA and d-amphetamine. MDMA produced greater ratings of good drug effects, liking, high, and ego dissolution compared with d-amphetamine. d-Amphetamine increased ratings of activity and concentration compared with LSD. MDMA but not LSD or d-amphetamine increased plasma concentrations of oxytocin. None of the substances altered plasma concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. These results indicate clearly distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and d-amphetamine and may assist the dose-finding in substance-assisted psychotherapy research.
Research Summary of 'Distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and D-amphetamine in healthy subjects.'
Introduction
Holze and colleagues situate LSD, MDMA, and D-amphetamine as representative compounds of three pharmacological classes that are both used recreationally and being investigated clinically: LSD as a classic serotonergic hallucinogen acting principally at 5-HT2A receptors, MDMA as an empathogen/entactogen with serotonergic and noradrenergic effects and oxytocin release, and D-amphetamine as a prototypical psychostimulant acting primarily via dopamine and norepinephrine. The authors note that acute subjective experiences differ between these substances and that the magnitude and quality of psychedelic experiences (for example on measures of mystical-type experiences) have been linked in prior work with longer-term therapeutic outcomes, but that direct head-to-head, double-blind comparisons of their acute autonomic, subjective, and endocrine effects within the same participants are lacking. The primary aim of the study was to characterise and compare the acute autonomic, subjective, endocrine, and pharmacokinetic profiles of single oral doses of LSD (0.1 mg), MDMA (125 mg), and D-amphetamine (40 mg) versus placebo in a within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. The investigators hypothesised that LSD would produce stronger and qualitatively different alterations of waking consciousness (measured by the 5D-ASC scale and MEQ) than MDMA and D-amphetamine, that MDMA would produce distinct emotional effects and increase plasma oxytocin more than the other drugs, and that none of the drugs would necessarily alter plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) at the tested doses. The authors framed the head-to-head approach as also improving blinding compared with prior studies that used inactive placebo comparators.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Full Text PDF
Full Paper PDF
Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compounds
- Topics
- Authors
- APA Citation
Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Müller, F., Ley, L., Duerig, R., Varghese, N., Eckert, A., Borgwardt, S., & Liechti, M. E. (2020). Distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and D-amphetamine in healthy subjects.. Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(3), 462-471. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0569-3
References (30)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Liechti, M. E. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)
Schmid, Y., Enzler, F., Gasser, P. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2015)
Preller, K. H., Herdener, M., Pokorny, T. et al. · Current Biology (2017)
Rickli, A., Moning, O. D., Hoener, M. C. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2016)
Roseman, L., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)
Ross, S., Bossis, A. P., Guss, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Schmid, Y., Liechti, M. E. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Garcia-Romeu, A., Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)
Mithoefer, M. C., Feduccia, A. A., Jerome, L. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2019)
Show all 30 referencesShow fewer
´dric, C., Hysek, M., Schmid, Y. et al. · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (2013)
Kirkpatrick, M. G., Lee, R., Wardle, M. C. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2014)
Liechti, M. E., Baumann, C., Gamma, A. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2000)
Dumont, G., Sweep, F., van der Steen, R. et al. · Social Neuroscience (2009)
Nichols, D. E. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (1986)
Dolder, P. C., Müller, F., Schmid, Y. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)
Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Müller, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2016)
Vizeli, P., Liechti, M. E. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)
Ly, C., Greb, A. C., Cameron, L. P. et al. · Cell Reports (2018)
Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Kometer, M. et al. · PLOS ONE (2012)
Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Steuer, A. E. et al. · Clinical Pharmacokinetics (2017)
Holze, F., Duthaler, U., Vizeli, P. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2019)
Kirkpatrick, M. G., Delton, A. W., de Wit, H. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Vollenweider, F. X. · PLOS ONE (2010)
Barrett, F. S., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Hysek, C. M., Vollenweider, F. X., Liechti, M. E. · BMJ Open (2010)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Kaelen, M., Bolstridge, M. et al. · Psychological Medicine (2016)
Kirchner, K. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Gasser, P., Holstein, D., Michel, Y. et al. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (2014)
Oehen, P., Traber, R., Widmer, V. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2012)
Cited By (89)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Mallevays, M., Fuet, L., Danon, M. et al. · MedRvix (2026)
Stocker, K., Hartmann, M., Barrett, F. S. et al. · Religion, Brain & Behavior (2026)
Thuery, G., Crossen, F., Mc Loone, D. et al. · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology (2026)
Brown, R. E., Shinozuka, K., Kaloiani, I. et al. · Research Square (2026)
Cheng, M., Aboulafia-Brakha, T., Buchard, A. et al. · Psychology International (2025)
Silva-Costa, N., Pessoa, J. A., Andrade, K. C. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)
Perkins, D., Halman, A., Urokohara, A. et al. · Scientific Reports (2025)
Mayo, L. M., Haggarty, C. J., Petrie, S. R. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2025)
Mueller, L., Klaiber, A., Ley, L. et al. · Clinical Pharmacokinetics (2025)
Cazorla, L., Alaux, S., Amberger, C. et al. · Preprints (2025)
Show all 89 papersShow fewer
Karp Barnir, E., Rubinstein, Z., Abend, R. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)
Mueller, J., Mueller, M. J., Aicher, H. D. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2025)
Calder, A. E., Hase, A., Hasler, G. · Molecular Psychiatry (2024)
Agnorelli, C., Spriggs, M. J., Godfrey, K. et al. · Preprints (2024)
Atila, C., Straumann, I., Vizeli, P. et al. · JAMA Network Open (2024)
Swanson, L. R., Jungers, S., Varghese, R. et al. · Journal of Vision (2024)
Stroud, J., Rice, C., Orsini, A. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2024)
Klaiber, A., Schmid, Y., Becker, A. M. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Avram, M., Fortea, L., Wollner, L. et al. · Molecular Psychiatry (2024)
Vizeli, P., Studerus, E., Holze, F. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Hutten, N. R. P. W., Quaedflieg, C. W. E. M., Mason, N. L. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Avram, M., Müller, F., Preller, K. H. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2024)
Haggarty, C. J., Bershad, A. K., Kumar, M. K. et al. · European Journal of Neurology (2024)
Netzer, O., Magal, N., Stern, Y. et al. · Biorxiv (2024)
Schmidt, E. F., Warner-Schmidt, J., Stogniew, M. et al. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2024)
Neumann, J., Dhein, S., Kirchhefer, U. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2024)
Dourron, H. M., Nichols, C. D., Simonsson, O. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2023)
Rosas, F. E., Mediano, P. A. M., Timmermann, C. et al. · Biorxiv (2023)
Carter, B., Cleare, A. J., Rucker, J. et al. · Neuropsychiatric Disease And Treatment (2023)
Molla, H. M., Lee, R., Lyubomirsky, S. et al. · Scientific Reports (2023)
Friederike, H., Liechti, M. E., Holze, F. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2023)
Sarmanlu, M., Kuypers, K. P. C., Vizeli, P. et al. · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry (2023)
Goodwin, G. M., Malievskaia, E., Fonzo, G. A. et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry (2023)
Atila, C., Christ-Crain, M., Liechti, M. E. et al. · Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol (2023)
Nardou, R., Sawyer, E., Song, Y. J. et al. · Nature (2023)
Mallaroni, P., Mason, N. L., Reckweg, J. T. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2023)
Straumann, I., Ley, L., Holze, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Ley, L., Holze, F., Arikci, D. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Nayak, S., Bradley, M. K., Kleykamp, B. A. et al. · Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2023)
Prugger, J., Hirschfeld, T., Majic, T. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Ponomarenko, P., Seragnoli, F., Calder, A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Poyatos, L., Pérez-Mañá, C., Hladun, O. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2023)
Weleff, J., Anand, A., Dewey, E. N. et al. · MedRvix (2022)
Holze, F., Becker, A. M., Kolaczynska, K. E. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2022)
Bohn, A., Kiggen, M. H. H., Uthaug, M. V. et al. · International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2022)
Prugger, J., Derdiyok, E., Dinkelacker, J. et al. · Scientific Data (2022)
Becker, A. M., Klaiber, A., Holze, F. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Bedford, P., Hauke, D. J., Wang, Z. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Calder, A. E., Hasler, G. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
van Elk, M., Yaden, D. B. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2022)
Vizeli, P., Straumann, I., Duthaler, U. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)
Rossi, G. N., Hallak, J. E., Baker, G. et al. · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (2022)
Knight, G., Rucker, J., Cleare, A. J. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022)
Glowacki, D. R., Wonnacott, M. D., Freire, R. et al. · Scientific Reports (2022)
Kloft, L., Otgaar, H., Blokland, A. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Nichols, D. E. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2022)
Balaet, M. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2022)
Family, N., Hendricks, P. S., Williams, L. T. J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Holze, F., Ley, L., Müller, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Pantoni, M. M., Kim, J. L., Van Alstyne, K. R. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2022)
Maples-Keller, J. L., Norrholm, S. D., Burton, M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2022)
Vollenweider, F. X., Smallridge, J. W. · Pharmacopsychiatry (2022)
Müller, F., Holze, F., Becker, A. M. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2022)
Strickland, J. C., Johnson, M. W. · Advances in Pharmacology (2022)
Polito, V., Liknaitzky, P. · Psyarxiv (2021)
Dursun, S. M., Kelly, J. R., Gillan, C. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)
Qiu, X., Minda, J. P. · Psyarxiv (2021)
Regan, A., Margolis, S., De Wit, H. et al. · PLOS ONE (2021)
Holze, F., Caluori, T. V., Vizeli, P. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2021)
Holze, F., Avedisian, I., Varghese, N. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2021)
Chaliha, D., Mamo, J. C., Albrecht, M. et al. · Current Neuropharmacology (2021)
Vizeli, P., Straumann, I., Holze, F. et al. · Scientific Reports (2021)
Rocha, J. M., Rossi, G. N., de Lima Osório, F. et al. · Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology (2021)
Studerus, E., Vizeli, P., Harder, S. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2021)
Olbrich, S., Preller, K. H., Vollenweider, F. X. · Psychophysiology (2021)
Dos Santos, R. G., Hallak, J. E., Baker, G. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2021)
Qiu, T. T., Minda, J. P. · Psyarxiv (2021)
Olson, D. E. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2020)
Nichols, D. E., Walter, H. · Pharmacopsychiatry (2020)
Hutten, N. R. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
Kadriu, B., Greenwald, M., Ba et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
Holze, F., Dolder, P. C., Ley, L. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
Müller, F., Mühlhauser, M., Holze, F. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2020)
Zhang, D. Z., Holze, F., Liechti, M. E. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2020)
Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Ley, L. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
Schmid, Y., Gasser, P., Oehen, P. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2020)
Greenway, K. T., Garel, N., Jerome, L. et al. · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (2020)
Pasquini, L., Palhano-Fontes, F., Araújo, D. B. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2020)
Krediet, E., Bostoen, T., Breeksema, J. J. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.