Psychedelics For Seniors: A New Sublingual Option
https://www.forbes.com/sites/abbierosner/2020/07/12/psychedelics-for-seniors-a-new-sublingual-option/#1acdc8cd65e9Psilocybin and other psychedelic drugs may still be federally prohibited, Schedule-1 Controlled substances, ostensibly with no accepted medical use. But gold-standard research demonstrating the impressive efficacy and safety of these substances for treating intractable mental health disorders has changed minds even in the FDA. And while far from being a done deal, many expect that the rescheduling of certain psychedelic compounds, and their introduction into routine standard of care, is now just a matter of time.
In the meantime, Cybin Corp, a Canadian mushroom life sciences company, is already refining the way psilocybin can be administered. Cybin recently entered into collaboration with drug delivery company IntelGenx to create an orally dissolvable film that delivers pharmaceutical grade psilocybin to the patient.
And older adults stand to be among the greatest beneficiaries.
Like KinSlips did for cannabis, this form of oral administration gives older adults an easy-to-administer, dose-controllable, fast-acting and convenient way to receive their medicine.
Cybin's Chief Medical Officer Jukka Karjalainen Ph.D., M.D., explains the multiple benefits this format offers:
Orally-dissolvable film to administer psilocybin is non-invasive, easily administered and well tolerated. It offers rapid delivery of psilocybin with increased rate of absorption and bioavailability, faster onset of action with a lower dose when compared to orally administered capsules and avoids disadvantages encountered with gastrointestinal slow absorption, low bioavailability and/or first-pass inactivation by the liver.”
From orally ingested psilocybin capsules less than 50% reaches systemic blood circulation, whereas from oral film absorption to blood is almost complete. Lower dosages may be advantageous in avoiding some of the reported adverse events, such as nausea.
Cybin’s Chief Communication Officer (and former Forbes Contributor) Sara Brittany Somerset, notes additional benefits specific to seniors:
Orally dissolvable film is desirable from a safety perspective as the dosing is exact in comparison to oral capsules which have variable intestinal absorption and metabolism. Equally it is more difficult to inadvertently mis-dose or overdose.
Advantageously, since absorption occurs in the oral cavity, there is no requirement to swallow. Pill phobia is a very real concern for many patients and particularly for seniors. Dysphagia and other challenges with swallowing are a constant concern in the elderly and in many neurological and psychiatric patients particularly. Thus, orally dissolvable formulations do not require that the patient have access to a liquid to assist in swallowing a tablet or capsule. This feature may be advantageous to those who prefer to administer the dosage form discretely, or without respect to immediate access to a potable liquid.
One of the clear advantages that psychedelic therapy offers to older adults is its finite nature, which doesn’t entail an ongoing and endless pill-taking regimen. Because older adults are already North America’s greatest consumers of pharmaceutical drugs, any approach that reduces their daily reliance on medications is already a notable achievement. But orally administered psilocybin strips, with their attendant benefits, represent another giant step forward these drugs offer for the health and well-being of older adults.
