Research
Psilocybin and post-treatment Lyme disease: an early pilot study
2026-10-19 ยท 2 min read
Persistent symptoms after Lyme disease can affect daily life long after antibiotic treatment. A pilot study published in Scientific Reports on 25 February 2026 explored psilocybin with psychological support in 20 people with post-treatment Lyme disease.
What the pilot found
Participants received two supported psilocybin sessions during an eight-week intervention. At six months, average general symptom scores were 40% lower than at baseline. Participants also reported improvements in quality of life and several other symptom measures.
There were no serious adverse events attributed to the intervention. Temporary hypertension was reported in 90% of participants, headache in 65% and tachycardia in 35%. Those findings belong alongside the reported improvements.
Why a controlled trial matters
Everyone received the intervention. There was no placebo or comparison group, and participants and researchers knew what was given. Symptoms, expectations, psychological support and changes over time could all have contributed to the results.
The study therefore cannot establish how much improvement was caused by psilocybin, whether benefits would occur in a broader population, or whether the approach is an effective treatment. It did not demonstrate a cure for Lyme infection or establish a biological mechanism.
The findings support further controlled research. Our clinical trial phase guide explains why later comparison studies matter.
Source: Albert Garcia-Romeu and colleagues, the original pilot study. This is a plain-language summary of research available under CC BY 4.0.
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