A single dose of psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, can reduce nerve pain for up to a month, making widely used painkillers more effective, a University of Reading study has found.
This research communication biology, Researchers tested psilocybin in mice with nerve damage that causes long-term pain. The researchers found that psilocybin’s pain-relieving effects began about two hours after injection, and the relief lasted for several weeks. Rather than simply blocking pain signals, psilocybin appears to restructure the way the brain’s pain-processing networks operate, which may explain why its effects persist long after the drug itself leaves the body.
The most important discovery was how psilocybin interacts with gabapentin, a drug widely prescribed for nerve pain. Several weeks after a single dose of psilocybin, after the analgesic effects of psilocybin itself had worn off, gabapentin was administered to the mice, and the analgesic effect lasted for up to four days. Gabapentin had a much weaker effect in mice that did not receive psilocybin.
For 30 to 50 percent of people with nerve pain, gabapentin alone does not provide sufficient relief.
Millions of people live with nerve pain that cannot be adequately controlled with medication, and the drugs we use can have serious side effects and lead to addiction. What’s interesting here is that psilocybin doesn’t just reduce pain on its own. It appears to reset the brain’s pain networks, making existing treatments significantly more effective. For patients who have exhausted their options, it can be truly transformative. ”
Dr Maria Mailloux, Senior Author, University of Reading
The analgesic effect was confirmed in both male and female mice, which is important given that many of the early pain studies were performed only in male mice. This study used a small number of mice in accordance with UK Home Office regulations and the 3R principles of substitution, reduction and purification. The procedure was designed to minimize distress, and multiple outcomes were measured from the same animal to keep numbers down when possible.
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Reference magazines:
Askey, T. others. (2026). Psilocybin improves neuropathic pain-like behavior and promotes gabapentin-mediated analgesia in mice. Communication biology. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-026-10065-7. https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10065-7
