Posted January 16, 2023

Do you have fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain? Have you ever taken a psychedelic such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, ayahuasca, or DMT? Check out this research study Option to enter a random drawing for a $50 gift-card!

The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama is currently conducting an online research study to learn more about classic psychedelics in relation to fibromyalgia and chronic pain. The survey is intended for adults age 18 and up, with a history of fibromyalgia and/or chronic widespread pain, who have taken a classic psychedelic at least once in the past. It has been approved by the University of Alabama’s research ethics committee. The researcher for the project is Kathleen Hodgin, M.A.and her research mentor for the project is Dr. Jarred Younger.

The purpose of this research is to learn more about how classic psychedelics might interact with chronic widespread pain, such as in fibromyalgia. They are interested in hearing from individuals who have experienced chronic, widespread pain, and have taken a classic psychedelic (psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, mescaline, peyote or San Pedro cactus, DMT or ayahuasca). Please do not count drugs such as cannabis/marijuana, MDMA/ecstasy, MDA, ketamine, PCP, nitrous oxide, or salvia divinorum. 

If you agree to join this research study, you will be presented with questions about your health, pain, substance use, and experience(s) with use of psychedelics. You will be asked about any changes in pain or other symptoms related to past psychedelic experiences. Participation in this study takes on average 30 minutes.

If you complete this study, you will have an option to enter into a random drawing for a $50 e-gift card. Your name and email address will be collected on a form that is separate from your survey responses so that they will not be linked in any way.

Your participation in this research is voluntary and you may withdraw from the study at any time. Your responses will be kept confidential. If you complete the written section of the survey, they may quote from your text responses. However, if you provide specific identifying information, they will edit your responses to protect your confidentiality. All data is encrypted and maintained on password-protected servers that only the research team can access.

There is a chance that you may experience emotional distress or discomfort when asked to recall or describe experiences during the survey. You may discontinue this survey at any time.

If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please contact Kathleen Hodgin at psychedelicpainsurvey@gmail.com. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, or concerns or complaints about the research, you may contact the UAB Office of the IRB (OIRB) at (205) 934-3789 or toll free at 1-855-860-3789. Regular hours for the OIRB are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.