Review a webinar workshop focused on Antidepressants and Psychedelics: Clinical Updates and Expert Analysis
Important Webinar Details
Webinar Format
- Introduction – Dr. Benjamin Malcolm (~5 mins)
- Expert Presentation – Dr. Thomas will provide a presentation of his latest research supported by PowerPoint slides (~30 mins)
- Expert Interview – Dr. Malcolm in conversation with Dr. Kelan Thomas (~60 minutes)
- Audience Q&A – Live clinician-focused discussion (~30 minutes)
Workshop Overview:
As psychedelic-assisted therapies advance toward broader clinical adoption, questions surrounding the safety and efficacy of combining classic psychedelics with ongoing antidepressant (AD) treatment have become increasingly urgent. For years, standard research protocols have required patients to discontinue antidepressants prior to psychedelic administration, an approach intended to reduce the risk of serotonin syndrome and prevent potential blunting of subjective psychedelic effects. Yet emerging evidence suggests that this long-standing precaution may introduce unnecessary clinical risk and create avoidable barriers to care.
Join Benjamin Malcolm, PharmD, MPH and Kelan Thomas, PharmD, MS, BCPP for a deep, clinically grounded exploration of the most comprehensive review to date examining the concomitant use of antidepressants with classic psychedelics in human populations. In this live 2-hour webinar, Dr. Thomas will provide a presentation and overview of findings from his scoping review and Dr. Malcolm will also interview Dr. Thomas about the findings. The 2025 scoping review tevaluated safety, tolerability, subjective effects, and therapeutic outcomes across 18 studies spanning six decades of research.
What You’ll Learn
In this evidence-focused session, you will gain:
A clear understanding of the safety profile
Including why the review found no increased risk of serotonin syndrome in the vast majority of cases, particularly with psilocybin, and how to interpret the rare adverse signals within the broader evidence base.
Insight into subjective psychedelic effects during AD co-administration
Learn how SSRIs, SNRIs, and other antidepressant classes may attenuate, preserve, or even intensify acute psychedelic experiences, and what neurobiological mechanisms might explain these mixed findings.
Guidance on therapeutic outcomes with concurrent AD use
Hear how several modern trials still demonstrated meaningful antidepressant effects even without AD discontinuation, challenging assumptions that an “unblunted” psychedelic experience is necessary for clinical benefit.
Practical considerations for clinicians
Understand the patient-safety implications of antidepressant washout, how to balance risks when working with vulnerable populations, and what realistic safeguards could look like in both research and real-world practice.
A forward-looking view of research needs
Dr. Thomas and Malcolm will discuss critical gaps in the evidence, including the need for randomized controlled trials, improved subjective-effect measurement, and deeper pharmacodynamic investigations into how ADs modulate psychedelic mechanisms.
Who Should Attend
This webinar is designed for:
- Psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs
- Pharmacists and psychopharmacology specialists
- Psychologists and therapists working with (or preparing to work with) psychedelic-assisted therapy
- Researchers, educators, and clinicians seeking an up-to-date, scientifically rigorous analysis
Why This Webinar Matters
As psychedelic medicine expands, clinicians face real-world decisions that the current evidence base has not fully addressed. This session will equip you with a nuanced, research-informed understanding of how antidepressants interact with psychedelic therapies, empowering you to make safer, more confident decisions for your clients or patients.
Host Information
Co-Authored Works
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34251464/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9177763/
Kelan Thomas, PharmD, MS, BCPP
Dr. Kelan Thomas, PharmD, MS, is a Professor of Clinical & Social Pharmaceutical Sciences at Touro University California College of Pharmacy and a board-certified psychiatric pharmacist (BCPP) with an outpatient psychiatric practice in San Francisco. He completed a chemistry with pharmacology BS at Duke University, a pharmaceutical sciences PharmD at UC San Francisco, and a clinical research MS at University of Michigan. During his education, he also conducted research related to psychopharmacology and psychiatric pharmacogenomics. He has completed clinical pharmacy residencies at University of Michigan for postgraduate year one in pharmacotherapy and at University of Southern California for postgraduate year two in psychiatric care. Between residencies he also practiced as a psychiatric clinical pharmacist in Singapore at the Institute of Mental Health. More recently, he completed the California Institute of Integral Studies Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research and MAPS MDMA-Assisted Therapy training certificate programs, while starting collaborations with psychedelic clinical researchers at UC San Francisco. He is a trainer for Fluence offering courses in psychedelic psychopharmacology and psilocybin-assisted therapy. His current research and scholarship are related to psychedelic psychopharmacology, adverse drug reactions and drug-drug interactions with the goal of optimizing psychiatric pharmacotherapy for clients. https://linktr.ee/kelanthomas
Ben Malcolm, PharmD, MPH
Dr. Ben Malcolm earned his bachelor’s degree (BS) in pharmacology at the University of California at Santa Barbara, prior to his Masters in Public Health (MPH) and Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) at Touro University California. He then completed post-graduate residencies in Acute Care at Scripps Mercy Hospital and Psychiatric Pharmacy at the University of California at San Diego Health. After residency he passed his exam to become Board Certified in Psychiatric Pharmacy (BCPP). He began his career as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Western University of Health Sciences (WUHS), College of Pharmacy before transitioning to his current entrepreneurial role as a Psychopharmacology Consultant, Psychedelic Educator, and Founder of https://www.spiritpharmacist.com Ben envisions a society in which access to psychedelic drugs in a variety of safe and supported settings is available for purposes of psychospiritual well-being, personal development, ceremonial sacraments, and treatment of mental illness. His focus is on the intersection between psychiatric medications and psychedelic therapies. He has given several Continuing Education presentations to pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as well as published over a dozen articles in peer-reviewed literature relating to psychedelics or psychiatric medications. His vision guides his clinical and education service-related professional activity.
Webinar Disclaimer
This webinar is for information and educational purposes only. It is not meant to condone or encourage the use of illicit substances. The information presented is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. It is recommended you follow laws applicable to your jurisdiction.