Microdosing refers to routinely taking very small doses of a psychedelic such as LSD or psilocybin. The doses are typically small enough to not induce typical psychedelic effects. People microdose with the belief that it can have various positive effects including increased creativity, energy, cognitive performance, and improved emotional well-being. People also microdose with the intention of improving mental health issues such as depression and an1,2.
Microdosing is usually done on a schedule, such as once every three days, however there are a variety of different protocols which include different schedules, drugs and dosages.
Many people report anecdotal success with microdosing 1,2. However, scientific research on microdosing is still in the early stages and the data that has emerged in recent years has been generally unconvincing,3,4,5,6,7. Oftentimes positive effects of microdosing are also seen in study participants receiving an inactive placebo3. It is therefore difficult to determine whether the improvements are attributable to the drug itself or the expectation that the microdose treatment is working 3,5,7.
While most research studies of microdosing have been unconvincing of its benefits, it does not mean that microdosing doesn’t work. It is possible that future research could demonstrate meaningful benefits attributable to microdosing. Variables such as drug, dosage, schedule, patient population and treatment purpose each need to be further explored to understand whether microdosing could be useful in certain contexts.
1. Microdosing psychedelics: Motivations, subjective effects and harm reduction
3. Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
4. Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose–response study
5. Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing
7. Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing
The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression
The short-term risks of microdosing are relatively low. A primary challenge is accurately measuring dose size. If a dose is larger than anticipated, it could result in anxiety or mild psychedelic effects. Other unwanted effects reported by microdosers include physiological discomfort (disrupted senses, temperature dysregulation, headache), increased anxiety, impaired energy and impaired mood1.
The long term risks of microdosing are not well understood. Occasional use of psychedelics at higher doses is generally safe for most people. However, ingestion of low doses of psychedelics over months and years could present unique safety concerns. In addition to primary psychedelic effects caused by activating the serotonin receptor known as 5HT-2A, psychedelics such psilocybin and LSD also activate a different serotonin receptor called 5-HT2B2. This receptor is highly concentrated in the heart. It is known that long term use of other drugs which bind to this receptor can cause serious cardiac issues including valvular heart disease3. There is not yet enough research to understand whether long term microdosing can have similarly negative effects on the heart. However, these risks should be taken seriously until more research becomes available.
1. Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook
2. The risk of chronic psychedelic and MDMA microdosing for valvular heart disease
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