MICRODOSING Psychedelics

Microdosing is a practice that involves taking 1/10th to 1/20th of a full dose of a psychedelic. The most common psychedelics which are microdosed are shrooms and LSD, although people also microdose 1p-LSD, a functional analogue of LSD, ayahuasca, ketamine, LSA, and MDMA, among other substances. Microdosing is intended to be subperceptual, meaning if a person feels any effects that can be qualified as psychedelic (i.e. visuals, distortions of space and time) then they have taken too much and are not technically microdosing.

Microdosing as a practice has grown exponentially in popularity in the last decade or so. It first began receiving attention in the mainstream media as a tool for increased productivity and creativity, popularized by Silicon Valley techies who were microdosing LSD for those reasons. Shortly thereafter, people began to tout the benefits of microdosing as a treatment for depression, anxiety, insomnia, and just a general sense of despair. Thousands of people have now reported that microdosing has changed their lives for the better, but, unfortunately, we have limited double-blind, randomized clinical trials verifying those stories. Microdosing has also shown promise as a treatment for a number of physical conditions, from irregular periods to chronic pain.

There are a variety of different microdosing protocols. The most well-known is the protocol created by longtime psychedelic researcher Dr. James Fadiman. It recommends microdosing every third day. Microdosing as a way to integrate the lessons from larger psychedelic experiences has also grown in popularity. But the truth is, microdosing is nothing new: Albert Hoffman, the chemist who invented LSD in 1938, famously said microdosing LSD might be a good alternative to Ritalin. Here, we cover the potential benefits and risks of microdosing.