Are you interested in the potential for psychedelics in therapy, or to improve your day-to-day life, but don't want to actually go tripping? There's another alternative: microdosing.
A microdose is basically what it sounds like, a small amount of a psychedelic that's much lower than a full recreational dose. Specifics vary depending on the drug, but a microdose is usually around 5-10% of a full-strength dose. According to proponents of the practice, this allows the user to experience many of the benefits of the drug - such as enhanced sensory perception or improved creativity - while still being able to function normally in their lives.
However, microdosing is controversial. Also, scientific research into the practice is sparse and contradictory. Is microdosing safe? Does microdosing help improve your mood or creativity? Let's look into what's currently known.
As we said above, a microdose is simply a small amount of a psychedelic, small enough that it doesn't bring about a full trip with hallucinations. For example, a microdose of LSD might be in the area of 10-20mg, as opposed to the 100-200mg typically taken for a full trip.
Microdosing is also usually done on a schedule, such as taking a microdose every other day. There is currently no hard research on which schedules, if any, are most effective. Every user typically just settles on a schedule that seems to work for them.
Numerous psychedelic substances can potentially be microdosed. LSD and magic mushrooms are typically the most popular options, but you can also find people microdosing ketamine, MDMA, mescaline, THC / marijuana, and more. If it's a psychedelic available in varied doses, it can probably be microdosed.
Probably. Microdosing risks usually aren't a major concern. If taking 200mg of a substance won't hurt you, then only taking 20mg is unlikely to do any harm.
That said, body chemistry is complicated. There remains the possibility that slow buildup of a drug in the body could do harm which larger intermittent doses wouldn't trigger. This is one of many open questions surrounding microdosing which have yet to be examined in depth. There is always a level of risk when using drugs that have not been extensively studied.
There can also be a danger in unregulated products. For example the "Diamond Shruumz" brand of psilocybin-infused confections received an FDA warning and recall due to users getting sick. However, the warning does not state the exact reason that people got sick.
Also, one should keep in mind that nearly all drugs typically microdosed are illegal in most areas. If there's a danger from microdosing, it's more likely to be legal in nature. Always be careful if you're experimenting with illegal substances!
We should emphasize that nearly all purported benefits of microdosing are currently anecdotal. However, among proponents of microdosing, there are several key benefits mentioned:
There have also been reports of people turning to microdosing for relief from chronic pain or cluster headaches.
Do some substances work better with microdosing than others? Probably, but that's yet another item on the long list of things we don't currently know for certain about microdosing.
In terms of the immediate effects of a microdose, the effects are subtle to begin with. Realistically, a microdose should not last longer than the effects of the drug would normally. That said, proponents do believe that a steady infusion of these drugs produce long-term results that you don't get from full-sized doses.
In terms of "how long do people choose to microdose?" the answer varies between individuals. Some people only microdose occasionally, such as taking small doses of shrooms for a week, then stopping for awhile. Others may microdose daily or near-daily for months or years at a time.
If someone stops, it's typically because they simply stop feeling like they're receiving benefits from the microdosing. There's no set schedule.
As we've said, research into the trend has really only just begun. As of 2024, there have only been a handful of studies into the practice, with mixed results.
In short, the small amount of scientific research so far has found little compelling evidence of microdosing bringing substantial objective benefits. LSD seems a better candidate than psilocybin, though.
Fundamentally, the risks associated with microdosing seem to be low. Experimenting with microdosing will probably not do you any harm. However, there is only mixed evidence to suggest it will do much good either. What benefits are reported seem to mostly be due to expectations and the placebo effect, especially with shrooms.
Of course, lack of research is an issue. If you're interested, watch out for new studies and keep yourself informed.