3 Potential Health Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics
Proponents say that nonhallucinogenic doses of a psychedelic may deliver psychological perks, but much more research is needed, and we simply can’t draw conclusions yet.
Small, nonhallucinogenic doses of a psychedelic drug may improve mood and enhance mental clarity, but we don’t know enough to draw clear conclusions.Kristen Angelo/Stocksy
Microdosing psychedelics certainly appears to be growing in popularity, as new anecdotal information keeps popping up on the internet. But are there any actual health benefits?
Psychedelic therapy may have some potential as a possible treatment for conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, eating disorders, and more. Microdosing these psychedelics (the process of taking very small doses of psychedelics), in theory, may deliver some psychological benefits as well.
That said, concrete scientific evidence into the benefits of microdosing remains limited. Additionally, some of the psychedelics that may hold these benefits are currently illegal in the United States.
Read on to learn more about three main benefits of microdosing, as well as an overview of psychedelic therapy, and the potential challenges.
What Is Psychedelic Therapy?
Psychedelic therapy involves ingesting psychedelic substances, such as psilocybin (from “magic mushrooms”), LSD, MDMA, or ketamine, to experience an altered consciousness and potentially cause changes in the brain. The theory is that these changes can alleviate mental health conditions, such as PTSD or depression.
But there are several downsides to psychedelic therapy, including legal complexities, potential side effects, and adverse psychological challenges. Treatment is also quite intensive, often requiring multiple lengthy sessions before there's a noticeable effect.
Microdoses of psychedlics may counter some of these downsides.
Please note: This article serves only as an informational resource about what we know on microdosing to date. Everyday Health is not in any way condoning the illegal use of psychedelic drugs for therapeutic or recreational purposes.
What Is Microdosing?
As the name suggests, a microdose of psychedelics is generally considered to be much less than the dosage needed to create hallucinogenic effects. Currently there is no officially recognized medical definition or specific dosage amount.
In one explanation from her own research, Harriet De Wit, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, describes microdosing as “taking very low doses of these drugs, about one-tenth of what you’d take to trip, and you take this dose every three to four days over an extended period of time.”
Most of the published research so far focuses on microdosing LSD, though there are anecdotal reports on microdosing with psilocybin and MDMA, Dr. De Wit says.
In theory, these low doses don’t cause hallucinogenic effects. The idea behind microdosing is that taking such small doses may make the same changes to your brain as psychedelic therapy, but this process of change happens under the radar, while you’re fully conscious and aware, free from the hallucinogenic effects. The hope that this may improve a person’s sense of well-being overtime, De Wit explains.
3 Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics
While research is limited, here are three of the main potential health benefits of psychedelic microdoses.
In one study, people who did not have depression were given either a placebo, 13 micrograms (mcg) of LSD, or 26 mcg of LSD every three to four days (these were considered microdoses for this study’s purposes). They were then monitored on their mood, cognitive performance, and responses to emotional tasks. The 26 mcg dose produced “feeling a drug effect” and stimulant effects when the drug was taken, but it did not change mood or cognition over the four-week course of the study.
Results were admittedly a little disappointing to the researchers. “We were hoping to see a decrease in depression or anxiety scores, or more feelings of well-being. But the benefits were mixed and minimal,” says De Wit. “Each direct dose produces some feelings of well-being and energy, but over time that declines a bit, and you feel those effects less and less with each dose.” In the end, De Wit and her research colleagues could not find real improvements in feelings of well-being or behavior different from a placebo.
Another randomized trial of healthy male adults similarly had participants take either LSD or a placebo. The LSD group took 14 doses of 10 mcg of LSD every three days over six weeks. Ten percent of the LSD group dropped out because of treatment-related anxiety. Over the course of the study, daily questionnaires showed that people felt more creative, connected, energetic, and happy, as well as less irritable. They also experienced greater well-being on the days they were given the drug. But these benefits were short-lived.
2. May Enhance Mental Performance and Creativity
Another of the anecdotally well-reported benefits of microdosing is that it enhances creativity. One study looked at the microdoses of psychedelic truffles, also known as magic mushrooms. Study participants who took small doses of these psychedelics tested better on creative problem-solving tasks and cognitive flexibility compared with those who didn't take these drugs. This study did not have a control group, and it was not measured against a placebo. Researchers point out that psychedelics may activate certain brain receptors linked to learning and adaptivity, which may increase the personality trait of openness and decrease rigidity in thinking.
In addition, a survey that recruited microdosers from online forums to complete questionnaires found that current and former microdosers rated higher on creativity, open-mindedness, and wisdom (the ability to learn from your mistakes while considering multiple perspectives), and lower on dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotionality, compared with nonmicrodosers.
Most commonly, people used LSD and psilocybin. The researchers point out that people who have more dysfunctional attitudes tend to be more vulnerable to stress and depression. The sample used included mostly white, heterosexual, middle-class men, so a more diverse sample group is needed, as well as a more randomized and controlled population. Additionally, more controlled clinical trials would be needed to support claims of enhanced mental and creative performance
3. Low Doses May Still Allow You to Function Normally
Microdosing is more along the lines of taking a typical pharmaceutical drug, when compared with psychedelic therapy, says Nese Devenot, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Research in Sensing at the University of Cincinnati. “While treatment with large doses requires 6 to 10 hours of your day and results in [potentially] profound alterations in one’s perception, a microdose can be iterated into your life because it’s a subhallucinogenic dose,” they say.
Some users say that microdoses produce no subjective effects, though many report that they do feel some stimulation. But in general, most people feel that they can go about their day as normal when microdosing, Dr. Devenot says, per anecdotal reports. Private advocacy groups, such as Moms on Mushrooms, aim to destigmatize microdosing plant-based medicines to take the edge off the stress of parenting.
That said, one of the most common issues surrounding microdosing is accidental overdose. “If you’re trying to go to work, and objects and shapes are warping around you, that can be distracting and distressing if you were not prepared for an intense experience,” says Devenot. Plus, there are inherent risks if you’re driving, operating machinery, parenting, and doing other activities that require alert attentiveness.
Potential Health Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics
Early trials have pointed toward some benefits of psychedelic therapy.
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Challenges to Microdosing Psychedelics
In regard to psychedelic therapy in general, and microdosing more specifically, there are a couple of key challenges.
Legalities
Most psychedelics remain illegal for use, either in full doses or microdoses.
Esketamine (Spravato), a form of ketamine delivered via a nasal spray, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 for treatment-resistant depression when used under supervision in a medical setting. It is the only substance considered a psychedelic-like medicine that’s federally legal.
Psilocybin has been approved by certain states, such as Oregon, for supervised use, and though licensed facilities administering the drug have not yet opened, some plan to do so in the coming months.
LSD is considered a Schedule 1 drug, which is defined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Still, legislative efforts to decriminalize psychedelics (on local and state levels) are growing, according to research.
That could all change, as the FDA released draft guidance in June 2023 for clinical researchers conducting studies around the use of psychedelic drugs as a potential treatment for psychiatric or substance use disorders.
Research Isn’t Clear or Established
Research on psychedelic medicine, and especially microdosing, is still in early stages. Furthermore, results are mixed, and far from conclusive. Studies are currently performed in academic medical settings via clinical trials, with the premise that participants take hallucinogenic doses of these substances. Research has a long way to go to draw more clear and widely applicable conclusions.
There’s even less data on microdosing, and many of the purported health benefits are only assumed, based on anecdotal sources and evidence from from larger-dose trials.
The Takeaway
There are so many unknowns with microdosing. “People are considering these types of substances for all kinds of psychological disorders. It’s [uncharted] territory right now, since we don’t know what it does or who benefits,” says De Wit.
For Devenot’s part, they note that microdosing trials “have not stood up to the test of evidence-based science. I’m open to the science showing there are some benefits, but I’m not convinced from what I've seen that it’s more than placebo.” People who are desperate for answers, who want help with depression or PTSD or after a cancer diagnosis, commonly turn to the hope and promise of psychedelic medicine, but the science for microdosing is not there yet, they say.
That doesn’t mean microdosing should be entirely off the table as a possible route for healing in the future, however. “Though there is not enough evidence, an absence of evidence does not mean that it’s not working,” says De Wit. “It might mean that, as researchers, we haven’t found the right outcome to measure or that different people [and diagnoses] experience different benefits. But we haven’t seen them yet. This is a new era of psychedelic research that we should investigate in whatever way we can,” says De Wit.
Harvard Health: Can Microdosing Psychedelics Improve Your Mental Health?
Nature: Adults Who Microdose Psychedelics Report Health Related Motivations and Lower Levels of Anxiety and Depression Compared to Non-Microdosers
PLoS One:?A Systematic Study of Microdosing Psychedelics
National Institute of Mental Health: Psychedelics as Therapeutics: Gaps, Challenges and Opportunities
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking
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Grant Chu, MD, is an assistant clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Chu is also the associate director of education at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, using technology to further medical education.
He is board-certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a diplomate of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
He received a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Brown University, where he also earned his medical degree. He has a master's in acupuncture and oriental medicine from South Baylo University and a master's in business administration from the University of Illinois. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles and a fellowship at the Center for East-West Medicine at UCLA.
He has held academic appointments at the University of California in Irvine and the University of Queensland in Australia.
Jessica Migala is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience, specializing in health, nutrition, fitness, and beauty. She has written extensively about vision care, diabetes, dermatology, gastrointestinal health, cardiovascular health, cancer, pregnancy, and gynecology. She was previously an assistant editor at Prevention where she wrote monthly science-based beauty news items and feature stories.
She has contributed to more than 40 print and digital publications, including Cosmopolitan, O:The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, Fitness, Family Circle, Health, Prevention, Self, VICE, and more. Migala lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young boys, rescue beagle, and 15 fish. When not reporting, she likes running, bike rides, and a glass of wine (in moderation, of course).
