Microdosing LSD and other psychedelic substances have become increasingly popular among a wide range of individuals, from businessmen in Silicon Valley to creatives working toward their next big idea. It involves ingesting a very small amount, well under a typical LSD dosage, on a regular basis. A recent survey with over one thousand participants from 59 countries suggests microdosing LSD increases energy, work effectiveness, health habits, and overall well-being. Some respondents reported it helped alleviate their symptoms associated with migraines, pre-menstrual syndromes, traumatic brain injury, shingles, and depression.
How are LSD Doses Measured
When consuming LSD for a psychedelic experience, most users will measure their LSD dose by the number of tabs, or pieces of blotter paper. However, this is a relatively ineffective method of measurement as a single piece of blotter paper can contain vastly different amounts of LSD.
A more accurate way to measure it is by the microgram. It can be difficult to find a reliable source that knows how many micrograms of LSD are in each tab. A standard dose for inducing a psychedelic experience ranges from 50 to 150 micrograms. When microdosing , most users consume about a tenth of a normal dose, so somewhere between five to fifteen micrograms.
Microdosing LSD
Microdosing is the act of consuming a sub-perceptual dose of a psychoactive compound. Many users believe that consuming an extremely small dose brings some of the positive effects of the substance while still remaining fully functional to carry on with all of the activities of a standard day. A typical microdose is somewhere around a tenth of the amount of a standard dose.
The History of Microdosing
When it comes to microdosing, there is very little history in regards to scientific studies around microdosing. No formal research was conducted prior to 1966 when a prohibition on psychedelic research was established through most of the western world. There has been recent interest in microdosing with some scientists looking to derive results from user experiences and others looking to conduct clinical studies.
Why do People Microdose?
Most people try microdosing psychedelics to enhance their creativity, energy levels, emotional stability, and alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and addiction.
Can You Microdose LSD?
LSD is one of the most popular substances to microdose with. Many users report an overall improvement in their health and wellness both physiologically and psychologically. Common effects of microdosing LSD include increased energy, improvements in work effectiveness, and better health habits. Some users even report it alleviated symptoms of migraines, pre-menstrual syndromes, traumatic brain injury, and shingles.
What the Community Says about Microdosing LSD
The psychedelic community considers that they are a wide range of benefits to microdosing LSD. One user who suffers from anxiety and depression attempted a micro-dosage of 30 micrograms a day for a week to see if that could help him alleviate some of his symptoms. He was also a frequent user of a wide variety of substances. During this week-long trial, he felt a lowered desire to consume other substances, and less stress throughout his workdays. However, in his report, he does say he is unsure whether this was due to a placebo effect or the actual effects of microdosing LSD.
Another user microdosed for thirty days, skipping every third day or so. This user reported having more creative tools to problem-solve, however, it did not help him work healthy routines into his day like a regular sleep schedule or healthy eating habits.
What is Considered a Microdose of LSD?
A microdose of LSD is considered to be a sub-perceptual dose meaning the effects are mostly unnoticeable. How much this dose would be is very subjective depending on the individual. The Fadiman protocol recommends a dosage that is between a tenth to twentieth of a normal dose daily with every fourth day skipped. This prevents a tolerance from building up and allows you to subjectively determine the effects compared to an off day and a day of microdosing.
Common Effects when Microdosing LSD
Common effects of microdosing LSD include increased energy, improvements in work effectiveness, and better health habits.
How to Microdose LSD
The most popular method of microdosing LSD is referred to as the Fadiman protocol named after the man who created it, James Fadiman. Fadiman created this method to survey the effects microdosing has on a wide range of individuals through a controlled methodology. For LSD, it involves consuming between 5 micrograms and 10 micrograms every third day. This allows for a baseline on the third day in order to compare how microdosing has affected you and whether or not it is beneficial for your specific situation. He encourages anyone trying this method to report their results to him so he can congregate them and hopefully further encourage research in this area based on those results. His site also provides a quick set of five questions that makes reporting your experiences even easier.
How LSD works inside your body
The basic mechanism behind how LSD produces its effects involves the substance binding to the serotonin receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system. These receptors are called 5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT, receptors. LSD binds to most types of these receptors except the 5-HT3 and 5-HT4 receptors. The most important receptor it binds to, which produced the majority of its effects, is called the 5-HT2A receptor. This causes a cross-activation of the heteromers of this receptor which is thought to produce to the psychedelic effect.
Large Doses
When consumed in large doses, LSD produces a profound psychedelic effect involving:
- Closed and open eye visuals
- Dilated pupils
- Reduced appetite
- Euphoria
- Heightened emotions
- An altered sense of reality
Small Doses
Small doses of LSD, referred to as a “microdose,” does not produce any of these strong effects. A real microdose should not produce any acute effects that are very noticeable, but rather a psychological and social benefit from regularly consuming microdoses. These effects may include increases in:
- Vitality
- Creativity
- Social ability
- Focus
- Analytical thinking
- Positive mood
- Memory
- Mindfulness
- General wellbeing
