Microdosing

Some small studies and numerous anecdotal reports suggest people microdosing psychedelics (like LSD or psilocybin) say it improves their creativity, productivity, mood, and overall well-being. However, these reports are subjective and prone to placebo effects, expectation biases, and self-selection — people who opt to microdose may already be more positively inclined toward its benefits.

Meanwhile, large, rigorous, placebo-controlled trials — the kind we need to draw strong conclusions — remain scarce. There are also unanswered questions about:

• Safety:

  We don’t yet know the long-term effects of microdosing on the brain and body.

• Dosing:

  There’s no consensus on what constitutes a “microdose”—it typically falls around 5–10% of a recreational psychedelic dose, but this isn’t standardized.

• Efficacy:

  Positive effects may diminish over time or be influenced by the person’s mindset and setting.

So while microdosing has become popular and many people report subjective benefits, the science simply isn’t there yet to say it’s definitely effective or entirely safe.

The phenomenon you’re referring to is a form of placebo, where simply believing a treatment will help can produce a subjective improvement in symptoms — even if the treatment itself is inactive.

This is particularly challenging to account for in microdosing studies because the effects people report are often subtle and subjective (like feeling more creative or productive), and it’s hard to fully “blind” participants in a trial. If someone suspects they’re microdosing a psychedelic — or a placebo — their beliefs can profoundly influence their experience and reports.

Some well-controlled, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have addressed this by randomly assigning people to a microdose or a placebo without their knowledge. So far, many of these studies find little or no difference between the two groups — suggesting that expectancy effects may account for much of the perceived benefits.

Ultimately, while many people report subjective improvement with microdosing, the rigorous scientific view is that we need more high-quality research to separate true pharmacological effects from the power of expectation.

Lack of Standard

Definition:

There’s no universally accepted definition of microdosing. It typically involves taking about 1/20 to 1/10 of a recreational or “trip” dose — just enough to produce subtle effects without overt perceptual disturbances.

Potency and Dosage

Variability:

Because psilocybin mushrooms and LSD are unregulated and potency varies, it’s hard to know exactly how much you’re consuming.

• For psilocybin, a medium or “recreational” dose might be 2–3 grams of dried mushrooms. So a microdose might be around 0.1–0.3 grams — but this depends on the potency of the particular batch.
• For LSD, which is extremely potent at tiny amounts, a microdose typically falls in the range of 5–20 micrograms — about 1/20 or less of a typical 100 microgram “trip” tab.

Supply and Accuracy Issue:
Because these drugs are illegal and unregulated in most places, it’s nearly impossible for the average person to know the true dosage or purity of their material.
This makes microdosing a bit of a guessing game — adding a layer of risk — and underscores the need for rigorous controls in scientific studies.

Tolerance:
Using psychedelics repeatedly, even at microdoses, can lead to tolerance, which means you may need to take more to achieve the same effects.
Some practitioners recommend following a regimen — for example, taking a microdose once every 3 days — to allow tolerance to diminish.

WHY DO PEOPLE MICRODOSE

Some  people microdose for a range of reasons, although much of this is self-reported and not strongly supported by rigorous clinical trials.

Boost in Mood and Energy:

Some say microdosing provides a gentle lift — akin to a strong cup of coffee — improving their energy, motivation, and ability to concentrate.

Enhanced Creativity and Cognitive Function:

Artists, innovators, and problem-solvers sometimes use microdoses to “think outside the box” and come up with new perspectives or solutions.

General Well-being:

Some people report feeling more “in the flow”—more connected, present, and less stressed — in their daily lives.

Relief from Mental Health Symptoms:

A growing number of people microdose in an attempt to ease symptoms of:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• PTSD
• Addictions or substance use disorders

Physical Benefits:

Some also say it helps ease physical complaints, such as:

• Chronic pain
• Menstrual pain
• Cluster headaches or migraine attacks (this has a small but passionate community of advocates)

Importantly, while many find microdosing helpful, this is anecdotal, and we need rigorous, well-controlled studies to determine whether these effects are due to the psychedelic itself or simply a placebo or expectancy effects.

People who microdose psychedelics
report health related motivations
and lower levels of anxiety
and depression compared
to non‑microdosers

Population and Method:

This was a large observational study (n ≈ 4,050 microdosers and n ≈ 4,653 non-microdosers) that surveyed participants through a smartphone application (Microdose.me).
Most microdosers in this sample were using psilocybin (about 85%), and many were “stacking” it with other compounds, like Lion’s Mane or niacin.

Patterns of Use:

• Doses: 5–20 μg of LSD or 0.1–0.3 g of psilocybin.
• Schedule: Mostly a few times a week.
• Method: Often in combination with non-psychedelic compounds — a practice called stacking — although this is predominantly based on anecdote and tradition.

Demographics:

Microdosers were broadly similar to non-microdosers in age and education.
Some previous reports have suggested microdosers may be more likely to be male or to have a lower income, but in this large sample, those differences were small or non-significant.

Motivations:

• The main motives were health and wellness-related — reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, improving cognitive performance, and enhancing well-being.
• Among people with a history of mental health issues, these health-related motives were especially pronounced.

Outcome Measures:
Compared to non-microdosers:

• Microdosers with mental health concerns reported lower levels of depression, stress, and anxiety.
• Among those without mental health issues, the differences were less pronounced or non-significant.

Interpretation:

This suggests a potential association — microdosing may be related to improved subjective mental health outcomes, particularly in people who already suffer from conditions like depression or anxiety.

Caution:

Because the study is observational and cross-sectional, we can’t say for sure whether microdosing directly causes these improvements, or if people who microdose are different in some other way (such as lifestyle, health habits, or psychology).

Traditional context:

It’s worth noting the longstanding Indigenous use of small amounts of psychedelic mushrooms to treat ailments and foster well-being — a practice now experiencing a form of “modern rediscovery.”