Narrative identity, rationality, and microdosing classic psychedelics

Webb, Megan; Copes, Heith; Hendricks, Peter S.

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.04.013

Cited by 48 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The current survey demonstrates that self-medication with MDP was experienced to be more effective compared to conventional treatment in case of anxiety, ADHD/ADD, and physiological disorders such as pain. These findings are in line with anecdotal reports and interview studies reporting the use of psychedelic microdoses to substitute conventional prescribed medications (11, 12, 26). As no experimental comparison between MDP and conventional (non)pharmacological treatments for disorders exists, one can only speculate about the reasons why MDP is found to be more effective.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Referred to as “microdosing,” users report consuming about one tenth of a recreational dose (1, 2), to enhance daily functions, without inducing a profound altered state of consciousness (2–9). While the primary motivation to microdose is indeed to enhance performance, including creativity and mental concentration (10), it is also reported to be used to alleviate psychological and physical symptoms, such as anxiety and headache (10–12). However, empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of microdosing with psychedelics to relieve the aforementioned symptoms is currently lacking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-Rated Effectiveness of Microdosing With Psychedelics for Mental and Physical Health Problems Among Microdosers

et al. 2019

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Background: There is a growing interest in the use of psychedelic substances for health related purposes, including symptom relief for disorders like anxiety, depression, and pain. Although the focus of recent clinical trials has been on high doses of these substances, anecdotal evidence suggests that low (micro) doses are also effective, and may be more suitable for certain conditions. Nonetheless, empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of microdosing with psychedelics for symptomatic relief is lacking. The present study aimed to investigate, by means of an online questionnaire, the self-rated effectiveness (SRE) of microdosing with psychedelics (MDP) for mental and physiological disorders compared to the conventional prescribed treatment and to regular doses of psychedelics. Methods: An online questionnaire was launched on several websites and fora between March and July 2018. Respondents who had consented, were 18 years of age or older, had experience with microdosing and were diagnosed with at least one mental or physiological disorder by a medical doctor or therapist (N = 410; 7.2%) were included in the analyses. Odds ratio were calculated to compare the SRE of MDP with conventional treatment, and regular psychedelic doses for mental and physiological diagnoses for each of the three effectiveness questions (“Did it work,” “Symptom disappear,” “Quality of life improved”). Results: Odds ratio showed that SRE of MDP was significantly higher compared to that of conventional treatments for both mental and physiological diagnoses; and that these effects were specific for ADHD/ADD and anxiety disorders. In contrast, SRE of MDP was lower compared to that of higher, regular psychedelic doses for mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, while for physiological disorders no difference was shown. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that SRE of MDP to alleviate symptoms of a range of mental or physiological diagnoses is higher compared to conventionally offered treatment options, and lower than regular (‘full’) psychedelic doses. Future RCTs in patient populations should objectively assess the effectivity claims of psychedelics, and whether these are dose related, disorder specific, and superior to conventional treatments.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Rated Effectiveness of Microdosing With Psychedelics for Mental and Physical Health Problems Among Microdosers

et al. 2019

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“…Noen få av deltakerne drev med såkalt mikrodosering, hvor en jevnlig tar små doser som normalt ikke vil kunne gi psykoaktive virkninger (Webb, Copes, & Hendricks, 2019). De var en helt annen gruppe.…”

Section: Ubeskriveligunclassified

Møter med det hellige: bruk av LSD,fleinsopp og andre psykedeliske stoffer

Pedersen

2020

TfS

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“…15,16 In a recent survey, users reported taking between 6 and 20 mcg LSD and 0.2-0.5 g of dried psilocybin mushrooms 13,17,18 with a microdosing frequency that ranges between 2 and 4 times a week, this for a few weeks, to months, or even years, although the latter is rare. 15,18 Reported short-term benefits of microdosing include an increase in positive mood, a decrease in negative mood, and in improvement relationships with others and their environment, 15,[17][18][19][20][21] which seems to be in line with the effects of full psychedelic doses, though without the perceptual effects. Interestingly enough, users sometimes attribute different effects to the different substances where LSD is more associated with cognitive and/or stimulating effects and psilocybin with emotional or well-being effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression

Kuypers

2020

Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology

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Microdosing psychedelics is the repeated use of small doses of, for example, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, typically for a few weeks. Despite the popular and scientific attention in recent years, and claims by users that it has therapeutic value in affective disorders like depression, little scientific knowledge is available to back this. The purpose of this review was to investigate whether there are scientific grounds to state that this practice could be helpful in the treatment of affective disorders, and safe to use repeatedly. To that end, the literature (PubMed, MedLine) was searched, looking for (controlled) experimental studies with low doses of LSD and/or psilocybin, in healthy volunteers and patient samples. After a selection process and the addition of relevant articles, 14 experimental studies entered this review. Findings show that both LSD (10–20 mcg) and psilocybin (<1–3 mg) have subtle (positive) effects on cognitive processes (time perception, convergent and divergent thinking) and brain regions involved in affective processes. Besides the pleasant experience, increased anxiety and a cycling pattern of depressive and euphoric mood were also found. With regard to safety, it was demonstrated that low doses are well tolerated (in healthy volunteers) and have no-to-minimal effects on physiological measures. While it is yet unclear whether psychedelic microdosing is of therapeutic value for depression, the aforementioned effects on selective processes suggest that low doses of psychedelics could play a role in depression by inducing some kind of cognitive flexibility, which might lead to decreased rumination. While previous studies were conducted mostly in small samples of healthy volunteers, future placebo-controlled clinical trials in depressed patients are required to understand the therapeutic value of microdosing psychedelics, how this differs from therapy using full psychedelic doses, and whether different psychedelics have different effect patterns. The proposed research will give new insights into the potential of future alternative psychiatric treatment forms that are fiercely needed.

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Narrative identity, rationality, and microdosing classic psychedelics

Cited by 48 publications

References 29 publications

Self-Rated Effectiveness of Microdosing With Psychedelics for Mental and Physical Health Problems Among Microdosers

Self-Rated Effectiveness of Microdosing With Psychedelics for Mental and Physical Health Problems Among Microdosers

Møter med det hellige: bruk av LSD,fleinsopp og andre psykedeliske stoffer

The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression

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