Powerful substances in tiny amounts

Abstract

Aims: This article presents a qualitative interview study of people who microdose with psychedelic drugs, which means that the user takes about one tenth of an ordinary recreational dose. Design: Respondents (n ¼ 21) were recruited at several Internet fora for individual interviews via private messaging. Every participant was male, and the median respondent was in his 30s with a stable job and relationship and extensive entheogen experience. Results: Respondents tended to experiment with microdosing in phases, reporting mostly positive consequences from this form of drug use. Reported effects included improved mood, cognition, and creativity, which often served to counteract symptoms especially from conditions of anxiety and depression. There were also reports of various challenges with psychedelic microdosing, and some did not find the practice worth continuing. Conclusion: The study obtained evidence of a group of users taking small doses of psychedelics not for the purpose of intoxication but to enhance everyday functioning. While the study's findings are not generalisable, they may inform subsequent investigations with research questions and hypotheses.

Psychedelics as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia

“…The 5HT2A-R is found in high concentrations in regions of the brain vulnerable to dementia such as the prefrontal cortex and aforementioned hippocampus (Wood et al, 2012;Catlow et al, 2013;Bryson et al, 2017). Psychedelics induce brain plasticity and modify connectivity between brain regions and there is considerable anecdotal evidence of cognitive benefits from micro-dosing-a dose that does not cause perceptual change or impair functioning (Carhart-Harris et al, 2012;Wood et al, 2012;Catlow et al, 2013;Muthukumaraswamy et al, 2013;Zhang and Stackman, 2015;Griffiths et al, 2016;Carhart-Harris and Goodwin, 2017a;Carhart-Harris and Nutt, 2017;Johnstad, 2018;Fadiman and Korb, 2019;Kuypers et al, 2019;Lea et al, 2020a). This mini-review will explore the role of classical psychedelics psilocybin and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in treating AD with a focus on sub-perceptual-or ''micro''-dosing.…”

It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish

“…In other words, those groups did not replicate the typical behaviors observed on the control group. Currently, the use of microdoses (small doses without toxic effects named subclinical doses, such as 0.1) of psychedelics has gained popularity due to the positive consequences described on mood and cognition (Johnstad, 2018). However, we believe that even low doses of Ayahuasca used in a chronically exposure regime were responsible for hampering the mnemonic processes in zebrafish.…”

Chemical Creativity

“…But, the studies also point to adverse effects, and contra-indications for use. Johnstad (2018), from the University of Bergen, engaged online users in a qualitative microdosing study. He posted an online thread that, after describing the purpose of the study, asked for input.…”

“…Twenty-one respondents (all male, average age 30) agreed to be interviewed. Johnstad (2018) reports that his respondents reported positive health benefits, including feeling less depressed and anxious, though a few respondents experienced no effects at all and therefore stopped doing in. The participants in Johnstad's study, like many of the users referred to above, were interested in comparative efficacy.…”