Modern Psychedelic Microdosing Research on Mental Health

Summary & key facts

This systematic review looked at research on psychedelic microdosing and mental health. It found 19 studies (published from 2018 onward) that reported people often said low doses of LSD or psilocybin improved mood, focus, and daily functioning, while some people reported physical discomfort or more anxiety. The authors say the findings suggest a possible positive link but do not prove cause and effect because many studies were small, relied on self-report, or lacked strong controls, and they call for larger, double-blind, controlled trials.

Key facts:

• The authors searched PubMed and Scopus on December 25, 2022, for studies from January 1, 2012, to November 30, 2022; 45 records were found, 27 were unique, and 19 articles met the review criteria.
• The 19 included studies had publication dates from 2018 onward.
• Commonly studied substances for microdosing were LSD and psilocybin; other reported substances included mescaline, DMT, amphetamines, and Salvia divinorum.
• Users in several studies reported benefits such as improved mood, increased focus, and better daily functioning; some users also reported physiologic discomfort and increased anxiety.
• Some studies observed that positive expectations about microdosing were associated with better-reported outcomes (an expectation or placebo effect was noted).
• Microdosing is typically described in the literature as about one-tenth to one-twentieth of a recreational dose, though there is no universal definition.
• A common reported microdosing schedule is every 2 to 3 days, with possible residual effects lasting 1 to 2 days after a dose.
• The review used the QualSyst Quality Assessment Checklist to assess study quality and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023462188) and OSF.
• The authors concluded that a causal effect of microdosing on mental health is uncertain because of limited controlled studies, small sample sizes, and study design limitations, and they recommended more double-blind, placebo-controlled tria
• The article cites an estimate that over 5.5 million people in the United States have used psychedelics, noting rising popularity but limited rigorous research on microdosing.

Abstract

Author affiliations are listed at the end of this article.

Topics

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies Tryptophan and brain disorders

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Checklist Clinical psychology Cognitive psychology Data extraction Hallucinogen Law Medicine MEDLINE Mental health Mood Political science Psilocybin Psychiatry Psychology