Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies.
Robin J Murphy, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Harriet de Wit
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging May 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.01.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | LSD |
| Dose | 5-20 μg |
| Topics | LSD Microdosing |
| Keywords | Psychedelics hallucinogens Microdosing sub-perceptual dosing Entheogens Low-dose |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key findings | Low doses of LSD are safe and produce acute behavioral and neural effects in healthy adults, but repeated doses did not alter mood or cognition. |
Abstract
Taking regular low doses of psychedelic drugs (microdosing) is a practice that has drawn recent scientific and media attention for its potential psychotherapeutic effects. Yet, controlled studies evaluating this practice have lagged. Here, we review recent evidence focusing on studies that were conducted with rigorous experimental control. Studies conducted under laboratory settings using double-blind placebo-controlled procedures and investigator-supplied drug were compiled. The review includes demographic characteristics of participants and dependent measures such as physiological, behavioral, and subjective effects of the drugs. Review criteria were met by 14 studies, all of which involved acute or repeated low (5-20 μg) doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Acute microdoses of LSD dose-dependently altered blood pressure, sleep, neural connectivity, social cognition, mood, and perception of pain and time. Perceptible drug effects were reported at doses of 10 to 20 μg but not 5 μg. No serious adverse effects were reported. Repeated doses of LSD did not alter mood or cognition on any of the measures studied. The findings suggest that low doses of LSD are safe and produce acute behavioral and neural effects in healthy adults. Further studies are warranted to extend these findings to patient samples and to other psychedelic drugs and to investigate microdosing as a potential pharmacological treatment for psychiatric disorders.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Acute microdoses of LSD (5-20 μg) dose-dependently altered blood pressure, sleep, neural connectivity, social cognition, mood, and pain perception, but repeated doses did not alter mood or cognition on any measure studied.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on microdosing, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The emerging science of microdosing: A systematic review of research on low dose psychedelics (1955–2021) and recommendations for the field Human participants in microdosing studies | 2022 | Systematic review | n = 44 |
| The utility of microdosing over the past 5 years Drugs with published comparisons of microdose and therapeutic dose pharmacokinetics | 2008 | Systematic review | n = 18 |
| The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression Healthy volunteers and patient samples | 2020 | Systematic review | |
| Potential safety, benefits, and influence of the placebo effect in microdosing psychedelic drugs: A systematic review | 2020 | Systematic review | |
| Keeping the promise: a critique of the current state of microdosing research | 2024 | Systematic review |