Microdosing psychedelics: Demographics, practices, and psychiatric comorbidities
Daniel Rosenbaum, Cory R. Weissman, Thomas Anderson, Rotem Petranker, Lê-Anh Dinh-Williams, Katrina Hui, Emma Hapke
Journal of Psychopharmacology February 28, 2020 DOI: 10.1177/0269881120908004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 909 |
| Population | Adults recruited primarily from the online forum Reddit |
| Topics | Anxiety Psilocybin Microdosing |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Demographics Population |
| Citations | 75 |
| Key findings | Microdosers were significantly less likely to report a history of substance use disorders (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05–0.56) or anxiety disorders (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41–0.91) but more likely to report recent recreational substance use (OR = 5.2, 95% CI: 2.7–10.8) compared with non-microdosers. |
Abstract
Rationale: Microdosing psychedelics – the practice of consuming small, sub-hallucinogenic doses of substances such as LSD or psilocybin – is gaining attention in popular media but remains poorly characterized. Contemporary studies of psychedelic microdosing have yet to report the basic psychiatric descriptors of psychedelic microdosers.
Objectives: To examine the practices and demographics of a population of psychedelic microdosers – including their psychiatric diagnoses, prescription medications, and recreational substance use patterns – to develop a foundation on which to conduct future clinical research.
Methods: Participants ( n = 909; M age = 26.9, SD = 8.6; male = 83.2%; White/European = 79.1%) recruited primarily from the online forum Reddit completed an anonymous online survey. Respondents who reported using LSD, psilocybin, or both for microdosing were grouped and compared with non-microdosing respondents using exploratory odds ratio testing on demographic variables, rates of psychiatric diagnoses, and past-year recreational substance use.
Results: Of microdosers, most reported using LSD (59.3%; M dose = 13 mcg, or 11.3% of one tab) or psilocybin (25.9%; M dose = 0.3 g of dried psilocybin mushrooms) on a one-day-on, two-days-off schedule. Compared with non-microdosers, microdosers were significantly less likely to report a history of substance use disorders (SUDs; OR = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.05–0.56)) or anxiety disorders (OR = 0.61 (95% CI: 0.41–0.91)). Microdosers were also more likely to report recent recreational substance use compared with non-microdosers (OR = 5.2 (95% CI: 2.7–10.8)).
Conclusions: Well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of this practice in clinical populations and to test claims about potential benefits.