The Effects of Psychedelic Microdosing on Mental Health: A Systematic Review
David F Lo, Hasan Zia, Adarsh Thakur, Praneetha Rajkumar, Don D. Shamilov
Research Posters May 2, 2024 DOI: 10.31986/issn.2689-0690_rdw.stratford_research_day.96_2024 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Individuals who microdose psychedelics for mental health conditions |
| Topics | Microdosing |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Microdosing with psychedelics is associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, but also with side effects like difficulty sleeping and headaches. |
Abstract
This poster explores the effects of psychedelic microdosing on mental health conditions. Roughly 5.5 million individuals in the U.S. utilize psychedelics to treat their mental health issues. The primary substances used for microdosing currently include LSD and psilocybin, but mescaline, DMT, and amphetamines are used less commonly. This systematic review included 16 unique articles. The types of articles included: observational, placebo, self-reported, motivational, literature review, and comparative studies. The studies indicated lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among those that microdose. However, drawbacks such as difficulty sleeping and headaches were reported. Various studies have been published on the effects of microdosing, yet studies with greater sample sizes as well as double blind studies would lead to a greater understanding of this modality of treatment.
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 | |
| Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies. Healthy adults | 2024 | Systematic review |