LSD and microdosing

Studies whose primary subject is both LSD and Microdosing, with an evidence synthesis read across the most-cited and most recent of them.

State of the evidence

Synthesized September 21, 2026

Synthesized from 25 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below

Found by searching the library for LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, lysergide, Microdosing, micro-dosing, sub-perceptual dosing, then ranked by relevance.

The research on LSD microdosing is mixed. Controlled trials consistently find that low doses of LSD produce acute, dose-day effects (mild mood elevation, altered neural connectivity, increased reward-related brain activity), but repeated dosing does not produce lasting improvements in mood or cognition in healthy adults. In clinical populations, open-label trials report large reductions in depression scores, but the one randomized controlled trial with an active placebo found no advantage over caffeine, suggesting expectancy and placebo effects may explain much of the reported benefit. The main caveats are small samples, short follow-up, and the difficulty of blinding participants to a psychoactive drug.

Evidence by study

Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.

What the directions mean

Supports:: the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
Opposes:: it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
No effect:: no significant difference either way.
Mixed:: effects in both directions within the same study.
Unclear:: the abstract does not report a direction.

Study	Design	Sample size	Direction	Finding
Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook 2019	mixed-methods study		Unclear	Develops a taxonomy of reported microdosing benefits and challenges to identify intervention targets for future research.
Might Microdosing Psychedelics Be Safe and Beneficial? An Initial Exploration. 2019	observational cohort	1000	Supports	Spaced but repeated microdoses of LSD (10 micrograms every three days) were followed by improvements in negative moods, especially depression, and increases in positive moods, energy, and work effectiveness.
Preliminary Report on the Effects of a Low Dose of LSD on Resting-State Amygdala Functional Connectivity. 2019	RCT	20	Mixed	A single 13 μg dose of LSD altered amygdala functional connectivity with several brain regions, and changes in amygdala–middle frontal gyrus connectivity were positively correlated with positive mood, though effects on mood itself were weak and variable.
Acute Mood-Elevating Properties of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Volunteers: A Home-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial. 2023	RCT	80	Mixed	Microdosing LSD (10 μg every 3 days for 6 weeks) produced transient mood-elevating effects on dose days but no lasting improvements in overall mood or cognition, with treatment-related anxiety prompting withdrawal of 4 participants from the LSD group.
Microdosing psychedelics: Subjective benefits and challenges, substance testing behavior, and the relevance of intention 2020	cross-sectional survey	6753	Supports	Perceived benefits of microdosing greatly outweighed challenges, with enhanced mood, creativity, focus and sociability commonly reported, but most participants did not test their substances and approach-intention predicted fewer benefits.
Low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) increase reward-related brain activity. 2023	within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment	18	Supports	Single low doses of LSD (13 μg and 26 μg) increased reward-related event-related potential components compared to placebo, indicating enhanced hedonic, motivational, and affective processing of reward feedback.
The risk of chronic psychedelic and MDMA microdosing for valvular heart disease 2023	review		Opposes	Chronic psychedelic microdosing may pose a risk of valvular heart disease due to activation of the 5-HT2B receptor, but no appropriately designed animal or clinical studies were found.
Greater subjective effects of a low dose of LSD in participants with depressed mood. 2024	RCT	39	Supports	A low dose of LSD (26 µg) produced more pronounced positive mood, stimulant-like effects, and altered states of consciousness in individuals with depressive symptoms compared to non-depressed individuals, with a greater decline in depression scores 48 hours after dosing.
Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies. 2024	systematic review		Mixed	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.
An open-label pilot trial assessing tolerability and feasibility of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder (LSDDEP1). 2023	open-label pilot trial	20	Unclear	Describes the protocol for an 8-week LSD microdosing trial in patients with major depressive disorder to assess tolerability and feasibility; no results are reported.
Set and setting in microdosing: an oft-overlooked principle. 2022	theoretical		Unclear	Argues that set and setting are crucial for determining microdosing outcomes and that their omission from clinical trials may explain contradictory findings.
Macrodosing to microdosing with psychedelics: Clinical, social, and cultural perspectives 2022	review		Unclear	Argues that microdosing is a nascent practice with potential therapeutic and enhancement benefits, but its effects remain mostly unexplored in formal research.
Sociological investigations of human enhancement drugs: The case of microdosing psychedelics 2021	commentary		Unclear	Argues that microdosing psychedelics represents an emerging facet of human enhancement through drugs and identifies directions for sociological study.
Inter-individual variability in neural response to low doses of LSD. 2024	RCT	53	Mixed	Acute responses to low doses of LSD (15 mcg) depended on baseline cognitive state, with stimulatory effects strongest in those with low arousal and attention and inhibitory effects strongest in high memory performers.
Is microdosing a placebo? A rapid review of low-dose LSD and psilocybin research 2024	rapid review	19	Mixed	Reviews 19 placebo-controlled microdosing studies and concludes that microdosing with LSD and psilocybin leads to changes in neurobiology, physiology, subjective experience, affect, and cognition relative to placebo, and that claims it is predominantly a placebo are premature.
230. LSD microdosing for depression: hype or hope? A randomised controlled trial in major depressive disorder 2026	RCT		No effect	Microdosed LSD was not superior to active placebo (caffeine) for reducing depressive symptoms: MADRS scores fell 29.9% with LSD versus 36.4% with placebo, a non-significant difference with moderate evidence favoring the null.
Prevalence and Reasons for Microdosing Cannabis, Psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA Among U.S. Adults 2026	cross-sectional survey	1523	Unclear	LSD was microdosed by 4.8% of respondents (lifetime), more commonly for recreational than medical purposes, and microdosing was more common among those with poorer mental health.
A New Use for an Old Compound: Microdosing LSD to Reduce Fibromyalgia Symptoms 2026	preclinical animal study		Supports	Microdosed LSD improved pain sensitivity, discomfort, and wellbeing measures in a mouse model of fibromyalgia in a sex- and route-dependent manner without major safety concerns.
LSD microdosing for major depressive disorder: Mood and pharmacokinetic outcomes from a Phase 2a trial 2026	clinical trial		Supports	Short-term mood improvements followed microdosed LSD (8 μg) in people with depression, with no tolerance or sensitisation observed despite dose titration.
Self-medication with psychedelics: a scoping review and narrative synthesis of review-level evidence 2026	scoping review		Supports	Individuals self-medicating with psychedelics, particularly psilocybin and LSD, report symptom relief for conditions such as cluster headache, with about 40% achieving full remission and 70% reporting preventive benefit.
Effects of psychedelic microdosing on cognitive functions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. 2026	meta-analysis	1614	Opposes	Microdosing classical psychedelics significantly decreased cognitive control with no detectable effects on other cognitive domains, and neither substance type, dosage, nor duration moderated the effects.
It’s all about the relationship: The caregiver experience of supporting a person with advanced cancer going through an LSD microdosing trial 2026	theoretical		Unclear	Argues that caregivers should be included alongside patients in psychedelic-assisted therapy trials for cancer-related distress because of the bidirectional relationship in well-being between cancer dyads.
Qualitative content analysis of expectations in participants with depression about to begin LSD microdosing treatment: Identifying the need for psychedelic expectancy measures. 2025	qualitative study	23	Unclear	Participants' expectations before microdosing LSD were shaped by media and prior treatment failure, with hope acting as both a motivator and a disappointment buffer.
Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP): A randomised, double-dummy, triple-blind, active placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder (LSDDEP2) 2025	statistical analysis plan		Unclear	Specifies analyses to assess efficacy and safety of LSD versus active placebo (caffeine) in a trial of patients with major depressive disorder; no results are reported.
LSD microdosing in major depressive disorder: results from an open-label trial 2025	open-label phase 2A trial	19	Supports	Microdosed LSD (8 μg initially, then 6-20 μg twice weekly) was safe and feasible and was associated with a 59.5% reduction in depression scores sustained for up to six months, though limited by an open-label design and small sample size.

Points of agreement

Controlled trials consistently find acute, dose-day effects of low-dose LSD on mood, neural connectivity, and reward processing.
Repeated microdosing does not produce lasting improvements in mood or cognition in healthy adults.
Microdosing LSD appears relatively safe in the short term, with anxiety being the most notable adverse event.
Self-report surveys and open-label trials report perceived benefits, especially for mood and depression.
Expectancy and set/setting are widely considered important moderators of microdosing outcomes.

Conflicts

Open-label trials report large reductions in depression scores, but a randomized controlled trial with an active placebo found no advantage over caffeine.
Self-report and observational studies report mood and cognitive benefits, while controlled trials find only transient or no lasting effects.
One review concludes that microdosing is not predominantly a placebo, while a randomized controlled trial suggests expectancy and placebo effects may explain much of the benefit.
A meta-analysis found decreased cognitive control with microdosing, while some self-report studies claim cognitive enhancement.

Gaps

Long-term safety of chronic microdosing, including valvular heart disease risk, is uncharacterized.
Most controlled studies have small sample sizes and short follow-up periods.
Blinding is difficult because participants can often detect the psychoactive effects of LSD.
Few studies have been conducted in clinical populations, and most have been in healthy adults.
Optimal dose, dosing schedule, and duration of microdosing are not established.
The role of set, setting, and expectancy is rarely measured or reported in trials.

Browse these studies in the library

Common questions

What does the research agree on about LSD and microdosing?

Controlled trials consistently find acute, dose-day effects of low-dose LSD on mood, neural connectivity, and reward processing.
Repeated microdosing does not produce lasting improvements in mood or cognition in healthy adults.
Microdosing LSD appears relatively safe in the short term, with anxiety being the most notable adverse event.
Self-report surveys and open-label trials report perceived benefits, especially for mood and depression.
Expectancy and set/setting are widely considered important moderators of microdosing outcomes.

Where do studies on LSD and microdosing conflict?

Open-label trials report large reductions in depression scores, but a randomized controlled trial with an active placebo found no advantage over caffeine.
Self-report and observational studies report mood and cognitive benefits, while controlled trials find only transient or no lasting effects.
One review concludes that microdosing is not predominantly a placebo, while a randomized controlled trial suggests expectancy and placebo effects may explain much of the benefit.
A meta-analysis found decreased cognitive control with microdosing, while some self-report studies claim cognitive enhancement.

What is still unknown about LSD and microdosing?

Long-term safety of chronic microdosing, including valvular heart disease risk, is uncharacterized.
Most controlled studies have small sample sizes and short follow-up periods.
Blinding is difficult because participants can often detect the psychoactive effects of LSD.
Few studies have been conducted in clinical populations, and most have been in healthy adults.
Optimal dose, dosing schedule, and duration of microdosing are not established.
The role of set, setting, and expectancy is rarely measured or reported in trials.

How we analyze this

This synthesis reads the 15 most-cited and 10 most recent studies whose primary subject is LSD and microdosing, up to 25 in all. The most-cited set anchors the established evidence, and the recent set surfaces work that is too new to have gathered citations yet.

A study qualifies only when LSD and microdosing or a known alias appears in its title or keywords, so broad reviews that mention it only in passing are left out. Each study is read from its abstract, strongest evidence first, and the summary reports the direction of the results along with any conflicts and gaps.

The full method, including what a person does and does not review, is on the methods page.

Ask your own question in the Research Synthesis Tool

47 articles · 21 from the last two years · 14,991 participants across 23 studies reporting sample size

Common study designs

review 6 observational cohort 2 cross-sectional survey 3 randomized controlled trial 11 theoretical or philosophical paper 2

Research volume by year

Compare topics →

47 studies whose primary subject is LSD and microdosing since 2019

2026 is partial

Show the numbers

Studies about LSD and microdosing per year, 2019 to 2026, peaking at 14 in 2025
Year	Studies
2019	4
2020	2
2021	2
2022	3
2023	6
2024	9
2025	14
2026	7

Research

Synthesize the evidence →

230. LSD microdosing for depression: hype or hope? A randomised controlled trial in major depressive disorder

International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology September 1, 2026

Abstract Background Depressive disorders affect approximately 280 million people worldwide, with many patients finding existing treatments ineffective or limited by adverse effects. Growing evidence from community microdosing reports suggests that psychedelic therapies may help alleviate depressive symptoms. Among these, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) microdosing has shown particular promise...

DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyag040.021 Full text

Prevalence and Reasons for Microdosing Cannabis, Psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA Among U.S. Adults

American Journal of Preventive Medicine May 4, 2026 Kevin H. Yang, Nora Satybaldiyeva, Wayne Kepner et al. 1 citation

IntroductionMicrodosing involves consuming low doses of psychoactive substances, typically between 1/5th and 1/20th of a recreational dose. Despite increasing public attention to cannabis and psychedelics amid evolving drug policies, epidemiologic data on microdosing remain limited.MethodsA cross-sectional, web-based survey (Characterizing the Epidemiology of Cannabidiol Use Survey) of 1,523...

DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108381 Full text MDMA Medline Young adult Drug +2

A New Use for an Old Compound: Microdosing LSD to Reduce Fibromyalgia Symptoms

April 17, 2026 Sara Arciniegas Ruiz, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, Hagit Eldar-Finkelman

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. Available treatments often provide limited relief, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches. Repurposing offers a faster and more cost-effective path to innovation. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), historically known for its psychedelic effects, has...

DOI: 10.14293/idr.26.001sa Full text Mood Fibromyalgia Dosing Chronic pain +4

LSD microdosing for major depressive disorder: Mood and pharmacokinetic outcomes from a Phase 2a trial

Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry February 18, 2026 Dimitri Henriques Daldegan-Bueno, C Donegan, Rachael Sumner et al. 1 citation

Results suggest short-term improvements in mood following microdosed LSD in people with depression, warranting confirmation in controlled trials. It provides the pharmacokinetic parameters of 8 μg of LSD in a sample of people with depression and indicates no tolerance or sensitisation to repeated microdoses of LSD, despite incremental dose titration.

DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2026.111645 Major depressive disorder Pharmacokinetics Depression economics Depressive symptoms +6

Self-medication with psychedelics: a scoping review and narrative synthesis of review-level evidence

Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy February 4, 2026 Shreya Shiju, Rohan Tirumala, Elliot Marseille

Background: As public and scientific interest in psychedelics grows, unsupervised use for health purposes is increasing. In the U.S., past-year hallucinogen use nearly doubled from 2015 to 2023. Many individuals report self-treating physical or psychological symptoms without medical supervision using psychedelics—a practice termed self-medication. Despite this trend, review-level syntheses...

DOI: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2026.100709 Full text Psilocybin LSD Microdosing Psychedelics +2

Effects of psychedelic microdosing on cognitive functions: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 2026 Netta Pinhas, Nofar Eidlman, Avigail Barnea et al. 2 citations

Microdosing - the practice of consuming extremely low doses of classical psychedelic substances that do not elicit overt psychedelic effects - has gained significant attention as a potential method for enhancing cognitive performance. However, findings from controlled studies remain mixed and inconclusive. This preregistered meta-analysis examined the cognitive effects of classical psychedelic...

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106493 Full text Lysergic acid diethylamide Microdosing Psilocybin Cognitive performance +2

It’s all about the relationship: The caregiver experience of supporting a person with advanced cancer going through an LSD microdosing trial

Palliative & Supportive Care 2026 Fiona Cottam, Alesha Wells, Cerys Clayden et al.

Participation in trials investigating psychedelic-assisted MCP may offer hope for patients and their caregivers. Given the bidirectional relationship in wellbeing between cancer dyads, caregivers should be included alongside patients in such trials.

DOI: 10.1017/s1478951526101977 Full text Clinical trial Psychotherapist Terminal cancer Cancer treatment +7

What is it like to microdose LSD for depression? a thematic analysis of participant interviews from an open-label trial.

Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology December 4, 2025 Carina Joy Donegan, Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Rachael Sumner et al.

Background: Depressive disorders affect approximately 280 million globally, with many finding treatments ineffective or limited by side effects. Growing evidence suggests that psychedelic therapies may help alleviate depressive symptoms. Among these, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) microdosing shows promise for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, research on LSD microdosing in clinical...

DOI: 10.1177/20451253251396253 Full text Lysergic acid diethylamide Major depressive disorder Microdosing Qualitative research +2

Qualitative content analysis of expectations in participants with depression about to begin LSD microdosing treatment: Identifying the need for psychedelic expectancy measures.

Neuropharmacology December 1, 2025 Carina Joy Donegan, Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Tehseen Noorani et al. 4 citations

Expectations can impact antidepressant treatment and psychedelic therapy, often enhancing placebo effects and influencing outcomes. However, research in this context is lacking. Our study explored the expectations of participants with major depressive disorder (MDD) before microdosing lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in an open-label trial. Twenty-three individuals with MDD completed a...

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110670 Full text Depression LSD Microdosing Expectancy +4

Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP): A randomised, double-dummy, triple-blind, active placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of LSD microdosing in patients with major depressive disorder (LSDDEP2)

Open MIND November 17, 2025 Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Alana Cavadino

The analyses described in this SAP will assess the efficacy and safety of LSD (MB-22001) in comparison with active placebo (caffeine). The analysis described cover those for the primary, secondary and safety endpoints described in the Protocol.

DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/tk739

Clinical trials

Microdosing LSD in Women With Premenstrual Disorders (opens in new tab)

Not yet recruiting 150 participants Friederike Holze

All lsd and microdosing trials →