Can Microdosing Psychedelics Actually Improve Your Health?
Treated with Dr. Sara Szal
Exploring the Benefits and Research Gaps of Microdosing Psychedelics
This chapter examines the practice of microdosing psychedelics and its potential benefits for mental health and creativity. It combines personal experiences with anecdotal evidence and limited research, highlighting the necessity for further studies, especially concerning women's health.
Did you know that some people take a small dose of LSD in the morning instead of an SSRI to treat depression? Microdosing psychedelics has become more mainstream, and today, Dr. Sara explores the growing body of research on microdosing to improve overall health. Although limited, studies have shown that microdosing LSD and psilocybin can improve blood pressure, sleep, mood, social cognition, and—anecdotally—creativity, with no reported adverse side effects. Dr. Sara examines the intricacies of these studies and highlights some of their limitations—particularly the lack of research on microdosing in women, and why this needs to change as the field continues to grow. To finish, Dr. Sara shares her personal experience with microdosing and what she hopes to see in the future.
// BOOKS AND ARTICLES ON MICRODOSING //
‘Microdosing: The people taking LSD with their breakfast’
‘Silicon Valley Is Micro-Dosing ‘Magic Mushrooms’ To Boost Their Careers’
‘Microdosing Psilocybin Mushrooms Improves Mood And Mental Health After One Month, New Study Finds’
Ayelet Waldman — A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life
James Fadiman — Microdosing for Health, Healing, and Enhanced Performance
James Fadiman — The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys
// RESOURCES ON MICRODOSING LSD //
Study published in 2024 (examining doses of 5 to 20 micrograms of LSD): Murphy, Robin J., Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, and Harriet de Wit. 2024. "Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies." Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging 9 (5): 500-511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2024.01.002.
Study published in 2024 by Allen et al. (examining 10 micrograms of LSD in men): Allen, Nathan, Aron Jeremiah, Robin Murphy, Rachael Sumner, Anna Forsyth, Nicholas Hoeh, David Menkes, William Evans, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Frederick Sundram, and Partha Roop. 2024. "LSD Increases Sleep Duration the Night After Microdosing." Translational Psychiatry 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-02900-4.
Study of eight men given LSD for creativity: Murphy, R.J., R.L. Sumner, K. Godfrey, et al. 2025. "Multimodal Creativity Assessments Following Acute and Sustained Microdosing of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide." Psychopharmacology 242: 337–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06680-z.
Study in men on LSD and sleep (80 subjects): Allen, Nathan, Aron Jeremiah, Robin Murphy, Rachael Sumner, Anna Forsyth, Nicholas Hoeh, David B. Menkes, William Evans, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Frederick Sundram, and Partha Roop. 1 2024. "LSD Increases Sleep Duration the Night After Microdosing." Translational Psychiatry 14 (1): 191.
// RESOURCES ON MICRODOSING MUSHROOMS //
Study of 34 people given 0.5 grams of dried mushroom: Cavanna, Federico, Stephanie Muller, Laura Alethia de la Fuente, Federico Zamberlan, Matías Palmucci, Lucie Janeckova, Martin Kuchar, Carla Pallavicini, and Enzo Tagliazucchi. 2021. "Microevidence for Microdosing with Psilocybin Mushrooms: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of Subjective Effects, Behavior, Creativity, Perception, Cognition, and Brain Activity." bioRxiv 2021.11.30.470657. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.11.30.470657.
// RESOURCES ON MICRODOSING LSD AND MUSHROOMS //
Polito, Vince, and Priyanka Liknaitzky. 2022. "The Emerging Science of Microdosing: A Systematic Review of Research on Low Dose Psychedelics (1955-2021) and Recommendations for the Field." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 139 (August): 104706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104706.
Polito V, Liknaitzky P. Is microdosing a placebo? A rapid review of low-dose LSD and psilocybin research. J Psychopharmacol. 2024 Aug;38(8):701-711. doi: 10.1177/02698811241254831. Epub 2024 Jun 14. PMID: 38877715; PMCID: PMC11311906.
// KEEP IN TOUCH WITH DR. SARA //
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Follow on IG: @saragottfriedmd @treatedwithdrsara
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