Is Microdosing For Me? The Answer May Surprise You

Tech gurus are doing it to be more productive, artists are doing it to be more creative, but what is it? Is it a wonder drug? Is it going to make me jump off a building? Can I get it in the supermarket??

I've been microdosing LSD for 4yrs now and although there have been ups and downs, It has definitely made me a better person along the way and I credit the practice of “dosing” with not only a more open outlook on life but also it has been behind many beneficial decisions and life course corrections I've made along the way.

Microdosing can be a complex beast. It can make an impossible task easy, or a simple task hard. It can make the mundane beautiful and the everyday intriguing. It can make you feel joyous, agitated, motivated, confused and then joyous all over again. It has no doubt found a special place in my heart and has become a key part of my life toolkit, but what exactly is microdosing - and is it for you?

WHAT IS IT?

Taking the official definition of the word microdosing and splicing in the subject matter of this blog we can see that microdosing is:

“The practice of taking a tiny (10 microgram) amount of (LSD) every 3 days to benefit (sometimes) from its physiological action (stimulating your brain juice) while minimising undesirable side effects (ie. getting you actually high).”

Basically, taking such a small amount of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) that any physical or noticeable effects like psychedelic visuals should not be perceptible. This means everything should look and feel normal. This is termed a “sub-perceptible” dose and this is key to the whole concept. What you don't want is for the effects of the drug to become apparent unexpectedly.

Tripping on LSD whilst at work is NOT a good time (trust me). If this happens, the dose is too high and you have officially left the realm of “sub-perceptible”. You are then toeing the line of a full blown psychedelic trip (also a fun time.. But there you are talking MACROdosing not microdosing). To be clear, this is not the goal and too high a dose in my opinion is likely the reason behind many of the negative accounts of microdosing. Getting the dose right is easy when you know how and I will cover this in a future post.

I should note that LSD is not the only psychedelic that can be microdosed. There are many, but psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and LSD are the two more accessible and least scary at this point in time. Microdosing psilocybin is not something I have had first hand experience with. I would, however, like to try it as an experiment for this blog to compare the differences with LSD. Something for a future post ;)

LSD is a very powerful drug. So powerful in fact that it is measured in micrograms (there are 1,000,000 micrograms in 1 gram), with 10mcg being the approx optimal dose for a microdose. To put this in perspective a tab of LSD, which is a small 5mm square piece of blotter paper soaked in the drug - and generally how it arrives in your hand - is around 100mcg.

So a dose when microdosing is 10% of a dose that will send you on a spiritual journey of colours and cosmos shifting thoughts for a good 8-10hrs! (See this post for a guide to getting the dose right)

But remember - we are trying to keep it sub-perceptible, which is why 10mcg is the magic number. Taking a 10mcg dose doesn't get you high, just like having a shot of beer doesn't get you drunk. But unlike having a shot of beer, that small amount of LSD does something to your brain that is very hard to define. It changes it somehow.

“It nudges a few neurons and tickles a few synapses to subtly alter the lens with which you view the world”.

Science has no real answers yet regarding what these effects actually are, let alone what causes them. The illegal nature of psychedelics has unfortunately meant little to no research has occurred as yet. There is a growing body of qualitative research, however, that looks to understand from first hand user experience what the effects are and where further research may be most useful. Early research has shown that it may be beneficial for mental health problems relating to addiction, anxiety and depression. There isn't much hard quantitative evidence, however, which leaves the practice of microdosing LSD as a somewhat fringe activity done in the shadows.

The act of microdosing a substance is not new. In fact, microdosing (other drugs - not psychedelics) is how the pharmaceutical industry does their final checks on a drug. They do this to test it’s viability for human consumption with a low enough dose to avoid whole-body effects, but high enough to allow the cellular response to be studied.

In a way, the cohort of pioneering psychedelic microdosers out there in the world are the human test subjects for a massive worldwide unregulated study of the effects. Seeing as I am one of these pioneers, I sure do hope the long-term effects are manageable :S

WHY WOULD YOU DO IT?

If it is untested, un-regulated, Illegal and potentially dangerous, why would anyone do this I hear you say? Typing this out now, I chuckle to myself too because it does sound ridiculous. Why would you want to do this?

Why you would START microdosing is going to be different for everyone. For some, it is the allure of potentially unlocking some hidden facet of their mind. For others, it is a last ditch attempt to break free from the crippling claws of depression and anxiety. For me, it was for the most part curiosity. I had been doing a lot of reading about psychedelics and felt a real pull to try it out for myself. If it was anything like the movie Limitless, and I could skip the whole, losing my mind part, I was in!

I have always been an experimenter. I enjoy trying to find a secret edge that would let me be just that little bit better version of myself. I've Keto dieted, I've fasted, I've meditated and done breathe work. I've also tried a healthy concoction of every supplement under the sun. I don't like to leave any stone unturned. When microdosing came onto my radar there was no question - I had to try it out.

Now, why someone would KEEP microdosing is a different story altogether. This is where things get a little bit … well.. “undefined” I guess you could say.

Ask 10 different people why they microdose and you will likely get 10 very different answers. All of which are likely hovering around the vicinity of “it just makes me feel good” or “I'm happier” or “the colours just smell better” or something like that. The fact is, some people try microdosing once and it's not for them. They don't go back for a second time, they just get on with their life. That’s fine - that’s how the world should work.

The people who become practiced microdosers, they do it because they find some benefit in the process. The benefits are actually a large part of why I started this blog. Second of course to seeing my name in lights when this blog blows up! YEEEEWWWWWW. No. That won't happen. Unless….. No.

“I have tried to pinpoint what exactly is happening and why at the end of “dose day” you go to bed feeling like you just “had a really good day”... Nothing more, nothing less. Just a “really good day”.

I mean, what more could you ask for? I have spent years trying to understand what exactly it IS that makes that feeling. What is the thing that happens that makes me feel the day was a good one? I have a LOT of observations from the past few years that are attempts on my part to define the feeling and the mechanisms behind it, and even how it can be replicated without the drug. All of which will form the basis of this blog going forward.

But microdosing is a personal thing. I have close friends who have been with me on the microdose journey and we share some observations - but others are unique. As an unregulated drug there are no “benefits” and “side effects” written on the bottle like other drugs. The only real research that exists at this point in time is in the form of mass qualitative analysis of many different users from around the world via an anonymous online survey. Some of this should be taken with a grain of salt due to the unregulated nature of the study, but there are some key stats that start to emerge from the data.

The study that looked at qualitative reports of real-world microdosers found that 26.6% scored improved mood as a benefit along with 14.8% improved focus. But the study also shows some drawbacks. Physiological discomfort scored 18% along with increased anxiety scoring 6.7%.

The study also showed open mindedness and creativity scoring above average.

I can definitely say that I have felt all of these effects in my time dosing. Sometimes all on the same day. But any discomfort or negative effect I can generally draw back to a miss-alignment of the dose quantity and whatever activity I was doing that day. Getting the dose right is critical. Too little can leave you feeling nothing, whilst too much can leave you anxious and a little bit wired as your body tries to understand what is going on.

“Remember, sub-perceptible is the key!”

Suffice to say the results are inconclusive at this point in time and this post has likely left you with more questions than answers! Well it is lucky you have found this blog! Stick with me as over the coming posts we take some deep dives into all of this in more detail. Here is what we have yet to come:

• Deep dive into the benefits/side effects - I will break down the current research and sprinkle in as much first hand experience as I can muster to give the clearest unbiased picture of what happens and how it makes you feel.

• Deep dive into how microdosing is actually done - What is the process? What is the dose? How do you do it? When do you do it? What should you do once you have microdosed?? All good questions. All will be answered.

• A look at the history of psychedelics - What are these drugs and how have we come to the point that people are secretly ingesting them risking fines and imprisonment. It's a fascinating history as colourful as the drugs themselves.

• A look at psychedelic drugs in general - What current and past research tells us about them and what they are doing in our minds. These drugs were once thought to hold the key to understanding consciousness and we live in an exciting time where a new wave of researchers are picking up the torch to continue this pioneering work.

• MACROdosing.. - These drugs don't just come in small packages. They come in big ones too. Macrodosing is a whole other ball game. One of which comes with its own rules and best practices. What to do and what not to do to have some of the most fun, enlightening and rewarding experiences of your life.

All this and much much more..

Stay tuned,

~ 😸