In addition to many wellbeing benefits of microdosing, effective medical applications have also been reported. Depression, ADHD, and cluster headaches are perhaps the most significant of them. In Dr. James Fadiman’s research, positive results were reported in the following complaints/disorders:
- Depression
- ADHD and ADD
- Cluster headaches
- Migraines
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Eating disorders
- Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
- Hair loss
- Addiction
- Recovery from stroke
- Allergies
- Social anxiety
- Burnout
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Hormonal imbalance (menopause, PMDD)
Microdosing and depression
Several participants in Dr. James Fadiman’s study reported that microdosing relieved their depression. Depression is a mood disorder that can be described as feeling persistently sad with a loss of life’s joy. Additionally, a study from Toby Lea, Ph.D., showed that many people successfully use microdosing to battle their depression.
One person who had Parkinson’s disease described that after a month of microdosing LSD his Parkinson’s symptoms didn’t improve, but his underlying depression did. Fadiman emphasizes that the data his subject provided is based on one month of microdosing. It has not been shown whether microdosing can relieve depression long term; thus, it needs further investigation.
WATCH IT NOW: Community member Hidde Schroeder, shares his experience microdosing to find relief from depression in our mini-documentary: Open Minded
Microdosing and cluster headaches
Microdosing has shown a lot of promise as a treatment for cluster headaches, which is often described as an unbearable headache that feels more intense than, for example, childbirth or kidney stones. Dr. James Fadiman quotes a patient who managed to get rid of her “ice pick headache” through microdosing LSD. She was able to achieve the same result several times over the next few months. Since then, her cluster headaches have stayed away.
Clusterbusters, a platform for cluster headache patients, takes the lead in research into psychedelics as a potential treatment. While all other treatments have been unsuccessful, many patients (~80%) have found significant relief from their cluster headaches through LSD, 1cP-LSD, magic truffles, or magic mushrooms. The doses shown to be most effective for providing relief from cluster headaches are generally higher than a microdose, yet there is sufficient evidence that microdoses can equally be effective.
Luckily, scientific research into treating cluster headaches with microdosing is starting in the US and Canada. This is expected to definitively demonstrate the effectiveness of (microdosing) psychedelics as a remedy for this terrible disorder.
Microdosing and ADHD/ADD
As microdosing psychedelics can positively impact one’s focus, it might be a suitable substitute for ADHD medications and other pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers. A participant in Fadiman’s study reported that microdosing helped him to phase out his use of Adderall. Albert Hofmann said that if LSD had been legal, it would be a side-effect-free substitute for Adderall or Ritalin – another commonly prescribed and highly addictive substance. Nowadays, many people with ADHD and ADD who microdose use the legal variants of LSD; 1P-LSD & 1cP-LSD.
Adderall is nothing more than the amphetamine (speed) that is sold on the street and in the nightlife scene. So the drugs that are bad for your brain and which possession is illegal are the same drugs that we give to hundreds of thousands of children every morning.
Are there any risks to combining microdosing with medication?
Fadiman’s research team has compiled a list of medications and supplements that so far have not caused any adverse side effects when combining them with microdosing. This data comes from their fieldwork research in which 1850 people who microdosed with LSD, 1P-LSD, or magic mushrooms on their own initiative shared their experiences, findings, and insights.
Research into the medical applications of microdosing is desperately needed
For many people, conventional treatments are insufficient and often cause many side effects, while microdosing provides a solution. Without a doubt, medical applications of microdosing should and need to be clinically studied by the scientific community. That is the first step to make these resources (legally) available to authorized doctors and health practitioners, so that people can find relief from their symptoms.
It’s clear there are various mental and physical health areas in which microdosing shows promise and could potentially significantly improve people’s lives around the world. Therefore, despite the illegal status of psychedelic substances, we advocate that patients for whom microdosing is an effective medical treatment should be granted safe and legal access.
Your experience matters!
Sources
- Avey, E. (May 4, 2017. Why I’m Microdosing LSD. Medium.com. Retrieved from: https://ericaavey.medium.com
- Lea, T., Amada, N., Jungaberle, H., Schecke, H., & Klein, M. (2020). Microdosing psychedelics: Motivations, subjective effects and harm reduction. International Journal of Drug Policy, 75(), 9-Doi : 10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.11.008
- Google: Microdosing Psychedelics