Microdosing Research Library

Every peer-reviewed microdosing study we have summarised, in one place. The Microdosing Institute has tracked this literature since 2018, and this page collects all 86 summaries, grouped by what the research actually looked at. Each entry links to our plain-language summary, which cites the original publication.

Jump to a topic:

• ADHD (5)
• Depression and mood (8)
• Anxiety, stress and wellbeing (6)
• Creativity, cognition and personality (9)
• Pain and migraine (3)
• Sleep and time perception (3)
• Brain activity and neural effects (8)
• Pharmacology and dose response (5)
• Safety, side effects and tolerability (7)
• Clinical case studies and specific conditions (4)
• General effects and placebo-controlled trials (6)
• Who microdoses: demographics and practice (11)
• Reviews, overviews and methodology (7)
• Animal and preclinical studies (4)

ADHD

• Effects of Psychedelic Microdosing versus Conventional ADHD Medication Use on Emotion Regulation, Empathy, and ADHD Symptoms in Adults with severe ADHD symptoms: A Naturalistic Prospective Comparison Study
  Microdosing alongside ADHD medication may impact empathy and emotional regulation, according to initial findings.
• Microdosing for ADHD
  Research published in Neuroscience Applied in October 2022 suggests that microdosing may improve symptoms in adults with ADHD.
• Microdosing with psychedelics to self-medicate for ADHD symptoms in adults: A prospective naturalistic study
  Natural study explores microdosing as self-treatment for ADHD symptoms, offering an alternative approach to management.
• Safety and Efficacy of Repeated Low-Dose LSD for ADHD Treatment in Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial
  This study explores the effects of LSD microdosing on ADHD, revealing safety but no significant benefits over placebo.
• Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study
  Mindfulness and microdosing for ADHD: initial studies explore the benefits and potential for natural symptom relief.

Depression and mood

• Acute mood-elevating properties of microdosed LSD in healthy volunteers: a home-administered randomised controlled trial
  Results from a controlled study reveal mood benefits associated with LSD microdosing, showing promising therapeutic potential.
• Greater subjective effects of a low dose of LSD in participants with depressed mood
  Study on subjective effects of low LSD doses in depression, highlighting microdosing's potential for mood enhancement.
• LSD microdosing for major depressive disorder: Mood and pharmacokinetic outcomes from a Phase 2a trial
  Repeated microdosing of LSD (8 to 20 μg) may help improve daily mood, specifically increasing feelings of connection, creativity, and energy in people with major depressive disorder. The…
• LSD microdosing in major depressive disorder: results from an open-label trial
  An 8-week trial shows LSD microdosing significantly reduces depression symptoms with minimal side effects.
• Mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in healthy volunteers: A placebo controlled dose-effect finding study
  Learn how low doses of LSD impact mood and cognition, based on recent research and clinical studies exploring its mental health benefits.
• Psilocybin microdosers demonstrate greater observed improvements in mood and mental health at one month relative to non-microdosing controls
  Improved mood and well-being among psilocybin microdosers, with studies showing potential mental health benefits.
• Safety and tolerability of multiple sublingual microdoses of 5-MeO-DMT in adults with moderate symptoms of depression and/or anxiety: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
  The sublingual administration of 5-MeO-DMT in adults with moderate anxiety and depression demonstrated good safety and tolerability, with no significant adverse events reported…
• What is it like to microdose LSD for depression? a thematic analysis of participant interviews from an open-label trial
  Participants with major depressive disorder reported feeling more motivated, more connected to others, and better able to process emotions during an eight-week LSD microdosing trial….

Anxiety, stress and wellbeing

• Effects of psilocybin microdosing on awe and aesthetic experiences: a preregistered field and lab-based study
  Research into the "awe" feeling and enhanced appreciation experienced through psilocybin microdosing, with positive impacts.
• Experiences of microdosing psychedelics in an attempt to support wellbeing and mental health
  User stories reveal how microdosing improves mental well-being, reducing stress and fostering emotional balance.
• Microdosing as a Response to the Meaning Crisis: A Qualitative Analysis
  Research explores microdosing as a potential solution for the existential ‘meaning crisis,’ supporting purpose and balance.
• Psychedelic Microdosing, Mindfulness, and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Study
  Research on microdosing and mindfulness as tools for anxiety relief, offering natural approaches to mental resilience.
• The Viability of Microdosing Psychedelics as a Strategy to Enhance Cognition and Well-being – An Early Review
  Microdosing offers potential benefits for cognitive function and well-being improvement, according to recent studies.
• Unlocking the self: Can microdosing psychedelics make one feel more authentic?
  How microdosing supports authentic self-expression, with studies revealing its benefits for personal identity and creativity.

Creativity, cognition and personality

• Cognitive and Subjective Effects of Psilocybin Microdosing: Results from Two Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Longitudinal Trials
  Discover findings from two placebo-controlled trials on psilocybin microdosing and its impact on cognitive and subjective measures.
• Exploring the effect of microdosing psychedelics on creativity in an open-label natural setting
  See how psychedelic microdosing impacts creativity, based on recent findings that reveal its benefits on imagination.
• Microdosing psychedelics – Does it have an impact on emodiversity?
  Research shows microdosing’s positive impact on emotional diversity and flexibility, supporting resilience and adaptability.
• Microdosing psychedelics and its effect on creativity: Lessons learned from three double-blind placebo controlled longitudinal trials
  Microdosing psilocybin can improve the quality of creative thinking by helping people come up with more original ideas. The practice does not appear to help with "convergent thinking,"…
• Microdosing psychedelics has no impact on cognitive function in naturalistic settings
  Research shows that psychedelic microdosing has no effect on cognitive function in natural settings, supporting safe use.
• Microdosing psychedelics: personality, mental health, and creativity differences in microdosers
  Explore how microdosing impacts personality, mental health, and creativity, based on the latest research and user insights.
• Microevidence for microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of subjective effects, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activity
  Psilocybin microdosing enhances creativity, perception, and cognition, according to studies exploring its mental health impact.
• Multimodal creativity assessments following acute and sustained microdosing of lysergic acid diethylamide
  Evaluation of LSD microdosing effects on creativity across different sensory modes, supporting imagination and innovation.
• Psilocybin-assisted neurofeedback for the improvement of executive functions: a randomized semi-naturalistic-lab feasibility study
  The combination of psilocybin microdosing and neurofeedback training shows feasibility, with participants completing the protocol without requiring psychological support. While there…

Pain and migraine

• A low dose of lysergic acid diethylamide decreases pain perception in healthy volunteers
  Research on low LSD doses reveals potential for reducing pain perception, showing promise as a natural pain management aid.
• A randomised placebo-controlled study of the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide microdosing (15 μg) on pain perception in healthy volunteers
  A study reveals no strong analgesic effects of 15 μg LSD microdosing, with slight improvements in pain tolerance noted.
• Comparing single- and repeat-dose psilocybin with active placebo for migraine prevention in an exploratory randomized controlled clinical trial
  Low doses of psilocybin may reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, but a two-dose "pulsed" schedule did not show a significant advantage over a single dose in this…

Sleep and time perception

• LSD increases sleep duration the night after microdosing
  Studies show that LSD microdoses improve sleep duration, providing promising results for sleep quality and mental health.
• LSD microdosing attenuates the impact of temporal priors in time perception
  Study on LSD microdosing reveals changes in time perception, highlighting potential benefits for mental processing.
• The effects of microdose LSD on time perception: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
  Study on LSD microdosing’s impact on time perception, offering insights into cognitive and emotional processing benefits.

Brain activity and neural effects

• Characterizing Resting-State Brain Dynamics with Frequency-Resolved EEG Microstates: Parallel Analyses of Psilocybin Microdosing and Acute Inhaled DMT
  Analyzing brain activity through specific frequency bands reveals subtle shifts in brain organization that standard broad-spectrum analysis often misses. Psilocybin microdosing produces…
• Clinical improvement following an integrative iboga microdosing protocol in post-concussive and hypoxic brain injury syndromes: a case series
  Three individuals with long-term symptoms from brain injuries reported significant improvements after a six-week iboga microdosing program combined with psychotherapy. While some…
• Inter-individual variability in neural response to low doses of LSD
  Study examines individual variability in neural responses to low LSD doses, offering insights into personalized microdosing.
• Low doses of LSD reduce broadband oscillatory power and modulate event-related potentials in healthy adults
  Study on LSD microdosing shows reduced oscillatory brain activity, with potential benefits for stress and anxiety reduction.
• Low doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) increase reward-related brain activity
  Research shows that low LSD doses boost reward-related brain activity, potentially supporting mood improvement and motivation.
• Low-Dose LSD Alters Early and Late Event-Related Potentials to Emotional Faces
  Low LSD doses impact emotional responses to faces, according to recent studies on microdosing’s influence on perception.
• Neural complexity is increased after low doses of LSD, but not moderate to high doses of oral THC or methamphetamine
  Research shows low LSD doses combined with methamphetamine increase neural complexity, with potential mental health benefits.
• Preliminary report on the effects of a low dose of LSD on resting-state amygdala functional connectivity
  Effects of low LSD doses on amygdala connectivity reveal potential benefits for stress and emotional health in users.

Pharmacology and dose response

• Low Doses of LSD Acutely Increase BDNF Blood Plasma Levels in Healthy Volunteers
  Studies show that LSD microdoses increase BDNF levels in blood plasma, potentially aiding mental health and neurogenesis.
• Microdosing LSD: A Placebo-controlled Dose-effect Finding Study
  Microdosing LSD: A placebo-controlled dose-effect finding study on mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in 24 healthy volunteers.
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lysergic acid diethylamide microdoses in healthy participants
  Explore LSD microdoses’ pharmacokinetics and effects on the body, providing insights into their potential therapeutic and cognitive impacts.
• Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sublingual microdosed lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy adult volunteers
  The pharmacokinetics of LSD microdosing was characterized using a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model, showing a mean elimination half-life of 3.08 hours. Participants exhibited…
• Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose-response study
  Placebo-controlled study on repeated low-dose LSD effects, examining microdosing’s potential for mental health improvement.

Safety, side effects and tolerability

• Evidence for tolerance in psychedelic microdosing from the self-blinding microdose trial
  Studies show tolerance development in microdosing, based on self-blinded experiments from diverse users in the community.
• Microdosing psychedelics and the risk of cardiac fibrosis and valvulopathy: Comparison to known cardiotoxins
  Research highlights microdosing’s risks to heart health and compares its cardiotoxic potential with other psychoactive substances.
• Microdosing psychedelics: Motivations, subjective effects and harm reduction
  Discover the motivations behind microdosing, including personal growth and health benefits, along with approaches to risk reduction.
• Motives and side-effects of microdosing with psychedelics among users
  Uncover side effects of psychedelic microdosing in recent studies on safety, focusing on risk management and user health.
• Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of low dose lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy older volunteers
  Safety and tolerability of low LSD doses examined in clinical settings, highlighting responsible practices for users.
• Side Effects of Microdosing Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Psilocybin: A Systematic Review of Potential Physiological and Psychiatric Outcomes
  The side effects of microdosing LSD and psilocybin are mostly mild, dose-dependent, and transient, including increased blood pressure, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. There's a…
• The risk of chronic psychedelic and MDMA microdosing for valvular heart disease
  Research explores MDMA microdoses’ effect on heart health with chronic use, highlighting safety and cardiovascular insights.

Clinical case studies and specific conditions

• It's all about the relationship: The caregiver experience of supporting a person with advanced cancer going through an LSD microdosing trial
  Caregivers of people with advanced cancer often find that psychedelic-assisted therapy can strengthen their relationships and provide a sense of hope during difficult times. The…
• Micro-dose, macro-impact: Leveraging psychedelics in frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
  Learn how microdosing shaped healthcare approaches during the COVID-19 pandemic, influencing care and patient well-being.
• Micro-dosing psychedelics as a plausible adjunct to psychosexual and couple’s therapy: a qualitative insight
  Microdosing in psychosexual relationship therapy: exploring findings and therapeutic applications for intimacy and connection.
• The Effectiveness of Microdosed Psilocybin in the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease: A Case Study
  Research on psilocybin microdosing as a potential support for Lyme disease, with emerging insights on holistic healing.

General effects and placebo-controlled trials

• Acute Subjective and Behavioral Effects of Microdoses of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Human Volunteers
  Research on LSD microdosing effects in healthy adults shows mood and cognition improvements, with therapeutic possibilities.
• Microdosing LSD & Psilocybin and Its Effects on Mental Health
  This study is the first to incorporate the aspect of (self-)diagnosed mental conditions amongst microdosers.
• Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
  Placebo-controlled psilocybin microdosing study examines its effects on mental clarity, mood, and emotional resilience.
• Microdosing, Powerful Substances in Tiny Amounts
  Explore the power of microdosing potent substances in small amounts for mental clarity, focus, and emotional resilience.
• Might Microdosing Psychedelics Be Safe and Beneficial? An Initial Exploration
  Is microdosing safe and effective? Discover recent research findings on safety, risks, and mental health benefits of microdosing.
• Psilocybin microdosing does not affect emotion-related symptoms and processing: A preregistered field and lab-based study
  Research shows psilocybin microdosing’s effects on emotion-related symptoms, supporting mental health and emotional balance.

Who microdoses: demographics and practice

• Epidemiology of Hallucinogen Microdosing Among Young Adults in the United States: A National Study
  About 1 in 15 young adults in the United States reported microdosing hallucinogens in the past year. People who microdose are much more likely to also use alcohol,…
• Global Trends in Psychedelic Microdosing: Demographics, Substance Testing Behavior, and Patterns of Use
  Exclusive microdosers tend to be older, predominantly female and non-Caucasian, contrasting with users who also use macrodoses of psychedelics. General well-being is the principal…
• Health-related behavioral changes following the use of psychedelics in naturalistic settings
  Study reveals psychedelics improve health behaviors, reducing alcohol and tobacco use among users and microdosers.
• How Low-Doses Of Psychedelics Compliment High Dose Experiences: Observational Evidence In Naturalistic Settings
  Research on low psychedelic doses’ ability to complement larger doses, potentially providing long-lasting therapeutic effects.
• Microdosing psychedelics: Demographics, practices, and psychiatric comorbidities
  A thorough study on demographic and psychological traits of microdosers, exploring their motives and wellness outcomes.
• Narrative identity, rationality, and microdosing classic psychedelics
  Research explores how microdosing influences identity and rationality in daily life, offering insights into personal growth.
• Participant Experiences of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in a 6-Week Randomised Controlled Trial
  Explore findings from a trial revealing emotional, cognitive, and social effects of LSD microdosing in healthy males.
• Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing
  Research suggests positive expectations can improve mental health outcomes in psychedelic microdosing practices.
• Salience, Sensemaking, and Setting in Psilocybin Microdosing: Methodological Lessons and Preliminary Findings of a Mixed Method Qualitative Study
  Discover how the setting affects psilocybin microdosing, influencing emotional and cognitive responses for a balanced experience.
• Self-Rated Effectiveness of Microdosing With Psychedelics for Mental and Physical Health Problems Among Microdosers
  Research on microdosing’s benefits for mental and physical health issues, highlighting holistic potential in self-care.
• Twenty percent better with 20 micrograms? A qualitative study of psychedelic microdosing self-rapports and discussions on YouTube
  Gain insights into self-reports on psychedelic microdosing via YouTube studies, with real user experiences highlighting its mental effects.

Reviews, overviews and methodology

• A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics
  Systematic research on psychedelic microdosing examines its effects on mental health, creativity, and personal well-being.
• Is microdosing a placebo? A rapid review of low-dose LSD and psilocybin research
  A brief review of placebo effects in low-dose microdosing with LSD and psilocybin, examining user expectations and outcomes.
• Macrodosing to microdosing with psychedelics: Clinical, social, and cultural perspectives
  Explore clinical and cultural perspectives on the transition from macrodosing to microdosing, supporting responsible use.
• Microdosing psychedelics: Current evidence from controlled studies
  Discover scientific evidence on psychedelic microdosing from controlled studies and recent research on mental health and well-being effects.
• Microdosing psychedelics: More questions than answers? An overview and suggestions for future research
  Overview of open questions and answers in microdosing research, covering safety, mental health, and creative impacts.
• Natural language signatures of psilocybin microdosing
  Language patterns in psilocybin microdosing reveal how users express their experiences and describe cognitive shifts.
• Psychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook
  Benefits and challenges of psychedelic microdosing, covering recent findings on mental health and creativity support.

Animal and preclinical studies

• Assessing the Potential Cardiovascular Risk of Microdosing the Psychedelic LSD in Mice
  This study reveals no significant heart changes from low-dose LSD compared to serotonin and d-fenfluramine's risks.
• Chronic, Intermittent Microdoses of the Psychedelic N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Produce Positive Effects on Mood and Anxiety in Rodents
  Animal studies show that DMT microdosing boosts mood and reduces anxiety, providing a promising approach for mental health.
• Psilocin and ketamine microdosing: effects of subchronic intermittent microdoses in the elevated plus-maze in male Wistar rats
  Study on psilocin and ketamine microdoses in animals reveals mood and behavior effects, supporting mental health potential.
• Repeated low doses of psilocybin increase resilience to stress, lower compulsive actions, and strengthen cortical connections to the paraventricular thalamic nucleus in rats
  Psilocybin promotes stress resilience and reduces compulsive behavior, according to recent animal studies on microdosing.