Psychedelic microdosing: a subreddit analysis
Abstract
Self-administration of very low doses of psychedelic drugs to improve mental health and wellbeing and enhance cognitive function, known as microdosing, has received recent media attention, but little research has been conducted. We conducted a content analysis of discussions about microdosing from the online forum Reddit. We examined motivations, dosing practices, and perceived benefits and limitations of microdosing. Motivations included self-management of mental health issues, improvement of psychosocial wellbeing, and cognitive enhancement. Self-reported benefits included cognitive and creative enhancement, reduced depression and anxiety, enhanced self-insight and mindfulness, improved mood and attitude toward life, improved habits and health behaviors, and improved social interactions and interpersonal connections. Perceived limitations included issues related to dosing, adverse physical effects, taking illegal substances, limited or no mental health or cognitive improvement, increased anxiety, unpleasant "off" days, only short-term benefits, and concerns about dependence and drug-related risks. Standard doses of psychedelic drugs provided in therapeutic settings have potential as novel treatments for some mental health conditions, but clinical research is needed to understand if this is also the case for microdosing. In the meantime, harm reduction resources should be developed and made available to provide the best available information on the safer use of self-administered psychedelics.
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This reduction of top-down control facilitates increased levels of creativity through divergent thinking, leading to novel problem-solving solutions and contributing to the recent rise in microdosing protocols among high-performing creative professionals.
“This reduction of top-down control facilitates increased levels of creativity through divergent thinking (Preller and V ollenweider 2018; Abraham et al. 2012), leading to novel problem-solving solutions and contributing to the recent rise in microdosing protocols among high-performing creative professionals (Lea et al. 2019; Polito and Stevenson 2019).”
From Cultural Evolution of Religion, Spirituality and Ritual: Impacts On Human Cooperation (2024) · cites this paper as Lea et al. 2019
Some adults diagnosed with ADHD report using low, sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic substances repeatedly (microdosing) to self-treat their symptoms and improve daily life functioning.
“Survey research has shown that some adults diagnosed with ADHD report using low, sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic substances repeatedly, referred to as microdosing (MD), to self-treat their symptoms and as such to improve daily life functioning (4–7).”
From Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study (2023) · cites this paper as [6]
Enhanced levels of mindfulness have been reported after MD.
“Interestingly, enhanced levels of mindfulness have been reported after MD (6)”
From Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study (2023) · cites this paper as [6]
The finding that mindfulness was enhanced in MD individuals is in line with previous studies reporting this association, but in contrast to one previous prospective MD study that did not find any changes in mindfulness after 6 weeks of MD.
“The finding that mindfulness was enhanced in MD individuals is in line with previous studies reporting this association (6, 11), but in contrast to one previous prospective MD study that did not find any changes in mindfulness after 6 weeks of MD (13).”
From Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study (2023) · cites this paper as [6]
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“The null results in this study are in contrast to the significant increase in self-rated creativity on the dose days reported in Murphy et al. (2023) and to the self-rated experiences of microdosers in the community (Anderson et al. 2019a; Andersson and Kjellgren 2019; Lea et al. 2019, 2020 ).”
Less is more? A review of psilocybin microdosing
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“This laid the groundwork for exploring the relationship between outcome and intention, the relevance of which is still integral in understanding the clinical therapeutic value of microdosing (Hartong and van Emmerik, 2022; Lea et al., 2020a; Rootman et al., 2021).”
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Bălăeţ, M., Trender, W. R., Hellyer, P. J., & Hampshire, A. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1184681 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Shaw, L., Rea, K., Lachowsky, N. J., & Roth, E. A. (2022) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2022.2054746 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Wells, A., Muthukumaraswamy, A. P. S., Morunga, E., Evans, W. J., Cavadino, A., Bansal, M., Lawrence, N. J., Ashley, A., Hoeh, N., Sundram, F., et al. (2024) · Pilot and Feasibility Studies · doi:10.1186/s40814-024-01449-9 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“The MDLSD dosing protocol (10 μg dose, every third day) is based on the community practice of taking approximately 10% of a standard recreational dose, in alignment with the popular schedule outlined by Fadiman [47, 48].”
MethodModzelewski, S., Stankiewicz, A., Waszkiewicz, N., & Łukasiewicz, K. (2025) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110402 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Electronic cigarettes are a tool to vape illicit drugs
Sala, M. (2024) · Discover Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12982-024-00191-0 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“It has been reported that the DMT used in microdoses was consumed almost entirely by inhalation (e.g., vaping or smoking) [141–143].”
LSD microdosing in major depressive disorder: results from an open-label trial
Daldegan‐Bueno, D., Donegan, C. J., Sumner, R. L., Forsyth, A., Evans, W., Alshakhouri, M., Reynolds, L., Ponton, R., Smith, T., Roop, P. S., et al. (2025) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110762 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Wexler, A., Dubinskaya, A., Suyama, J. A., Komisaruk, B. R., Anger, J. T., & EILBER, K. S. (2023) · Sexual Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1093/sxmrev/qead046 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
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Psychedelic Microdosing among Young Adults from Southern California
Harlow, A. F., Hendricks, P. S., Leventhal, A. M., & Barrington‐Trimis, J. L. (2024) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2024.2313684 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“…motivations, perceived benefits, and side effects of microdosing and/or dosing practices (Anderson et al. 2019; Hutten et al. 2019; Johnstad 2018; Kaertner et al. 2021; Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle 2020; Lea et al. 2020; Polito, Stevenson, and Arnone 2019; Rootman et al. 2021; Rosenbaum et al. 2020).”
Korman, B. A. (2023) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.2022.00240 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
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Cultural Evolution of Religion, Spirituality and Ritual: Impacts On Human Cooperation
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“…levels of creativity through divergent thinking (Preller and Vol-lenweider 2018; Abraham et al. 2012), leading to novel problem-solving solutions and contributing to the recent rise in microdosing protocols among high-performing creative professionals (Lea et al. 2019; Polito and Stevenson 2019).”
Pendse, S. R., Kumar, N., & Choudhury, M. D. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642477 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Similarly building on data from online conversations, Lea et al. [78] qualitatively analyze language around the self-administration of psychedelic drugs (including PCMs) in small amounts on various psychedelic-related subreddits, analyzing the index post of 174 threads across 148 Reddit users.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialBetween enhancement and risk: A critical review of psychedelic microdosing
Totomanova, I., Haijen, E. C. H. M., Hurks, P. P. M., Ramaekers, J. G., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2025) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102129 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Unlocking the self: Can microdosing psychedelics make one feel more authentic?
Pop, I. A., & Dinkelacker, J. (2023) · Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs · doi:10.1177/14550725231175353 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“In addition to these studies, observational research using self-reported data also provides support for the idea that microdosing results in an increase in positive mood and decrease in negative mood (Lea et al., 2020; Ona & Bouso, 2020).”
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Examining the potential of psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT as therapeutics for traumatic brain injury
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Psychedelic Drug Microdosing Practices: A Qualitative Online Exploration
Miller, E., Bojovic, V., Maddren, O., Rao, P., Adesina, D., Petrenko, A., & Ponton, R. (2024) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2024.2304554 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Other methods, namely, cutting tabs or using low-strength tabs, were reported (Lea et al. 2020a; Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle 2020).”
InfluentialDonegan, C. J., Daldegan‐Bueno, D., Noorani, T. N., Sumner, R. L., Forsyth, A., Evans, W., Smith, T., Hoeh, N. R., Sundram, F., Menkes, D. B., et al. (2025) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110670 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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Trip-killers: a concerning practice associated with psychedelic drug use
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Exploring the discourses around microdosing psychedelics within the r/microdosing online community
Pop, I. A., Gielens, E., Kottmann, H., & Achterberg, P. (2024) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116702 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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“Earlier qualitative work on microdosing, however, demonstrated that in naturalistic settings, people often take above-threshold doses (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Lea et al., 2020).”
Microdosing Psychedelics as a Promising New Pharmacotherapeutic
Kuypers, K. P. C. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-62351-7_18 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Microdosing as a response to the meaning crisisPreprint
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Psilocybin microdosing in the United States: Insights from a nationally representative survey
Priest, M., Kilmer, B., Ramchand, R., & Atshan, S. (2026) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/add.70368 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Towards a dynamic processual model of psychedelic microdosing
Hughes, J., Stuart-Bennett, J. G., Dunning, M., & Farrimond, H. R. (2024) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2024.104691 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Characterizing psilocybin as an antidepressant for adolescence in male and female ratsPreprint
García‐Cabrerizo, R., Beruete-Fresnillo, I., & García-Fuster, M. J. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.12.20.629571 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Marchionatti, L. E., Amaral, R. R., Barcellos, C., Duarte, S., Campello, A. C., Virtuoso, E., & Magalhães, P. V. D. S. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1420287 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“The anonymity of Reddit further facilitates the reporting of sensitive topics in a well-secured environment that does not require facing a researcher (Sowles et al., 2018; Lea et al., 2020; Belcher et al., 2023).”
BackgroundExploring Harm Reduction Advice for Prescription Stimulants on Reddit
Johnson, B., Thomas, N., & Salom, C. (2025) · Contemporary Drug Problems · doi:10.1177/00914509251395274 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“For example, microdosing threads centered on perceived bene fi ts of use while also fl agging adverse effects and dependence concerns, with discussion heavily oriented toward “ how-to ” advice (Lea et al., 2020; Pop et al., 2024).”
Kaluževičiūtė, G., Moreton, J., & Jackson, J. E. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/inm.70183 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Exploring a Decade of Microdosing Research: A Qualitative Meta-synthesis of Microdosing Literature
Beaton, B. (2026) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2026.2624690 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Several studies, including those by Anderson et al. (2019), Hutten et al. (2019), Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle (2020), Petranker, Kim, and Anderson (2022), and Jacobs, Banbury, and Lusher (2024), emphasize the need for placebo-controlled clinical trials to determine whether the benefits of…”
Krawczyk, N., Miller, M. J., Gu, E. Y., Irvine, N. M., Ramirez, E., Santaella-Tenorio, J., Lippincott, T., Bogenschutz, M. P., Bunting, A. M., & Meacham, M. C. (2025) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/add.16767 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Holas, P., Kamińska, J., & Zajenkowski, M. (2025) · Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/19585969.2025.2470426 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…(anderson et al. 2019). this shift suggests a growing public interest in novel therapeutic options amidst a fast-paced, overwhelming world (lea et al. 2020). to effectively investigate societal attitudes towards psychedelics, appropriate tools are essential. existing studies have…”
Personas of plagiarism: The construction of the ‘plagiarist’ in Australian university subreddits
Anson, D. W. J. (2022) · Linguistics and Education · doi:10.1016/j.linged.2022.101050 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Decision-Making around Psychedelics for Depression and Anxiety: a Model Based on Online Discussions
Kryszajtys, D. T., Bender, J. L., Rush, B. R., & Strıke, C. (2023) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-023-01148-1 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…approaches (e.g., dose, substances, schedules) reported in surveys (Polito & Liknaitzky, 2022; Rootman et al., 2021) and why survey findings show that people replace conventional options with psych-edelics and find increased satisfaction (Lea et al., 2019, 2020; Mason & Kuypers, 2018).”
Unirse para resistir: Internet como espacio de desestigmatización de la no parentalidad en la India
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University Students’ Motives for Psilocybin Use: A Mixed-Methods Analysis
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“Some participants report discontinuing their psychiatric medication to try microdosing without consulting a mental health professional, which may lead to dangerous outcomes and increase the risk of medication withdrawal, suicidal ideation, and relapse of psychiatric symptoms (Lea et al., 2020b).”
InfluentialPierre, M. S., Argento, E., Cates, J., Kryskow, P., Harvey, K., Stamets, P. E., Santos-Brault, E., Paschall, S. A., Kuypers, K. P. C., Rootman, J. M., et al. (2025) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-025-06913-9 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“…studies have demonstrated dose-dependent changes (Polito and Liknaitzky 2022), and surveys and qualitative research have documented generally positive outcomes, including improved mood, energy, and cognition (Anderson et al. 2019; Johns-tad 2018; Lea et al. 2020b; Webb et al. 2019).”
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“…analysis studies on Reddit, and sample sizes of approximately 100 “Top” posts and associated comments (e.g., discussion threads) have been found to be representative of main topics of discussion within these communities (Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle 2020; Slemon et al. 2021; Sowles et al. 2017).”
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Do undergraduates’ views of psychedelics relate to the context for psychedelic use?
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“In addition to cognitive-performance-related motives (e.g., focus, creativity), microdosers attempt to manage psychological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety) and improve wellbeing (e.g., mindfulness; Lea et al., 2020a, 2020b).”
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Experiencias psicodélicas: fenomenología, potenciales terapéuticos y modelos explicativos
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- Authors
- Lea, T., Amada, N., & Jungaberle, H.
- Affiliations
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- The Graduate Center, CUNY (US)
- MIND European Foundation for Psychedelic Science, Berlin, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Lea, Toby
- Venue
- Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2019-10-24
- Volume
- 52
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 101-112
- ISSN
- 0279-1072 (ISSN-L)
- 2159-9777
- OpenAlex
- W2981686921
- Cited by
- 115
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 11.09
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (NA)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Keywords
- psychedelic microdosing, Reddit discussions, online forums, mental health self-management, cognitive enhancement, psychosocial well-being, anxiety and depression, harm reduction, drug addiction
- MeSH terms
- Self-Management, Psychosocial Functioning, Adult, Behavioral Symptoms, Cognition, Hallucinogens, Humans, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Psilocybin, Self Administration, Qualitative Research, Social Media
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