Cited by 110Psychedelics and Drug StudiesParanormal Experiences and BeliefsForensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

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Psychedelic Microdosing: Prevalence and Subjective Effects

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Cameron, Lindsay P., Nazarian, Angela, Olson, David E.·2020·Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

DOI 10.1080/02791072.2020.1718250PMC PMC7282936

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Abstract

Anecdotal reports suggest that the administration of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic compounds on a chronic, intermittent schedule – a practice known as psychedelic microdosing – is becoming increasingly popular among young adults due to its purported ability to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety while improving cognitive function and promoting social interaction. Using an anonymous online survey, we collected data from 2347 people to 1) assess the prevalence of psychedelic microdosing and characterize the demographics of microdosers, 2) determine whether microdosers associate the practice with changes in mood, cognitive function, social interaction, or physiology, and 3) investigate frequent motives for discontinuing the practice. Fifty-nine percent of respondents (NT = 2183) reported familiarity with the concept of psychedelic microdosing, with 17% (383 respondents, NT = 2200) having engaged in this practice. Microdosers attributed psychedelic microdosing with improving their mood, decreasing their anxiety, and enhancing their memory, attention, and sociability. The most frequently cited reasons for quitting microdosing (NT = 243) were the risks associated with taking an illegal substance (24.28%) and the difficulty of obtaining psychedelic compounds (22.63%). Overall, our findings suggest that psychedelic microdosing is relatively common and is subjectively associated with a broad spectrum of socio-affective, cognitive, and physical outcomes.

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Background
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Method
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Background
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Background
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Grinschgl, S., Ninaus, M., Wood, G. M. D. O., & Neubauer, A. C. (2025) · Physics of Life Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2025.05.002 · Cited by 12
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Gukasyan, N., & Narayan, S. K. (2023) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2022.2157350 · Cited by 10
“A growing number of people are also “microdosing,” or using sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic substances multiple times per week, for enhancing cognitive performance and mood (Cameron, Nazarian, and Olson 2020).”
Background
Clinical and preclinical evidence of psilocybin as antidepressant. A narrative review
Erkizia-Santamaría, I., Horrillo, I., Meana, J. J., & Ortega, J. E. (2025) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111249 · Cited by 12
“An alternative to high dosing known as “ microdosing “ has recently become increasingly popular in Western societies (Cameron et al., 2020).”
Side effects of microdosing lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin: A systematic review of potential physiological and psychiatric outcomes
Modzelewski, S., Stankiewicz, A., Waszkiewicz, N., & Łukasiewicz, K. (2025) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110402 · Cited by 9
“Among the studies in Table 2, seven of them indicated problems with mood, which included not only a lowering of mood (Anderson et al., 2019; Cameron et al., 2020; Lea et al., 2020; R. Petranker et al., 2022a,b), but also a sense of being overwhelmed (Lea et al., 2020), feeling manic (Kaertner et…”
Influential
An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the use of psilocybin by veterans with symptoms of trauma
Smith, F. N., Neill, J. C., & Wainwright, V. (2022) · Drug Science Policy and Law · doi:10.1177/20503245221124117 · Cited by 10
“Nevertheless, research suggests that some veterans choose to self-medicate with psychedelics (Cameron et al., 2020) and exploring why they choose this option, rather than accessing other available treatments, is important to understand.”
Background
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 9
“One online convenience survey reported that 17% of adult participants had ever microdosed (Cameron, Nazarian, and Olson 2020).”
The Effectiveness of Microdosed Psilocybin in the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric Lyme Disease: A Case Study
Kinderlehrer, D. A. (2023) · International Medical Case Reports Journal · doi:10.2147/imcrj.s395342 · Cited by 7
Microevidence for microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study of subjective effects, behavior, creativity, perception, cognition, and brain activityPreprint
Cavanna, F., Muller, S. L., de la Fuente, L. A., Zamberlán, F., Palmucci, M., Janeckova, L., Kuchař, M., Pallavicini, C., & Tagliazucchi, E. (2021) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2021.11.30.470657 · Cited by 7
“Ample anecdotal evidence suggests that microdosing can improve mood, well-being, creativity, and cognition (Fadiman, 2011; Fadiman and Krob, 2017), and recent uncontrolled, open-label observational studies have provided some empirical support for these claims (Johnstad, 2018; Prochazkova et al., 2018; Hutten et al., 2…”
BackgroundResultInfluential
Between 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
Low, non-psychedelic doses of psilocybin as a novel treatment for MASLD, obesity and type 2 diabetes via 5-HT2B receptor-dependent mechanisms
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Asking questions of psychedelic microdosing
Cameron, L. P. (2021) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.66920 · Cited by 6
“in depression, anxiety, sociability, creativity and general cognition, but these studies are wrought with confounding factors, including subjects who are both self-medicating and self-reporting (Anderson et al., 2019; Cameron et al., 2020; Prochazkova et al., 2018; Polito and Stevenson, 2019).”
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Can the gut-brain axis provide insight into psilocybin's therapeutic value in reducing stress?
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“Reductions in stress, fatigue, depression, and anxiety have also been observed in a handful of cross-sectional survey studies (Cameron et al., 2020; Kaertner et al., 2021; Lea et al., 2020; Polito and Stevenson, 2019).”
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
“…doses of psychedelic compounds (typically between 5% and 20% of a standard full dose), and is purported to affect well-being and cognition (Anderson et al. 2019; Cameron 2021; Cameron, Nazarian, and Olson 2020; Johnstad 2018; Lea et al. 2020a, 2020b; Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle 2020; Machek 2019).”
Using Psychedelics in Clinical Practice: Comparing Therapeutic Uses and Potential Harms
Tariq, R. (2022) · Current Clinical Pharmacology · doi:10.2174/2772432817666220321142707 · Cited by 5
Qualitative content analysis of expectations in participants with depression about to begin LSD microdosing treatment: Identifying the need for psychedelic expectancy measures
Donegan, 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
Application of microarray patches for the transdermal administration of psychedelic drugs in micro-doses
Fandiño, O. E., Hutton, A. R. J., Zhang, C., Abbate, M. T. A., Naser, Y. A., Li, Y., Paredes, A. J., & Donnelly, R. F. (2024) · European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics · doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114603 · Cited by 4
N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in rodent brain: Concentrations, distribution, and recent pharmacological data
Barker, S. A. (2025) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111259 · Cited by 4
Evaluating the Potential of Microdosing 1cp‐LSD for the Treatment of Canine Anxiety: A One‐Month Case Study
Hernández‐Álvarez, E., Borkel, L. F., Rojas‐Hernández, J., Hernández, D. J. Q., García‐Serrano, I., Fernández‐Borkel, T., Zumbado, M. L., & Henríquez‐Hernández, L. A. (2025) · Veterinary Medicine and Science · doi:10.1002/vms3.70486 · Cited by 4
“…emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic compounds at low doses may modulate mood andanxiety-relatedbehaviourswithminimalpsychoactiveeffects (Cameron et al. 2020), warranting further investigation into their potential as novel therapeutics for veterinary applications (Henriquez-Hernandez et…”
Psychedelics for substance use disorders: are women being addressed? A scoping review
Nigri, A. W., de Arruda, I. F., Maia, C. G. F., Tófoli, L. F., & Carezzato, F. (2025) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104960 · Cited by 3
Beyond prohibition: A public health analysis of naturalistic psychedelic use
Haden, M., Paschall, S. A., & Woods, B. (2025) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.2025.00450 · Cited by 3
A long trip into the universe: Psychedelics and space travel
Lerer, L. B., & Varia, J. C. (2022) · Frontiers in Space Technologies · doi:10.3389/frspt.2022.899159 · Cited by 2
“However, it should also be noted that the current, peer-reviewed evidence-base does not provide sufficient support for the application of microdosing as a health and wellness promotion strategy in long-duration space travel (Cameron et al., 2020; Cavanna et al., 2022).”
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Microdosing psychedelics has no impact on cognitive function in naturalistic settings
Dinkelacker, J., & Pop, I. (2023) · Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.15406/jpcpy.2023.14.00738 · Cited by 3
Tripping into the unknown: Exploring the experiences of first-time LSD users through global drug survey insights
Baxter, L., Puljević, C., Piatkowski, T. M., Ferris, J., Davies, E., Barratt, M. J., & WINSTOCK, A. R. (2024) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/02698811241254837 · Cited by 3
“Additionally, the practice of LSD ‘microdosing’, in which sub-hallucinogenic doses of the drug are taken regularly with the aim of improving cognitive or social functioning, is gaining in popularity (Cameron et al., 2020).”
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Down the Rabbit Hole: A Large-Scale Survey of Psychedelic Users’ Patterns of Use and Perceived Effects
Cuttler, C., Stueber, A., Simone, J. J., & Mayo, L. M. (2025) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2025.2452226 · Cited by 3
“…in microdosing (which consists of semiregular administration of sub-perceptual doses of psychedelics) (Polito and Liknaitzky 2022) has increased in recent years, both for therapeutic and nontherapeutic intentions (Cameron, Nazarian, and Olson 2020; Polito and Stevenson 2019; Winstock et al. 2021).”
Psychedelics and schizophrenia: A mystery in history
Haden, M., Woods, B., & Paschall, S. A. (2023) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.2023.00277 · Cited by 6
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Cardoso, C. G., & Viana, M. D. B. (2023) · Research Society and Development · doi:10.33448/rsd-v12i14.44436 · Cited by 2
Therapeutic properties of ayahuasca component N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in a pre-clinical model of Parkinson's disease
Calleja‐Conde, J., Echeverry‐Alzate, V., Sanz-SanCristóbal, M., Alonso‐Gil, S., Giné, E., Bühler, K., López-Moreno, J. A., Perez-Castillo, A., & Morales-Garcia, J. A. (2026) · Experimental Neurology · doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2026.115822 · Cited by 2
Persistent Tinnitus after Inhaled N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
Diab, H., & Malcolm, B. (2020) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2020.1847366 · Cited by 2
“…of subperceptual doses of psychedelics or “microdosing” on a semi-chronic basis for performance enhancement, alleviation of depression, anxiety, as well as a host of other mental and even physical ailments has increased (Cameron, Nazarian, and Olson 2020; Fadiman and Korb 2019; Hutten et al. 2019).”
Background
Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Clinical Trials of Psychedelics for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder
Aghaei, A. M., Weleff, J., Martins, B. S., Ing, K., Fontenele, R., Barnett, B. S., Anand, A., & Nia, A. B. (2024) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-024-00574-y · Cited by 2
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Is Microdosing a Placebo?Preprint
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Arnison, C., Egan, R., & Shaver, J. H. (2025) · Kōtuitui New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online · doi:10.1080/1177083x.2025.2467035 · Cited by 1
“…symptom remission across a range of disorders and general improvements in psychological wellbeing (Johnson et al. 2017; Mason and Kuypers 2018; Garcia-Romeu et al. 2019; Cameron et al. 2020; Lea et al. 2020; Bornemann et al. 2021; Glynos et al. 2022; Nygart et al. 2022; Raison et al. 2022).”
Therapeutic Effects of Low-Dose Psilocybin in Depression and Other Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review
Meshkat, S., Fang, H., Sousa-Ho, R., Zeifman, R. J., Dunkley, B. T., Reichelt, A. C., Zhang, Y., Burback, L., Winkler, O., Greenshaw, A. J., et al. (2025) · Psychedelic Medicine · doi:10.1089/psymed.2024.0039 · Cited by 2
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INVITED EDITORIAL: Sharing Effective Models of Student Research Mentoring: Stories From Associate Editors
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“Esto es consistente con los hallazgos de Cameron et al. (2020) sobre la aparición o recrudecimiento de la ansiedad como posible efecto adverso de usar microdosis.”
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Ferreira, A. S. M., Martindale, S., & Luke, D. P. (2024) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.2024.00368
“…and its increasing popularity as a viable treatment option for immediate and long-term improvements in psychiatric symptomatology (Danforth et al., 2018; Wolfson et al., 2020), has caused an increase in its use, even outside research settings (Cameron, Nazarian, & Olson, 2020; Yockey & King, 2021).”
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Shabir, K. (2024) · Premier journal of science. · doi:10.70389/pjs.100036
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LSD Restores Synaptic Plasticity in VTA of Morphine-Treated Mice and Disrupts Morphine-Conditioned Place PreferencePreprint
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Psychedelic-induced behavioral and developmental effects on zebrafish: a systematic review
de Oliveira, A. L., de Oliveira, D. P., SANTOS, R. G. D., & Hallak, J. E. C. (2025) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111534

Authors: Cameron, L. P., Nazarian, A., & Olson, D. E.
Affiliations: University of California, Davis (US)
Corresponding author: Cameron, Lindsay P.
Olson, David E.
ORCID: Cameron, Lindsay P.
Nazarian, Angela
Olson, David E.
Venue: Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2020-01-23
Volume: 52
Issue: 2
Pages: 113-122
ISSN: 0279-1072 (ISSN-L)
2159-9777
DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1718250
PMC: PMC7282936
OpenAlex: W3002125030
Cited by: 110
References: 51
Citations by year: 2026: 6 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 7
FWCI: 6.00
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Locations: Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders: NIH Office of the Director (T32MH112507)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
Keywords: psychedelic microdosing, prevalence, subjective effects, mood, anxiety, cognitive function, memory, sociability, young adults, illicit drug use
MeSH terms: Self-Management, Adolescent, Adult, Behavioral Symptoms, Cognition, Hallucinogens, Health Surveys, Humans, Prevalence, Young Adult

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Psychedelic Microdosing: Prevalence and Subjective Effects

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