Microdosing psychedelics: Demographics, practices, and psychiatric comorbidities
Abstract
Rationale: Microdosing psychedelics – the practice of consuming small, sub-hallucinogenic doses of substances such as LSD or psilocybin – is gaining attention in popular media but remains poorly characterized. Contemporary studies of psychedelic microdosing have yet to report the basic psychiatric descriptors of psychedelic microdosers. Objectives: To examine the practices and demographics of a population of psychedelic microdosers – including their psychiatric diagnoses, prescription medications, and recreational substance use patterns – to develop a foundation on which to conduct future clinical research. Methods: Participants ( n = 909; M age = 26.9, SD = 8.6; male = 83.2%; White/European = 79.1%) recruited primarily from the online forum Reddit completed an anonymous online survey. Respondents who reported using LSD, psilocybin, or both for microdosing were grouped and compared with non-microdosing respondents using exploratory odds ratio testing on demographic variables, rates of psychiatric diagnoses, and past-year recreational substance use. Results: Of microdosers, most reported using LSD (59.3%; M dose = 13 mcg, or 11.3% of one tab) or psilocybin (25.9%; M dose = 0.3 g of dried psilocybin mushrooms) on a one-day-on, two-days-off schedule. Compared with non-microdosers, microdosers were significantly less likely to report a history of substance use disorders (SUDs; OR = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.05–0.56)) or anxiety disorders (OR = 0.61 (95% CI: 0.41–0.91)). Microdosers were also more likely to report recent recreational substance use compared with non-microdosers (OR = 5.2 (95% CI: 2.7–10.8)). Conclusions: Well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of this practice in clinical populations and to test claims about potential benefits.
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Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms
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Psilocybin and LSD have no long-lasting effects in an animal model of alcohol relapse
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Psychedelic Microdosing, Mindfulness, and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Study
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- Authors
- Rosenbaum, D., Weissman, C., Anderson, T., Petranker, R., Dinh-Williams, L.-A., Hui, K., & Hapke, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- York University (CA)
- Clinical Science, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada
- Corresponding author
- Rosenbaum, Daniel
- Venue
- Journal of Psychopharmacology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-02-28
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 612-622
- ISSN
- 0269-8811 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7285
- OpenAlex
- W3007315114
- Cited by
- 76
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 3.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Psychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- psychedelic microdosing, LSD, psilocybin, psychiatric comorbidity, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, recreational drug use, prescription drugs
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Female, Hallucinogens, Humans, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Male, Psilocybin, Surveys and Questionnaires, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult
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