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Powerful substances in tiny amounts: An interview study of psychedelic microdosing
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AIMS: This article presents a qualitative interview study of people who microdose with psychedelic drugs, which means that the user takes about one tenth of an ordinary recreational dose. DESIGN: = 21) were recruited at several Internet fora for individual interviews via private messaging. Every participant was male, and the median respondent was in his 30s with a stable job and relationship and extensive entheogen experience. RESULTS: Respondents tended to experiment with microdosing in phases, reporting mostly positive consequences from this form of drug use. Reported effects included improved mood, cognition, and creativity, which often served to counteract symptoms especially from conditions of anxiety and depression. There were also reports of various challenges with psychedelic microdosing, and some did not find the practice worth continuing. CONCLUSION: The study obtained evidence of a group of users taking small doses of psychedelics not for the purpose of intoxication but to enhance everyday functioning. While the study's findings are not generalisable, they may inform subsequent investigations with research questions and hypotheses.
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“Agreeableness and openness to experience did not change at all after MD compared to baseline in the current study, contrasting results from earlier MD studies (12, 28).”
From Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
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“the data on human psychedelic microdosing are equivocal”
From Psychedelics and Other Psychoplastogens for Treating Mental Illness. (2021) · cites this paper as [246]
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“therapeutic benefit of low doses of psychedelics remains to be demonstrated in a well-controlled clinical study”
From Psychedelics and Other Psychoplastogens for Treating Mental Illness. (2021) · cites this paper as [246]
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“Also, a qualitative interview study reported that participants experienced increases in openness and extraversion following MD, although no explicit mention of other personality traits was made (28).”
From Trait mindfulness and personality characteristics in a microdosing ADHD sample: a naturalistic prospective survey study (2023) · cites this paper as [28]
In the citing paper
“Other qualitative research indicates that regular use of psychedelics in low doses for prolonged periods (i.e., “microdosing”) may have an impact on productivity and other leadership-related outcomes (Webb et al., 2019; see also Johnstad, 2018; Fadiman and Korb, 2019; Hutten et al., 2019).”
From Altered states of leadership: mindfulness meditation, psychedelic use, and leadership development (2023) · cites this paper as Johnstad, 2018
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Cites
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A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics
Polito, V., & Stevenson, R. J. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211023 · Cited by 235
Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms
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“In addition, Johnstad emphasizes that ‘to microdose with a psychedelic drug means to take a dose small enough to provide no intoxication or significant alteration of consciousness’ (Johnstad, 2018).”
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“…will be needed, as will studies exploring hallucinogen-assisted treatments for novel indications, and developing new models of psychedelic-assisted therapy such as microdosing (Fadiman, 2011; Johnstad, 2018; Waldman, 2018), or psychedelic-assisted group therapy (Passie, 2012; Preller et al., 2016).”
BackgroundAlmeida, R. N. D., Galvão, A. C. D. M., da Silva, F. S., Silva, E. A. D. S., Palhano-Fontes, F., Maia-de-Oliveira, J. P., de Araújo, L.-S. B., Lobão-Soares, B., & Galvão-Coelho, N. L. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01234 · Cited by 177
“…studies have suggested that regular intake of micro-doses of psychedelics leads to benefits in mood, health and cognition, decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety, with no reports of significant alteration of consciousness (Johnstad, 2018; Anderson et al., 2019; Polito and Stevenson, 2019).”
BackgroundBershad, A. K., Schepers, S. T., Bremmer, M. P., Lee, R., & de Wit, H. (2019) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.019 · Cited by 179
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Psychedelics and Other Psychoplastogens for Treating Mental Illness.
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Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing
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Substance Use Among College Students
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Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
Cavanna, F., Muller, S. L., de la Fuente, L. A., Zamberlán, F., Palmucci, M., Janeckova, L., Kuchař, M., Pallavicini, C., & Tagliazucchi, E. (2022) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-02039-0 · Cited by 157
Motives and Side-Effects of Microdosing With Psychedelics Among Users
Hutten, N. R. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2019) · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyz029 · Cited by 126
“The most reported microdoses of LSD (10 mcg) and psilocybin (0.5 g) are comparable with the doses reported in previous studies (Johnstad, 2018; Winstock et al., 2018; Polito and Stevenson, 2019) and in line with the reported one-tenth of a regular dose (Chandler, 2018; thethirdwave, 2018).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialPsychedelic microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook
Anderson, T., Petranker, R., Christopher, A., Rosenbaum, D., Weissman, C. R., Dinh-Williams, L.-A., Hui, K., & Hapke, E. (2019) · Harm Reduction Journal · doi:10.1186/s12954-019-0308-4 · Cited by 133
Hutten, N. R. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C., Theunissen, E. L., Holze, F., Liechti, M. E., Feilding, A., Ramaekers, J. G., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2020) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.10.002 · Cited by 123
“…mood- and cognition-enhancing effects of microdosing with LSD is mainly limited to anecdotal reports ( Anderson et al., 2019 ; Hutten et al., 2019 ; Johnstad, 2018 ; Lea et al., 2019 ), and some older experimental studies that show for example a dose-response increase in mood state and psychomotor…”
BackgroundMicrodosing psychedelics: Motivations, subjective effects and harm reduction
Lea, T., Amada, N. M., Jungaberle, H., Schecke, H., & Klein, M. (2019) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.11.008 · Cited by 121
Psychedelic microdosing: a subreddit analysis
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“…showed improved creative problem solving after microdosing (Prochazkova et al. 2018), higher levels of creativity among people microdosing compared to controls (Anderson et al. 2019b), and perceived cognitive enhancement in work and study contexts (Johnstad 2018; Webb, Copes, and Hendricks 2019).”
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Psychedelic Microdosing: Prevalence and Subjective Effects
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“…experiencing a decrease in depressive symptoms following psychedelic microdosing, mirroring other work demonstrating that microdosing decreases negative emotionality and improves mood (Anderson et al. 2019a; Anderson et al. 2019b; Fadiman and Korb 2019; Johnstad 2018; Polito and Stevenson 2018).”
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The therapeutic potential of microdosing psychedelics in depression
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Hutten, N. R. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00672 · Cited by 77
“These findings are in line with anecdotal reports and interview studies reporting the use of psychedelic microdoses to substitute conventional prescribed medications (11, 12, 26).”
ResultRootman, J. M., Kryskow, P., Harvey, K., Stamets, P. E., Santos-Brault, E., Kuypers, K. P. C., Polito, V., Bourzat, F., & Walsh, Z. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01811-4 · Cited by 90
Lea, T., Amada, N. M., Jungaberle, H., Schecke, H., Scherbaum, N., & Klein, M. (2020) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-020-05477-0 · Cited by 76
“An online interview study with 21 men reported perceived improvements from microdosing in symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as enhanced energy and cognition, with few adverse effects aside from inadvertently taking too high a dose (Johnstad 2018).”
BackgroundNarrative identity, rationality, and microdosing classic psychedelics
Webb, M. E., Copes, H., & Hendricks, P. S. (2019) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.04.013 · Cited by 75
Murray, C. H., Tare, I., Perry, C., Malina, M., Lee, R., & de Wit, H. (2021) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-021-05991-9 · Cited by 76
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“Second, previous results demonstrated by Johnstad (2018), Anderson et al. (2019) and Polito and Stevenson (2019) were based on psychedelic microdoses in general, while we chose to focus on specifically psilocybin.”
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“In addition to usage at psychotomimetic doses, both ketamine and psilocybin have a long history of being self-adminstered at lower doses (colloquially referred to as “microdoses”), (Johnstad, 2018; Kuypers et al., 2019; Hutten et al., 2019; Polito and Stevenson, 2019; Rosenbaum et al., 2020).”
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Psychedelics as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
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“…(Carhart-Harris et al., 2012; Wood et al., 2012; Catlow et al., 2013; Muthukumaraswamy et al., 2013; Zhang and Stackman, 2015; Griffiths et al., 2016; Carhart-Harris and Goodwin, 2017a; Carhart-Harris and Nutt, 2017; Johnstad, 2018; Fadiman and Korb, 2019; Kuypers et al., 2019; Lea et al., 2020a).”
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Rootman, J. M., Kiraga, M. K., Kryskow, P., Harvey, K., Stamets, P. E., Santos-Brault, E., Kuypers, K. P. C., & Walsh, Z. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-14512-3 · Cited by 57
van Elk, M., Fejer, G., Lempe, P., Prochazkova, L., Kuchař, M., Hájková, K., & Marschall, J. (2021) · Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00213-021-05857-0 · Cited by 50
“By using self-report measures it has been found that microdosing positively affected mood, creativity, and cognition, while reducing anxiety and depression (Johnstad 2018).”
MethodTesting the boundaries: Self-medicated testosterone replacement and why it is practised
Underwood, M., van de Ven, K., & Dunn, M. (2020) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103087 · Cited by 52
Acute and long-term effects of psilocybin on energy balance and feeding behavior in mice
Fadahunsi, N., Lund, J. T., Breum, A. W., Mathiesen, C. V., Larsen, I. B., Knudsen, G. M., Klein, A. B., & Clemmensen, C. (2022) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-02103-9 · Cited by 47
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“…microdosers have yielded reported benefits of improved mood, cognition, and creativity, which in some cases help counteract symptoms of depression and anxiety, although various challenges were also associated with the practice (Anderson, Petranker, Christopher, et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018).”
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Psychedelic medicine: The biology underlying the persisting psychedelic effects
Kuypers, K. P. C. (2019) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2019.02.029 · Cited by 35
Microdosing Psychedelics: Current Evidence From Controlled Studies
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“As media reports often focus on positive ffects when it comes to “smart drug” use (Partridge, Bell, Lucke, eates, & Hall, 2011), empirical research is needed to provide a ore in-depth understanding of the potential benefits and harms of sychedelic microdosing (Johnstad, 2018).”
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Fedorova, E. V., Wong, C. F., Ataiants, J., Iverson, E., Conn, B. M., & Lankenau, S. E. (2021) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108648 · Cited by 28
“Additionally, CBD-dominant users were more likely to microdose cannabis (e.g., use no more than 2.5 mg at a time), suggesting more responsible, functional, and medicinally oriented cannabis use (Dussault and Bardi, 2017; Johnstad, 2018; Webb et al., 2019).”
BackgroundInfluentialNarratives of the mystical among users of psychedelics
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“Participants varied as to whether they considered MDMA a ‘real’ psychedelic.1 Some of these users had also experiences with ‘microdosing’ (regularly taking small doses of LSD or mushrooms) (Johnstad, 2018, Webb et al., 2019).”
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Chronic Treatment With Psilocybin Decreases Changes in Body Weight in a Rodent Model of Obesity
Huang, J. Y., Pham, M. M., Panenka, W. J., Honer, W. G., & Barr, A. M. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.891512 · Cited by 20
Psychedelic discourses: A qualitative study of discussions in a Danish online forum
Holm, S., Petersen, M. A., Enghoff, O., & Hesse, M. (2023) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2022.103945 · Cited by 20
State Cannabis and Psychedelic Legislation and Microdosing Interest in the US
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Macrodosing to microdosing with psychedelics: Clinical, social, and cultural perspectives
Kaypak, A. C., & Raz, A. (2022) · Transcultural Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13634615221119386 · Cited by 22
“Online surveys and observational studies on microdosing reported improved creativity, mood, and cognition (Johnstad, 2018; Polito & Stevenson, 2019; Prochazkova et al., 2018), increased sociability (Webb et al.”
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Polito, V., & Liknaitzky, P. (2024) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/02698811241254831 · Cited by 26
“From 2018, academic studies of microdosing began to appear in the literature (e.g., Johnstad, 2018; Prochazkova et al., 2018).”
BackgroundLSD increases sleep duration the night after microdosing
Allen, N. T., Jeremiah, A., Murphy, R. J., Sumner, R. L., Forsyth, A., Hoeh, N. R., Menkes, D. B., Evans, W., Muthukumaraswamy, S. D., Sundram, F., et al. (2024) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41398-024-02900-4 · Cited by 19
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“practice led to decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms (Johnstad, 2018).”
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It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish
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“1) of psychedelics has gained popularity due to the positive consequences described on mood and cognition (Johnstad, 2018).”
BackgroundPsychedelics and schizophrenia: a double-edged sword
Sapienza, J., Martini, F., Comai, S., Cavallaro, R., Spangaro, M., Gregorio, D. D., & Bosia, M. (2024) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-024-02743-x · Cited by 20
A dangerous method? Psychedelic therapy at Modum Bad, Norway, 1961–76
Johnstad, P. G. (2020) · History of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0957154x19894537 · Cited by 15
“The lower end of this range corresponds to what is today known as a microdose (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Polito and Stevenson, 2019) and is probably what Johnsen referred to as ‘extremely small initial doses’, while the top doses were apparently reserved for attempts to induce ‘cosmic…”
BackgroundDressler, H. M., Bright, S. J., & Polito, V. (2021) · Journal of Psychedelic Studies · doi:10.1556/2054.2021.00157 · Cited by 14
“Other observational studies have also found that microdosers often report past experience with, or recent use of, recreational drugs (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Lea, Amada, Jungaberle, Schecke, Scherbaum & Klein, 2020; Rosenbaum et al., 2020; Webb et al., 2019), presenting a common limitation in studies of…”
BackgroundInfluentialAccounting for Microdosing Classic Psychedelics
Beaton, B., Copes, H., Webb, M. E., Hochstetler, A., & Hendricks, P. S. (2019) · Journal of Drug Issues · doi:10.1177/0022042619871008 · Cited by 13
Psychedelic Microdosing, Mindfulness, and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Study
Hartong, V., & van Emmerik, A. (2023) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2022.2080616 · Cited by 11
“Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin mushrooms are the most commonly microdosed psychedelics, at a frequency of two to four times per week (Hutten et al. 2019; Johnstad 2018; Rosenbaum et al. 2020).”
BackgroundResultExperiences of microdosing psychedelics in an attempt to support wellbeing and mental health
Ryan, R. S., Copello, A. G., & Fox, A. P. (2023) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-023-04628-9 · Cited by 12
“Johnstad [12] interviewed people online who had microdosed and respondents described benefits to mental health, especially on symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improved energy, cognition, and creativity, and few reported adverse effects.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialRepeated microdoses of LSD do not alter anxiety or boldness in zebrafish
Hagen, E. V., Schalomon, M., Zhang, Y., & Hamilton, T. J. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-54676-8 · Cited by 12
Petersen, M. A., Smith, A., Kristensen, D. B., & Hoeyer, K. (2022) · Medical Anthropology · doi:10.1080/01459740.2022.2054716 · Cited by 12
“Psychedelic micro-dosing is a form of substance-use in which tiny dosages of LSD or psilocybin mushrooms are consumed as a form of self-enhancement, therapeutic treatment or even as a way of everyday problem solving (Johnstad 2018, Fadiman 2011).”
BackgroundMicrodosing psychedelics as cognitive and emotional enhancers.
Rifkin, B. D., Maraver, M. J., & Colzato, L. S. (2020) · Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice · doi:10.1037/cns0000213 · Cited by 15
Entheogenic Spirituality: Exploring Spiritually Motivated Entheogen Use among Modern Westerners.
Johnstad, P. G. (2018) · Journal of ethnographic and qualitative research · Cited by 12
A Systematic Study of Microdosing PsychedelicsPreprint
Polito, V., & Stevenson, R. J. (2018) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/cw9qs · Cited by 13
Microdosing with classical psychedelics: Research trajectories and practical considerations
Wong, A., & Raz, A. (2022) · Transcultural Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13634615221129115 · Cited by 10
“Microdosers of psilocybin typically ingest a median microdose of 300 mg dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms, the most common method of obtaining psilocybin outside a research context (Fadiman and Korb, 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Polito and Stevenson, 2019; Prochazkova et al., 2018).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSyed, O. A., Petranker, R., Fewster, E. C., Sobolenko, V., Beidas, Z., Husain, M. I., Lake, S., & Lucas, P. (2024) · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs · doi:10.1080/02791072.2024.2424284 · Cited by 11
“In fact, although observational studies of naturalistic use highlight the benefits of microdosing on various aspects of creativity and well-being (Johnstad 2018; Prochazkova et al. 2018), the randomized controlled trial by Cavanna et al. (2022) found little effects of microdosing on a range of…”
Fissler, P., Vandersmissen, A., Filippi, M., Mavioğlu, R. N., Scholkmann, F., Karabatsiakis, A., & Krähenmann, R. (2023) · Journal of Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/02698811231164707 · Cited by 10
“Patients with depression often describe the psychedelic-induced switch from an energy-deficient to an energy-rich state by metaphors such as ‘lifting up a veil’, ‘rising above the clouds’, ‘emerging from the dark’ and ‘getting rid of mental fog’ (Johnstad, 2018).”
BackgroundModzelewski, S., Stankiewicz, A., Waszkiewicz, N., & Łukasiewicz, K. (2025) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2025.110402 · Cited by 9
“Cognitive deceleration was also observed (Johnstad, 2018).”
InfluentialWizła, M., Kraus, S. W., & Lewczuk, K. (2022) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2022.152303 · Cited by 9
Self-medication with Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS): a Systematic Review
Holborn, T., Page, R. L., II, Schifano, F., & Deluca, P. (2023) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-023-01195-8 · Cited by 7
“Some research focused on microdosing (Johnstad 2018).”
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
“…describe 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;…”
Kinderlehrer, D. A. (2023) · International Medical Case Reports Journal · doi:10.2147/imcrj.s395342 · Cited by 7
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
Haijen, E. C. H. M., Hurks, P. P. M., & Kuypers, K. P. C. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1233585 · Cited by 7
“Also, a qualitative interview study reported that participants experienced increases in openness and extraversion following MD, although no explicit mention of other personality traits was made (28).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialTrends in Pediatric Recreational Drug Use and Ingestions
Assaf, R. R., & Young, K. D. (2021) · Advances in Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.yapd.2021.05.011 · Cited by 5
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
“…our results add to the mixed reports from previous qualitative studies, i.e., microdosing practice has been shown in some cases to improve mood but also to increase certain negative emotions or decrease certain positive emotions (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Pop & Dinkelacker, 2023).”
ResultGray, C. (2020) · Somatechnics · doi:10.3366/soma.2020.0303 · Cited by 6
Asking questions of psychedelic microdosing
Cameron, L. P. (2021) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.66920 · Cited by 6
“These are all claims that have been made about psychedelic micro- dosing (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018).”
BackgroundAltered states of leadership: mindfulness meditation, psychedelic use, and leadership development
Simonsson, O., Stenfors, C. U. D., Goldberg, S. B., Hendricks, P. S., & Osika, W. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1151626 · Cited by 5
“Other qualitative research indicates that regular use of psychedelics in low doses for prolonged periods (i.e., “microdosing”) may have an impact on productivity and other leadership-related outcomes (Webb et al., 2019; see also Johnstad, 2018; Fadiman and Korb, 2019; Hutten et al., 2019).”
BackgroundExamining the potential of psilocybin and 5-MeO-DMT as therapeutics for traumatic brain injury
Plummer, Z., Allen, J., Brand, J., Mayo, L. M., Shultz, S. R., & Christie, B. R. (2025) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2025.111448 · Cited by 6
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
“This may heighten the risk of previously reported negative effects, such as feelings of shame (Pop and Dinkelacker 2023), increased stress and anxiety (Andersson and Kjellgren 2019; Lea et al. 2020a; Lea, Amada, and Jungaberle 2020), and insomnia (Johnstad 2018).”
InfluentialBruder, J. (2021) · Science Technology & Human Values · doi:10.1177/01622439211025632 · Cited by 5
Oblak, A., Hudnik, L. K., Levačić, A., Elersič, K., Pregelj, P., & Bon, J. (2024) · Philosophical Psychology · doi:10.1080/09515089.2024.2393690 · Cited by 5
“…to address why our study yielded detailed descriptions of negative effects of microdosing psilocybin, whereas other qualitative and self-report-based studies provided predominantly positive effects, and negative effects, when described, were relatively vague (Anderson et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018).”
InfluentialMicrodosing 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
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
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
Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out? A Typology of Psychedelic Microdosing as Technologies of the Self
Grusauskaite, K., & van Eijck, K. (2022) · Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change · doi:10.20897/jcasc/12255 · Cited by 3
“In one of the first qualitative studies on psychedelic microdosing, Johnstad (2018) investigates why and how people microdose psychedelics, finding that generally microdosers indeed do not aim for intoxication, but for the enhancement of their everyday functioning.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialVirtuous drug use in the neoliberal age
Chatwin, C., & Alexander, R. G. (2025) · Drugs Education Prevention and Policy · doi:10.1080/09687637.2024.2443659 · Cited by 3
“A good starting point concerns the recent practice of microdosing: the consumption of very small quantities of psychedelics “not for the purposes of intoxication but to enhance everyday functioning” (Johnstad, 2018, p. 3939).”
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
From Outsider to Insider: A Look at the Subculture of Microdosing
Beaton, B., & Gerber, J. (2024) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2024.2336198 · Cited by 2
“Moreover, people who engage in illicit drug use, particularly LSD or psilocybin use, may do so for a variety of reasons that each appear to stem from self-betterment (Beaton et al. 2020; Fadiman and Korb 2019; Johnstad 2018; Kuypers et al. 2019; Polito, Stevenson, and Arnone 2019; Webb et al. 2019).”
InfluentialExploring 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
“Users also report heightened energy levels, improved work productivity, and better overall health behaviors across both clinical and non-clinical populations (Fadiman and Korb 2019).”
InfluentialA psilocybin haven: the use of comparison to legitimate transgression at a psychedelic retreat
Dunell, J. (2024) · Drugs Education Prevention and Policy · doi:10.1080/09687637.2024.2412636 · Cited by 2
“…& Ragland, 2023; Dorsen et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2023; Pedersen et al., 2021), and tools for therapeutic benefits or improvement (Hupli et al., 2019; Johnstad, 2018; Søgaard Juul et al., 2023) Emanating from the inconsistent status of psychedelics, the overall aim of this article is to describe…”
Acute Effects and Long-Term Neuropsychological Consequences of Classic Psychedelics Use
Basedow, L. A., & Riemer, T. (2025) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2025_600 · Cited by 2
Mahoney, J. J., Bryant, K. R., & Haut, M. W. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-14895-9_32 · Cited by 2
Ferenstein, G. (2021) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3910688 · Cited by 2
Polito, V., & Liknaitzky, P. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/edhqz · Cited by 2
“Microdosing was also linked to improved general mental health in two qualitative (Andersson and Kjellgren, 2019; Johnstad, 2018) and two retrospective survey studies (Hutten et al., 2019b; Lea et al., 2020c).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialIs Microdosing a Placebo?Preprint
Polito, V., & Liknaitzky, P. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/3ykst · Cited by 2
Metadata
- Authors
- Johnstad, P. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Johnstad, Petter Grahl
- Venue
- Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2018-02
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 39-51
- ISSN
- 1455-0725 (ISSN-L)
- 1458-6126
- PMC
- PMC7434115
- OpenAlex
- W2789213216
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 4
- FWCI
- 24.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Toxicology › Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Keywords
- psychedelic microdosing, psychedelics, entheogens, recreational drug use, mood improvement, cognitive enhancement, creativity, anxiety, depression, user experience
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