{"id":3773,"date":"2022-01-20T17:58:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T17:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=191352"},"modified":"2022-01-20T17:58:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T17:58:25","slug":"what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3773","title":{"rendered":"What are the potential risks of microdosing psychedelics?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>What are the potential risks of microdosing psychedelics? | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h4 id=\"h-mind-matter-is-a-monthly-column-by-nick-jikomes-phd-leafly-s-director-of-science-and-innovation\"><em>\u2018Mind &amp; Matter\u2019 is a monthly column by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nickjikomes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nick Jikomes, PhD<\/a>, Leafly\u2019s Director of Science and Innovation.<\/em><\/h4>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Microdosing is the practice of ingesting small amounts of a psychoactive substance\u2014enough to get some kind of perceived benefit, but not enough to become intoxicated or feel the psychoactive effects of a full dose.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Microdosing psychedelics has become a popular new wellness trend. You can allegedly get various mental health benefits such as enhanced mood and creativity. Everyone from health-conscious young professionals to high-powered tech executives have credited this as a powerful brain hack: a cognitive boost with no obvious side effects.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img alt class=\"wp-image-180935 has-ll lazyload\" width=\"251\" height=\"240\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics.png,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics.png,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics.png,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics.png,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Psychedelics have long been associated with creativity and have been scientifically shown to stimulate neural plasticity, the ability of brain cells to rewire themselves, which is thought to underlie their therapeutic mental health effects. <\/p>\n<p>This has led to the alluring idea of microdosing: What if you can get the benefits of enhanced neural plasticity without the ego-dissolving hallucinatory experience? Just pop a magic mushroom gummy and watch your spirits lift.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s big commercial interest here. In the language of startups, microdosing could increase the \u201cTotal Addressable Market\u201d (TAM) for psychedelics, widening the pool of potential consumers. If microdosing has demonstrable benefits, it could help scale up psychedelic medicine. Large doses of psilocybin may have therapeutic effects, but patients require preparation and supervision before, during, and after their experience. Smaller doses with sub-psychedelic effects don\u2019t require such time- and resource-intensive oversight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Compared to macrodosing with supervision and integration, microdosing more cleanly fits the standard pharmaceutical treatment template in psychiatry: diagnose the patient\u2019s issue, prescribe a non-ego-dissolving drug, add talk therapy as needed. Repeat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/psychedelics\/how-to-dose-mushrooms\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>How to dose psychedelic mushrooms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Besides, going on a multi-hour psychedelic trip is simply too intimidating for many people.<\/p>\n<p>What if we can turn millions more people on to psychedelics in less time and with fewer side effects by using lower doses of these drugs? And can we sell low-dose consumer packaged goods?<\/p>\n<p>Life advice: When something sounds too good to be true, assume it is until proven otherwise.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-evidence-for-the-benefits-of-microdosing-psychedelics\">Evidence for the benefits of microdosing psychedelics?<\/h2>\n<p>Almost all evidence for the benefits of psychedelic microdosing in humans is anecdotal. The few human studies out there rely on self-reported data, which is hard to draw reliable conclusions from, especially when you\u2019re measuring something subjective. <\/p>\n<p>People are prone to expectancy effects\u2014they are biased to report what they expect to experience, especially when they really want a particular outcome. This is why double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are the gold standard.<\/p>\n<p>When evaluating self-reported microdosing data, apply a macrodose of caution. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-01811-4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this recent study<\/a> showed that adults who microdose psychedelics self-report lower levels of anxiety and depression. While that\u2019s good to hear, the reported effects were small. Moreover, the data are from people who were motivated by mental health concerns\u2014people who really wanted that result.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>These are perfect conditions for expectancy effects. Because the data are self-reported and there\u2019s no real control group, we can\u2019t bank on these results.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/psychedelics\/types-of-psychedelics\/mushrooms-psilocybin\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Mushrooms \/ Psilocybin<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-placebo-effects-and-the-power-of-belief\">Placebo effects and the power of belief<\/h2>\n<p>An interesting psychoactive phenomenon in themselves, placebo effects are widespread in medicine: A person\u2019s expectations can drive measurable physiological change. Placebo effects are common in situations where the measured outcome is subjective, which is exactly what microdosing enthusiasts claim\u2014mild subjective effects. Placebo effects are common in the world of pain medicine: Give someone a sugar pill that they think is a pain drug, and they actually experience reduced pain.<\/p>\n<p>Taken to its lowest extreme, microdosing becomes homeopathy: The dose is so low that it\u2019s zero. Imagine collecting data from health-conscious homeopathy enthusiasts who want to lower their anxiety levels with homeopathy. You give half of them a homeopathic product and the other half a placebo, then ask how they feel. They\u2019re all likely going to report an improvement.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, this is exactly what was found in the only placebo-controlled <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33648632\/\">study<\/a> I\u2019m aware of on psychedelic microdosing. The people who microdosed reported improvements, but so did the placebo group, with no difference between them.<\/p>\n<p>Placebo effects are real. But if your mood boost is caused by the mere belief that a 0.1g mushroom chocolate is an antidepressant rather than a pharmacological effect from psilocybin, so what? There\u2019s nothing wrong with a placebo-induced mood boost so long as there\u2019s no downside risk.<\/p>\n<p>But there could be downside risks.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-microdosing-psychedelics-too-much-of-a-good-thing\">Microdosing psychedelics: Too much of a good thing?<\/h2>\n<p>I spoke to medicinal chemist Dr. David Olson, whose lab studies the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which psychedelics and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/science-tech\/would-psychedelic-therapy-work-without-tripping\">psychoplastogens<\/a> work in the brain. On the subject of microdosing, he offered the following words of caution:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n[embedded content]\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h5><em>Medicinal chemist Dr. David Olson explains a potential concern with the regular ingestion of psychedelics and other psychoplastogens.<\/em><\/h5>\n<p>In the interview, he referenced homeostatic plasticity, a known brain phenomenon, in which our bodies regulate crucial bodily functions to maintain balance, or homeostasis. Think of it as biology\u2019s \u201cGoldilocks Principle\u201d\u2014when you get too hot, automatic mechanisms kick in to cool you down, such as sweating; when you\u2019re too cold, there are automatic mechanisms for generating heat, such as shivering. Our systems have to stay in balance for our cells to work properly; not too hot, not too cold.<\/p>\n<p>When our ability to homeostatically regulate breaks down, many systems can dysfunction. Diabetes is a good example. Normally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=r_E1I8gEkIA&amp;t=581s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blood sugar is tightly regulated<\/a>. When it spikes after a meal, our body automatically senses this and brings down blood sugar levels to restore balance, or homeostasis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But the process isn\u2019t perfect. Biology is messy. When your body pulls blood sugar back down to normal, it often overshoots. This can result in fatigue, which is why a \u201cfood coma\u201d can follow a big meal. <\/p>\n<p>When this process goes awry, as in diabetes, blood sugar levels drift out of the Goldilocks range for extended periods, which can have a variety of negative physiological consequences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/psychedelics\/medicine\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Psychedelic medicine: The benefits of psychedelics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-can-you-have-too-much-neuroplasticity\">Can you have too much neuroplasticity?<\/h2>\n<p>In the brain, neural plasticity, the ability of brain cells to rewire themselves, is under homeostatic control. Plasticity is crucial for learning, but if your brain became too plastic\u2014if you cranked up the plasticity thermostat all the way\u2014you would, in some sense, have the mind of an infant. Your existing memories would destabilize. You would have difficulty taking coherent action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Conversely, if you turned the plasticity thermostat in the opposite direction, you would become rigid, with little ability to learn and adapt.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As with blood sugar, so with plasticity: not too much, not too little. Your brain has built-in controls to sense when there\u2019s too much growth, and when that happens, it can turn down the \u201cgrowth thermostat,\u201d causing neurons to shrivel up by trimming back their connections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, stimulating the growth of too many neural connections can trigger an automatic process that results in the exact opposite. This is the risk with regular microdosing of psychedelics.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-can-frequent-psychedelic-use-have-detrimental-effects-on-neuroplasticity\">Can frequent psychedelic use have detrimental effects on neuroplasticity?<\/h2>\n<p>In one experiment, rats were given a small dose of DMT, below the threshold thought to cause psychedelic effects, every third day for several weeks. Similar to single, large doses of psychedelics, antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects were observed. Unlike single doses, which cause robust neuronal growth, small doses of DMT every few days resulted in either no change in growth or a <em>decrease<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The idea here is that if neurons become overstimulated after multiple doses of a psychedelic, the brain might be dialing down its \u201cgrowth thermostat\u201d to compensate. It\u2019s conceivable this could even make the symptoms of some psychiatric disorders worse, perhaps similar to the food coma that\u2019s triggered when your body undershoots blood sugar levels after a meal-induced spike.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A similar theme emerges from animal studies that used large doses of LSD. Intermittent, high doses of LSD given for more than three months lead to persistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0028390811000682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">behavioral deficits<\/a>, while a similar dose given over a shorter timespan had <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0269881114531666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">antidepressant-like effects<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The dose <em>and<\/em> the length of treatment are critical for determining outcomes, which can be either beneficial or detrimental.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s another potential risk from frequently taking psychedelics.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-could-frequent-psychedelic-use-cause-heart-problems\">Could frequent psychedelic use cause heart problems?<\/h2>\n<p>Psychedelics are most commonly associated with a brain receptor called serotonin 2A (5-HT2A), which is crucial for their mind-expanding effects. But many psychedelics also activate another serotonin receptor, 5-HT2B. This receptor is abundant in heart tissue and is implicated in drug-induced valvular heart disease.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The concern is that, while occasional use of a 5-HT2B drug may not cause any problems, repeated use for extended periods could trigger heart problems, even at a low dose. While this heart issue has not been directly tied to classic psychedelics like DMT, psilocin, or LSD, there is a well-documented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/6599428_Drugs_and_Valvular_Heart_Disease\">history<\/a> linking valvular heart disease to the long-term use of other drugs that activate this receptor.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-microdosing-psychedelics-what-should-you-do\">Microdosing psychedelics: What should you do?<\/h2>\n<p>One thing that\u2019s clear about psychedelics and other psychoplastogens is that both the dose and frequency of exposure matter. Unfortunately, we just don\u2019t know enough to give anyone a clear playbook on the benefits and risks of taking different doses of these drugs over different time frames.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We know that single, large doses given under appropriate conditions can be therapeutic. We also know that lots of people <em>say<\/em> that microdosing is a game-changer, and there are early indications of potential therapeutic benefits. But there may be serious concerns lurking beneath the surface.<\/p>\n<p>I think adults should be treated like adults: They should be informed of the facts and be free to make their own decisions. As for myself, I\u2019m going to stick with the occasional macrodose.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><em><\/em><br \/><em><em>To learn more about Mind &amp; Matter and listen to the podcast that inspired this article, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nickjikomes.com\/audio-episodes\/episode\/4e16b7ee\/david-olson-psychedelics-psychoplastogens-microdosing-mental-health-brain-chemistry-creating-novel-drugs-or-46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span>THIS<\/span><\/a> link.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"my-xxl wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-related-articles\">\n<p><h2>More Mind &amp; Matter<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/what-are-the-potential-risks-of-microdosing-psychedelics.jpg\" alt=\"Nick Jikomes, PhD's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Nick Jikomes, PhD<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Nick is Leafly&#8217;s Director of Science &amp; Innovation and holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Harvard University and a B.S. in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the host of a popular science podcast, which you can listen to for free at: www.nickjikomes.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @trikomes<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/nick-jikomes-phd\">View Nick Jikomes, PhD&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-01-21 02:06:43 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What are the potential risks of microdosing psychedelics? | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. \u2018Mind &amp; Matter\u2019 is a monthly column by Nick Jikomes, PhD, Leafly\u2019s Director of Science and Innovation. Microdosing is the practice of ingesting small amounts of a psychoactive substance\u2014enough to get some kind of perceived benefit, but not&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3773\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}