5 ms·

LSD Microdosing

108 points by Archio 11y ago

blairbeckwith 11y ago
The Reply All podcast had a pretty interesting episode on this recently: https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldman/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldma...
- garrettgrimsley 11y ago
  @gwern has done self-experimentation with LSD microdosing. http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing
- heimatau 11y ago
  Well...this is an awesome episode. I appreciate the sharing of it. The 'King among men' comment made me smile a big grin. Thanks!
tgb 11y ago
Some interesting related reading: http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing
Mo3 11y ago
I love Acid and have taken the occasional microdose myself but I cannot support the authors attitude. The benefits described can all be achieved through meditation and single real doses of LSD, but after all it is merely a chemical shortcut to these higher states of conciousness where your mind loses its grip on you and you gain uninterrupted access to insight and creativity. Microdosing acid every fourth day is neither necessary nor very healthy, I assume, since there's a chemical component involved that acts on several neurotransmitter systems. The solution is already within everyone of us..
- oneJob 11y ago
  Well, not so much.
- thatswrong0 11y ago
  There is no evidence that LSD is toxic to humans. It is, physically, one of the safest drugs you can take. Mentally is a different story, but at micro doses, you're hardly feeling the normal psychedelic effects that occur at recreational doses, so there's hardly potential for "bad trips". I'm guessing that micro dosing is perfectly healthy. The only problems are A) knowing what you're taking is LSD and B) knowing what dose you're taking, as you're dealing with an active dose of millionths of grams.
  - Mo3 11y ago
    I am not talking about toxicity or bad trips, I am talking about your neurotransmitter systems. Permanent exposure to chemically altered levels and heavy fluctuations can and will change in you very negative ways and cause tons of problems nevermind the dose. I speak from experience.
    - burnte 11y ago
      You may speak from experience, but your data conflicts with tens of millions of people who have taken various psychoactive medications for a myriad of psychological conditions for decades, myself included.
      - Mo3 11y ago
        I'm sorry but you're comparing apples and bananas here, friend. I'm pretty sure you're not being prescribed psychedelics or tripping off of your adderall. The mechanisms behind psychedelics are very poorly understood, as are most behind therapeutic psychoactive drugs but I am fairly certain that they are not the same.
        jhobag 11y ago
andyl 11y ago
LSD can kill: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11986043/Nick-Caves-son-Arthur-took-LSD-before-falling-to-death-at-Ovingdean-Gap.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/1198604... http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/11/11/coroner-nick-caves-teen-son-took-lsd-before-death-cliff-fall/75571696/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/11/11/coroner-... http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/10/nick-caves-son-died-from-fall-after-taking-lsd-inquest-hears http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/10/nick-caves-son-...
- Mo3 11y ago
  No. Acid doesn't kill. The preexisting illness that it shines light on might..
- geofft 11y ago
  So can alcohol, but countless offices have beer fridges. And, relevantly for an article on microdosing, so can anything at high doses, including water (e.g., Jennifer Strange) and oxygen (e.g., Apollo 1).
  - lmm 11y ago
    It wasn't the oxygen that killed the Apollo 1 astronauts, it was the fire. Oxygen can be toxic at high pressures (which is why deep divers use a mix with helium replacing some of the oxygen) but AIUI breathing 100% oxygen at ordinary atmospheric pressure is fine.
- danr4 11y ago
  Hmm maybe it's just me but I have a hunch the fall from high altitude was the cause of death.
- Exuma 11y ago
  Uhhhh no.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- 11y ago
danr4 11y ago
How does one manage to get/make a 10 micrograms dose without professional help? Or even with for that matter?
- mason55 11y ago
  Get liquid and dilute 10x. I can't imagine that you could cut up paper hits into ten tiny little pieces.
  - futuravenir 11y ago
    I think you might be in dire need of some LSD if you can't imagine cutting up paper into small pieces.
    - dwiel 11y ago
      The typical size of paper used to carry one dose is 1/4" square. Cutting that into 10 equal sized pieces would be relatively tedious. It also assumes that the LSD is distributed evenly across the paper.
      - futuravenir 11y ago
        https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldman/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldma... At around 20:30, she starts talking about the process. Take the piece of acid, dissolve it in water overnight. Drink 1/10th of the bottle of water. Or, y'know, an exacto knife and a ruler.
      - tkjef 11y ago
        Tiny scissors, steady hand. Done. However, yes, the distribution per piece may be off.
      - coldtea 11y ago
        >The typical size of paper used to carry one dose is 1/4" square. Cutting that into 10 equal sized pieces would be relatively tedious. Is that considering "tedious" nowadays?
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
glxc 11y ago
this. is. dumb.
roflchoppa 11y ago
One of the first experiences that i had was accidentally micro-dosing, i only come to realize the now. Reflecting on it, it was more pleasant then full doses that occurred after. It was as if I was seeing familiar things for the first time. However i feel that some of the most meaningful photographs I've taken have been during trips.
api 11y ago
Also relevant is this great interview: http://matrixmasters.net/salon/index.php/2006/06/27/podcast-042-using-psychedelics-for-rational-work/ http://matrixmasters.net/salon/index.php/2006/06/27/podcast-...
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
alsetmusic 11y ago
LSD was by far my favorite mind altering substance when I was taking everything under the sun at around age 18. I dosed heavily and had life changing experiences (some for the better, others that were deeply troubling), but one of the most stand-out experiences was when I took the advice of a friend and used it not to get high but to "figure out important questions." I took a very small dose, barely enough to qualify for what I typically considered a legitimate trip, and sat in the country for several hours thinking about what I wanted out of life. It was just enough to change my way of thinking enough to get outside my usual process and ended up being one of the most productive sessions of deep meditation of my life. I don't know that I would endorse doing this on a regular basis, or especially in a professional environment, but I definitely agree that a carefully moderated experience can be just right to help shift paradigms without losing touch with reality.

108 points by Archio 11y ago

The Reply All podcast had a pretty interesting episode on this recently: https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldman/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldma...

garrettgrimsley 11y ago
@gwern has done self-experimentation with LSD microdosing. http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing
heimatau 11y ago
Well...this is an awesome episode. I appreciate the sharing of it. The 'King among men' comment made me smile a big grin. Thanks!

tgb 11y ago

Some interesting related reading: http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing http://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing

Mo3 11y ago

I love Acid and have taken the occasional microdose myself but I cannot support the authors attitude. The benefits described can all be achieved through meditation and single real doses of LSD, but after all it is merely a chemical shortcut to these higher states of conciousness where your mind loses its grip on you and you gain uninterrupted access to insight and creativity. Microdosing acid every fourth day is neither necessary nor very healthy, I assume, since there's a chemical component involved that acts on several neurotransmitter systems. The solution is already within everyone of us..

oneJob 11y ago
Well, not so much.
thatswrong0 11y ago
There is no evidence that LSD is toxic to humans. It is, physically, one of the safest drugs you can take. Mentally is a different story, but at micro doses, you're hardly feeling the normal psychedelic effects that occur at recreational doses, so there's hardly potential for "bad trips". I'm guessing that micro dosing is perfectly healthy. The only problems are A) knowing what you're taking is LSD and B) knowing what dose you're taking, as you're dealing with an active dose of millionths of grams.
- Mo3 11y ago
  I am not talking about toxicity or bad trips, I am talking about your neurotransmitter systems. Permanent exposure to chemically altered levels and heavy fluctuations can and will change in you very negative ways and cause tons of problems nevermind the dose. I speak from experience.
  - burnte 11y ago
    You may speak from experience, but your data conflicts with tens of millions of people who have taken various psychoactive medications for a myriad of psychological conditions for decades, myself included.
    - Mo3 11y ago
      I'm sorry but you're comparing apples and bananas here, friend. I'm pretty sure you're not being prescribed psychedelics or tripping off of your adderall. The mechanisms behind psychedelics are very poorly understood, as are most behind therapeutic psychoactive drugs but I am fairly certain that they are not the same.
      - jhobag 11y ago

andyl 11y ago

LSD can kill: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11986043/Nick-Caves-son-Arthur-took-LSD-before-falling-to-death-at-Ovingdean-Gap.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/1198604... http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/11/11/coroner-nick-caves-teen-son-took-lsd-before-death-cliff-fall/75571696/ http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/11/11/coroner-... http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/10/nick-caves-son-died-from-fall-after-taking-lsd-inquest-hears http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/nov/10/nick-caves-son-...

Mo3 11y ago
No. Acid doesn't kill. The preexisting illness that it shines light on might..
geofft 11y ago
So can alcohol, but countless offices have beer fridges. And, relevantly for an article on microdosing, so can anything at high doses, including water (e.g., Jennifer Strange) and oxygen (e.g., Apollo 1).
- lmm 11y ago
  It wasn't the oxygen that killed the Apollo 1 astronauts, it was the fire. Oxygen can be toxic at high pressures (which is why deep divers use a mix with helium replacing some of the oxygen) but AIUI breathing 100% oxygen at ordinary atmospheric pressure is fine.
danr4 11y ago
Hmm maybe it's just me but I have a hunch the fall from high altitude was the cause of death.
Exuma 11y ago
Uhhhh no.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
11y ago

danr4 11y ago

How does one manage to get/make a 10 micrograms dose without professional help? Or even with for that matter?

mason55 11y ago
Get liquid and dilute 10x. I can't imagine that you could cut up paper hits into ten tiny little pieces.
- futuravenir 11y ago
  I think you might be in dire need of some LSD if you can't imagine cutting up paper into small pieces.
  - dwiel 11y ago
    The typical size of paper used to carry one dose is 1/4" square. Cutting that into 10 equal sized pieces would be relatively tedious. It also assumes that the LSD is distributed evenly across the paper.
    - futuravenir 11y ago
      https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldman/ https://gimletmedia.com/episode/44-shine-on-you-crazy-goldma... At around 20:30, she starts talking about the process. Take the piece of acid, dissolve it in water overnight. Drink 1/10th of the bottle of water. Or, y'know, an exacto knife and a ruler.
    - tkjef 11y ago
      Tiny scissors, steady hand. Done. However, yes, the distribution per piece may be off.
    - coldtea 11y ago
      >The typical size of paper used to carry one dose is 1/4" square. Cutting that into 10 equal sized pieces would be relatively tedious. Is that considering "tedious" nowadays?

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

glxc 11y ago

this. is. dumb.

roflchoppa 11y ago

One of the first experiences that i had was accidentally micro-dosing, i only come to realize the now. Reflecting on it, it was more pleasant then full doses that occurred after. It was as if I was seeing familiar things for the first time. However i feel that some of the most meaningful photographs I've taken have been during trips.

api 11y ago

Also relevant is this great interview: http://matrixmasters.net/salon/index.php/2006/06/27/podcast-042-using-psychedelics-for-rational-work/ http://matrixmasters.net/salon/index.php/2006/06/27/podcast-...

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

alsetmusic 11y ago

LSD was by far my favorite mind altering substance when I was taking everything under the sun at around age 18. I dosed heavily and had life changing experiences (some for the better, others that were deeply troubling), but one of the most stand-out experiences was when I took the advice of a friend and used it not to get high but to "figure out important questions." I took a very small dose, barely enough to qualify for what I typically considered a legitimate trip, and sat in the country for several hours thinking about what I wanted out of life. It was just enough to change my way of thinking enough to get outside my usual process and ended up being one of the most productive sessions of deep meditation of my life. I don't know that I would endorse doing this on a regular basis, or especially in a professional environment, but I definitely agree that a carefully moderated experience can be just right to help shift paradigms without losing touch with reality.