4 ms·

I'm a little surprised they didn't go more into the likelihood it's just a placebo. They mention it briefly but IMHO it seems extremely likely. <10µg is just to

I'm a little surprised they didn't go more into the likelihood it's just a placebo. They mention it briefly but IMHO it seems extremely likely. <10µg is just too low to have a chance binding to serotonin receptors. Of course if a placebo works for you, it's hard to argue you should stop, I just think microdosers run a risk of mismeasuring and accidentally taking a full dose of LSD. These "day trippers" are really just playing a high-tech game of Russian roulette (Silicon Valley roulette?) But media people seem to love exaggerating the supposed prevalence and benefits of microdosing. I would expect more mainstream media like The Economist to use better discretion on whether something like this is worth popularizing. James Fadiman is always mentioned in articles on microdosing. I think he was the first to popularize microdosing. His approach seems to be more New Age than scientific. I think the culture around microdosing is generally unhelpful and possibly dangerous to those of us that want to see real research into therapeutic psychedelics. gwern did a self-study on microdosing that is more rigorous than anything you'll find from Fadiman. https://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing https://www.gwern.net/LSD%20microdosing

davymac 9y ago
I did 10ug, felt like nothing. I tried again with 20ug and wow the thought clarity is incredible. This may be because I have ADHD + GAD + Depression I'd highly recommend it to those considering. I agree on the 10ug being placebo territory, but it could be that those seeing the effects are those that are likely self-medicating anyway. A normal person wouldn't notice, whereas someone needing the bump would, just a guess. Comments on the linked article: 20ug yay 10ug why? Hearing better: Surprisingly yes, I definitely noticed this, and it was thoroughly confusing at first, but my best guess is that its related to serotonin, since similar medication has been used to treat Tinnitus (e.g. SSRI's) It seems like serotonin is the signal amplifier dial, and mine is at a 9, people with Tinnitus are at 11. LSD and SSRI's drop it a notch or two. (Another wild guess based on my personal + google-lay experience) I think it aligns with what serotonin actually does, rather than the ELI5 "anxiety" label assigned to it. The "creativity" feels like a hippie thing to ascribe to it. I think it's closer to reducing the noise thereby providing a clearer signal for whatever is already on your mind... There seems to be a hint of time-dilation, in that the racing thoughts I've had all my life, seem to slow to a "normal" speed. I'm curious if this time-dilation aspect is what causes the weird trippy visuals people report at higher doses... If the "signal" is light hitting the retina, maybe serotonin modifies the rate it gets processed, like slowing down or ramping up the FPS on a video camera. No idea why I rambled this long on your comment, sorry haha
filoeleven 9y ago
> James Fadiman is always mentioned in articles on microdosing [...] His approach seems to be more New Age than scientific. What has he said that strikes you as new agey? Fadiman has been doing rigorous research in the field since before it was made illegal. There are lots of references to his various papers in his book, The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide. There is a section about it in the book, but as I recall it's not something that people were doing in the 60s so there are not yet any good studies to cite, and the effects are all reported as anecdotal. If given the opportunity, I am confident that Fadiman would be happy to conduct such studies. It's worth noting that in the book, again based on memory, microdosing is referred to as being in the 10-20ug range, so it's interesting that the article says <10. I agree with you that <10 seems too low for anything, but when you're closer to 20 there are subtle effects, really just at the threshold of being active, which I suppose is the point of a microdose. The "museum dose," where one can feel definite changes in thought patterns and perceptions but which does not result in overt hallucinations, is only around 37-45ug. It really is amazing how potent this substance is. > I think the culture around microdosing is generally unhelpful and possibly dangerous to those of us that want to see real research into therapeutic psychedelics. Dangerous how? It seems unlikely to take away from the renewed scientific focus on therapeutic use that is finally being allowed to continue. Or are you suggesting that microdosing culture could somehow delegitimize this? I'd think if anything it's a call for more research of lower doses in addition to the higher doses now being studied.

davymac 9y ago

I did 10ug, felt like nothing. I tried again with 20ug and wow the thought clarity is incredible. This may be because I have ADHD + GAD + Depression I'd highly recommend it to those considering. I agree on the 10ug being placebo territory, but it could be that those seeing the effects are those that are likely self-medicating anyway. A normal person wouldn't notice, whereas someone needing the bump would, just a guess. Comments on the linked article: 20ug yay 10ug why? Hearing better: Surprisingly yes, I definitely noticed this, and it was thoroughly confusing at first, but my best guess is that its related to serotonin, since similar medication has been used to treat Tinnitus (e.g. SSRI's) It seems like serotonin is the signal amplifier dial, and mine is at a 9, people with Tinnitus are at 11. LSD and SSRI's drop it a notch or two. (Another wild guess based on my personal + google-lay experience) I think it aligns with what serotonin actually does, rather than the ELI5 "anxiety" label assigned to it. The "creativity" feels like a hippie thing to ascribe to it. I think it's closer to reducing the noise thereby providing a clearer signal for whatever is already on your mind... There seems to be a hint of time-dilation, in that the racing thoughts I've had all my life, seem to slow to a "normal" speed. I'm curious if this time-dilation aspect is what causes the weird trippy visuals people report at higher doses... If the "signal" is light hitting the retina, maybe serotonin modifies the rate it gets processed, like slowing down or ramping up the FPS on a video camera. No idea why I rambled this long on your comment, sorry haha

filoeleven 9y ago

> James Fadiman is always mentioned in articles on microdosing [...] His approach seems to be more New Age than scientific. What has he said that strikes you as new agey? Fadiman has been doing rigorous research in the field since before it was made illegal. There are lots of references to his various papers in his book, The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide. There is a section about it in the book, but as I recall it's not something that people were doing in the 60s so there are not yet any good studies to cite, and the effects are all reported as anecdotal. If given the opportunity, I am confident that Fadiman would be happy to conduct such studies. It's worth noting that in the book, again based on memory, microdosing is referred to as being in the 10-20ug range, so it's interesting that the article says <10. I agree with you that <10 seems too low for anything, but when you're closer to 20 there are subtle effects, really just at the threshold of being active, which I suppose is the point of a microdose. The "museum dose," where one can feel definite changes in thought patterns and perceptions but which does not result in overt hallucinations, is only around 37-45ug. It really is amazing how potent this substance is. > I think the culture around microdosing is generally unhelpful and possibly dangerous to those of us that want to see real research into therapeutic psychedelics. Dangerous how? It seems unlikely to take away from the renewed scientific focus on therapeutic use that is finally being allowed to continue. Or are you suggesting that microdosing culture could somehow delegitimize this? I'd think if anything it's a call for more research of lower doses in addition to the higher doses now being studied.