Microdosing Psychedelics as a Promising New Pharmacotherapeutic

Abstract

Microdosing psychedelics, the repeated use of small doses of substances such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide, has gained popular and scientific attention in recent years. While some users claim microdosing psychedelics has therapeutic value, to date only a handful of (placebo-controlled) experimental studies in human volunteers have been conducted testing the effects of low doses on physiological, subjective state, and performance measures. This chapter aims to answer, based on the scientific knowledge we have so far, whether microdosing psychedelics has therapeutic potential. Reviewed studies demonstrated that low doses were in general well tolerated. Single doses produced subtle, beneficial effects on selective performance measures and subjective states. The fact that most studies were conducted in small samples of healthy (young) volunteers hampers generalization to other populations. However, the observed cognitive and affective effects might be of help in some psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or depression. Future placebo-controlled studies in patient populations are needed to conclude about the (therapeutic) potential of microdosing psychedelics.