Post: Are Your Patients Microdosing?

February 12, 2025

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What a long, strange trip it’s been. Once used solely for spiritual and religious purposes and, over time, in recreational settings, psychedelics like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin are increasingly becoming part of the toolbox for the rapidly growing self-treatment movement of microdosing.

Microdosing is the practice of taking repeated small doses of psilocybin or LSD, sometimes in combination with other substances like lion’s mane mushrooms, niacin, and/or N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Data from a cross-sectional survey of more than 8000 respondents in 84 countries showed that more than 50% of people who microdosed psilocybin reported “stacking” with other supplements to enhance its overall effects, especially creativity and learning.

With the exception of the Netherlands, where psilocybin truffles can be purchased legally over the counter, microdosing is unregulated and illegal across the European Union. However, this has not stopped people who swear by its benefits and who rely on Reddit forums and trusted friends to guide them through practicalities like sourcing, dosage, and regimens.

There is a lot that remains unclear about psychedelics, especially regarding their side effects and whether their alleged benefits can be supported by scientific evidence. Despite the uncertainty, microdosing appears to be here to stay with or without the blessing of the clinical community. Here’s what you need to know. Who Microdoses?

“The interesting part about microdosing is that the most unexpected people engage in it. In other words, they don’t fit into what people typically think of when they think of drug user,” said Ioana Pop, PhD, assistant professor of sociology and researcher in microdosing at Tilburg University in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Ioana Pop, PhD “Microdosing spans across the lines we use to create social groups, like gender or education or occupation,” she said.

Motivations are also quite broad.

“The literature is very clear that the reasons why people engage in microdosing are for self-enhancement or self-medication for conditions for which they have been diagnosed, like depression or anxiety,” said Pop. “They engage in the practice very conscientiously, not as an escape but to become better persons for themselves or the people around them,” she […]

Are Your Patients Microdosing?