What is microdosing?

Microdosing of psychedelics means regularly taking a psychoactive substance in amounts that do not interfere with perception and do not induce hallucinogenic states. In pharmacology, microdosing is a process used in drug development and early-stage testing. In the psychedelic context, it is assumed that the dose is about 10% of the amount that gives the full spectrum of psychoactive effects – roughly 0.1–0.3 grams of dried mushrooms, taken 2–5 times a week. If you microdose LSD, the most commonly mentioned range is 5–20 micrograms of the substance.

In practice, microdosing usually involves small amounts of psilocybin mushrooms, often varieties such as Golden Teacher, used strictly for educational and research purposes. The substance itself is found naturally in psilocybin mushrooms, and in many countries (including Poland) only mycological observation of growkits is legal – bringing them to fruiting bodies is already against the law. If you want to go deeper into the topic itself, it is worth reading our broader guide: psilocybin microdosing – what you need to know.

Source Freepik

The dose always depends on body weight and individual absorption of psychoactive substances. Microdosing can have a positive impact on mood, creativity and self-awareness, and may support the treatment of depression or addictions. It is also often mentioned that it helps with concentration and productivity. However, the amount of research conducted on microdosing is still insufficient to conclude that this practice is fully safe for our bodies. At the same time, existing clinical data on psychedelics more broadly are promising, and anecdotal reports and observational studies give hope for breakthroughs in the treatment of mood disorders or addiction-related illnesses – provided that everything happens within legal and medical frameworks.

How was microdosing created?

The beneficial effects of very small psychedelic doses were already mentioned by the father of LSD – Albert Hofmann – but the popularity of microdosing came much later. American psychologist Dr. James Fadiman, in the 1960s, studied the effects of psychedelics on human consciousness. The 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances legally blocked further research for decades, yet Fadiman continued to collect data and systematize knowledge.

He compiled his experience into a book that quickly became a kind of manual for people interested in microdosing. “The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide,” published in 2011, is often referred to as the basic protocol for microdosers. Fadiman describes microdosing as “the use of sub-perceptual doses of psychedelic drugs to enhance cognitive tasks, increase physical energy levels, promote emotional balance and treat anxiety, depression and addiction.” In Poland, the book is available under the title “The Psychedelic Traveler’s Guide” and you can also find it in our store.

Silicon Valley – Valley of Psychedelics

A huge influence on bringing psychedelics out of the underground came from Silicon Valley employees, who began to speak very positively about microdosing. Media hype was sparked by an article in Rolling Stone and later in The New York Times. Engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs shared their experiences: better performance of the brain, higher efficiency, more energy, and sometimes even reduced chronic pain.

Specialists from the tech industry began working more closely with Fadiman and reported back their observations of microdosing, contributing to the development of the Fadiman protocol. Some strictly followed his recommendations, while others adjusted the doses to their individual needs. Riding the wave of psychedelic popularity, Fadiman together with Dr. Sophia Korb founded microdosingpsychedelics.com, a website where they collect information from people who regularly use psychedelics. This project is not classic clinical research, but it offers valuable observational data on how small doses of psychoactive substances affect people in everyday life.

LSD and psilocybin mushrooms have entered the mainstream conversation and keep gaining attention. Positive reports encourage further research and have an impact on the gradual liberalization of law in some regions. The underground scene is thriving, but there are also places where psychedelic-assisted therapy is legal, for example in selected U.S. states such as Oregon. Every year, more studies, experiments, articles and documentaries appear (we write about some of them here).

Microdosing methods

Anyone who decides to microdose quickly discovers that estimating the right dose and schedule is not easy. The information chaos on the Internet often adds confusion rather than clarity, so it’s worth carefully reading about different approaches and then choosing a system that suits your body, lifestyle and – above all – legal and medical safety.

What is a microdosing protocol?

A microdosing protocol is simply a structured guideline for using psychoactive substances, defining both the approximate amount of the substance and the frequency of intake. At the moment, six basic protocols are usually mentioned. Two of the most popular are the Fadiman protocol and the Paul Stamets protocol.

1. The Fadiman protocol

This method is based on mandatory breaks between microdoses. Based on years of observation, Fadiman noticed that the effect of taking a microdose can be felt for up to two days. Introducing breaks reduces the risk of rapid tolerance to psychedelics. The classic cycle looks like this:

Day 1 – taking a microdose

Day 2 – “transition” – no microdose (the body continues to feel the effect of the previous day)

Day 3 – “normal” – no microdose

The cycle should last from 4 to 8 weeks, followed by a 2–4 week break. For beginners, a 4-week cycle is usually recommended to see whether this form of microdosing suits them. The break is essential to avoid building tolerance and to be able to fully benefit from future cycles.

The disadvantage of this approach is that dose days fall on different calendar days each week, which requires discipline – it is worth marking the schedule clearly in a calendar or app.

2. Dosage 2/7 – two fixed days per week

The lack of a simple weekly rhythm in the Fadiman method led to another system: microdosing on specific fixed days of the week. An example schedule might look like this:

Day 1 – e.g. Monday – taking a microdose

Day 2 – “transition” – no microdose

Day 3 – “normal” – no microdose

Day 4 – e.g. Thursday – taking a microdose

Day 5 – “transition” – no microdose

Day 6 – “normal” – no microdose

Day 7 – “normal” – no microdose

Again, the full cycle lasts 4–8 weeks, with a 2–4 week break afterwards.

3. The Microdosing Institute protocol

This method recommends taking the substance every other day, especially for people struggling with depression, ADHD, ADD, cluster headaches or withdrawal from certain medications.

Day 1 – taking a microdose

Day 2 – “transition” – no microdose

Day 3 – taking a microdose

Day 4 – “transition” – no microdose

The cycle should last 4–8 weeks, followed by a 2–4 week break.

4. The Stamets protocol

The protocol developed by American mycologist Paul Stamets is the second most popular method of microdosing. It differs mainly in the frequency of dosing. Stamets suggests that psilocybin – found in psilocybin mushrooms – should be combined with vitamin B3 (niacin) and the medicinal mushroom Lion’s Mane. According to him, the combination of these three components supports neuroplasticity, helps rebuild damaged neural pathways and may promote the formation of new connections in the brain.

Day 1 – taking a microdose

Day 2 – taking a microdose

Day 3 – taking a microdose

Day 4 – taking a microdose

Day 5 – “normal” – no microdose

Day 6 – “normal” – no microdose

Day 7 – “normal” – no microdose

The full cycle lasts one month, followed by a 2–4 week break. We describe this method in more detail here.

5. “Nightcap” – night protocol

In this method, we rely on the Fadiman or Microdosing Institute schedule (a dose every other day), but the microdose is taken about an hour before bedtime. This variant is chosen by people who feel sleepy or “off” during the day after microdosing. It is used mainly in the context of psilocybin mushrooms, but not recommended for LSD, which tends to be more stimulating and may disturb sleep.

The cycle usually lasts one month, followed by a 2–4 week break.

6. Intuitive protocol

Here the person decides intuitively when to take a microdose, listening closely to their body and emotional state. This approach is used by more experienced users who have several complete cycles behind them and know roughly how they react. The basic rule is to leave at least one full day of break between microdoses.

How to calculate the microdose?

To begin with, you should know your body weight and then check what range of psychedelic dose is considered micro for you. You can support yourself with online dose calculators. The whole process is highly individual and always involves a bit of experimentation, because we never know the exact psilocybin content in a particular mushroom.

For psilocybin mushrooms, it is usually recommended to start with a minimum of 0.1 g of dried material and then gradually increase or decrease the dose by 0.05 g. If you notice clear changes in perception or feel “strange,” you should return to the previous lower level. Example scenario: you start the Fadiman protocol. On Monday you take 0.1 g and feel no change in perception – everything is fine. On Thursday you increase to 0.15 g – again everything is stable – so on Sunday you can test 0.2 g. Depending on your weight, your optimal microdose will usually land in the 0.1–0.3 g range.

Another scenario: on Monday you take 0.1 g and feel normal, but on Thursday you increase to 0.15 g and already notice subtle psychedelic effects. In that case, on Sunday you go back to 0.1 g and accept that this is probably your personal “ceiling” and that you should not experiment with higher doses in a microdosing protocol.

Regardless of the method, it is important to keep a simple journal: note the dose, day, well-being, sleep quality and possible side effects. Such notes help to separate real effects from expectations and make it easier to decide whether to continue, change or stop the protocol.

Benefits and risks of using microdosing

The use of trace amounts of psychoactive substances may support the treatment of depression, including treatment-resistant forms, improve mood, concentration and creativity, and positively influence relationships with other people. Many people report increased self-awareness, more motivation to act, and a higher level of presence and attentiveness in everyday life. Unfortunately, due to legal restrictions and high research costs, large-scale randomized clinical trials on microdosing are still relatively rare.

Nevertheless, there are research centers in the world that are constantly expanding our knowledge of psychedelics and their medical properties. Of particular note are Imperial College London and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine psychedelic research group. It is also worth following the news published by the Polish Psychedelic Society.

When discussing the risks of microdosing, special attention should be paid to any predisposition to mental illness and to the overall health of the person. The use of psychoactive substances – regardless of the dose – should take place in a medical environment and under the supervision of qualified therapists. Such legal therapeutic sessions are possible, for example, in the Netherlands or in selected regions of North America.

Fadiman also warns against becoming a “head-tripper,” that is, someone who stays only in the realm of thoughts and insights. It is crucial that reflection is followed by real action in everyday life. There is a risk of escaping from reality, and psychedelics alone do not solve problems – they can “open doors,” but we still have to walk through them ourselves.

Another important issue is access to psychoactive substances, which are illegal in Poland. When buying psychedelics on the black market, we are never sure what we are getting. Although you can purchase reagents to check the quality of LSD, for example, we still do not know the exact dose. In addition, we expose ourselves to contact with the criminal world and legal risks. The situation is slightly different in the case of psilocybin mushrooms. Growkits in Poland can be legally bought, sold and possessed, but you cannot legally grow mushrooms from them, because fruiting bodies already contain the banned substance psilocybin. This is crucial from a safety and law perspective – Polish law prohibits the possession and cultivation of psilocybin mushrooms. Possession of psychoactive substances may result in criminal charges and loss of freedom.

The above text is for educational purposes only and does not encourage the use of psychedelics. The possession and sale of psychoactive substances is illegal in Poland.

The content on the psychodelicroom.pl website is educational, research-based, and expresses many opinions that should be treated with caution. We advise against using any substances that affect consciousness, as all of these substances can both heal and be very harmful. In particular, we advise against cultivating mushrooms from growkits in countries where it is illegal – including Poland – because it involves criminal liability. We recommend that you dispose of the growkits purchased from us within 72 hours of receiving them.

Footnotes:

https://pl.blisssed.com/
https://terapianowoczesna.pl/protokoly-mikrodawkowania/
https://microdosinginstitute.com/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881119857204
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/microdoses-of-psychedelic-mushrooms-may-improve-mood-and-mental-health
https://krytykapolityczna.pl/narkopolityka/narkozdrowie/cala-prawda-o-mikrodawkowaniu/