Written by Austin Mao · Last updated: October 2026 · 14 cited studies. Microdosing is not a Ceremonia offering. This page is not medical advice, gives no dosing guidance, and makes no treatment claims.
What microdosing is
Microdosing is the repeated use of very small amounts of a psychedelic, near or below the threshold at which effects are noticed (Kaertner et al., 2021). Researchers describe it as sub-hallucinogenic or sub-perceptual dosing, often on a schedule such as every third day (Marschall et al., 2022).
For context only, here is what researchers have used in laboratories. Studies of LSD have tested single doses between about 5 and 26 micrograms, well below a full dose (Bershad et al., 2019) (Hutten et al., 2020) (Yanakieva et al., 2019). A study of psilocybin mushrooms used 0.5 grams of dried material (Cavanna et al., 2022). An early survey-based report described a schedule of one dose every three days (Fadiman et al., 2019). These are descriptions of study protocols, not guidance, and nothing on this page tells anyone how much to take.
Even at these amounts, effects are not always absent. In a double-blind study, participants who correctly guessed they had received the active dose reported more intense effects (Cavanna et al., 2022), and in a laboratory dose-finding study the lowest doses were still noticeable in some measures (Hutten et al., 2020).
What the controlled research shows
The largest placebo-controlled study to date used a "self-blinding" design: 191 participants followed online instructions to add a placebo control to their own routine. Both the microdose and placebo groups improved over four weeks, with no significant difference between them, and the small acute differences seen could be explained by participants breaking blind (Szigeti et al., 2021).
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 34 people starting to microdose with psilocybin mushrooms found noticeable subjective effects and altered EEG rhythms, but no evidence of enhanced well-being, creativity or cognition, and a few small changes toward cognitive impairment. The authors concluded that expectation underlies at least some of the anecdotal benefits (Cavanna et al., 2022). A preregistered double-blind crossover study found that psilocybin microdosing did not affect emotion processing or symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with placebo, and that participants broke blind (Marschall et al., 2022).
Small laboratory studies of LSD are more mixed. In 20 healthy volunteers, single doses produced orderly dose-related subjective effects, and mood, cognition and physiological measures were otherwise largely unaffected (Bershad et al., 2019). In 24 healthy volunteers, some measures of mood and attention improved at some doses, while confusion and anxiety rose at others (Hutten et al., 2020). Another randomised trial reported that microdose LSD changed how people reproduced longer time intervals, without subjective alteration of consciousness (Yanakieva et al., 2019). These are acute effects in healthy people, not evidence of benefit for any condition.
Observational and survey findings, and their limits
Early reports were uncontrolled. One analysis of more than a thousand people from 59 countries drew on daily self-ratings and written reports, and described improvements in mood and energy alongside a conclusion that the practice appeared safe (Fadiman et al., 2019). With no control group and no blinding, these reports cannot separate a drug effect from expectation.
A six-week observational study of 98 microdosers found higher ratings of functioning on dosing days and reductions in reported depression and stress, but also increased neuroticism. A second study in 263 people found that everyone expected large and wide-ranging benefits, much broader than the limited outcomes actual microdosers reported (Polito et al., 2019).
A prospective survey of 81 people who completed a four-week endpoint reported improved well-being and reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms, yet positive expectations at baseline predicted the improvements, which the authors read as a significant placebo response. They caution against inferring therapeutic value (Kaertner et al., 2021). In short, self-selected participants, self-reported outcomes and strong expectations limit what surveys can show.
Safety considerations
Short laboratory studies in healthy volunteers reported orderly, dose-related effects (Bershad et al., 2019), though anxiety and confusion were reported at some doses (Hutten et al., 2020). Those studies were brief. Long-term safety of repeated use is not established.
An open question: heart valves and 5-HT2B
Some serotonergic medications, including fenfluramine, ergotamine and methysergide, have been linked to valvular heart disease. Laboratory work found that the metabolites and drugs involved activate the 5-HT2B receptor, and concluded that this activation is necessary for the effect (Rothman et al., 2000); see also a commentary on drug-induced valve disease (Roth, 2007).
A 2024 review notes that LSD and psilocybin are structurally similar to medications that raise the risk of cardiac fibrosis and valvulopathy with regular use, that the long-term cardiac effects of microdosing are unknown, and it recommends that future studies evaluate this directly (Rouaud et al., 2024). This is a hypothesis from pharmacology, not an established finding in microdosers. It is unresolved, and it matters most for anyone considering chronic, repeated dosing.
Medication interactions
A systematic review of 52 human studies found that combining classic psychedelics with other drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilisers, produced attenuated effects, potentiated effects, or no change, depending on the combination (Halman et al., 2024).
In Ceremonia's own screening for retreats, every applicant's medication list is reviewed by our nurse practitioner first, with Spirit Pharmacist consulted where needed. Read more on our medication interactions page. Never stop or change a medication without your prescriber.
Law and access
Psilocybin falls under the US Controlled Substances Act, which is the framework one review uses to assess its abuse potential (Johnson et al., 2018). Rules for psilocybin, LSD and other psychedelics can differ by country, state and city. Researchers studying microdosing have noted that the climate around these substances made direct empirical investigation difficult (Polito et al., 2019).
This page cannot tell you what applies where you live, and it does not suggest that any use is permitted. Check the rules in your own jurisdiction.
Ceremonia does not offer microdosing. If you are curious about the separate question of how we approach full ceremonial work, see How Ceremonia works with plant medicine.
Frequently asked
Microdosing questions, answered from the research.
What is microdosing?
Microdosing is the repeated use of very small amounts of a psychedelic, small enough that the person does not experience a full psychedelic effect. Studies describe it as near-threshold or sub-hallucinogenic dosing (Kaertner et al., Scientific Reports 2021; Marschall et al., Journal of Psychopharmacology 2022).Does microdosing work?
In the controlled studies so far, mostly not beyond expectation. In the largest self-blinding study, the microdose and placebo groups both improved and did not differ significantly (Szigeti et al., eLife 2021). A double-blind study of psilocybin mushrooms found no evidence for enhanced well-being, creativity or cognition (Cavanna et al., Translational Psychiatry 2022). Some small laboratory studies report short-lived effects on mood or attention, with some negative effects too (Hutten et al., 2020).Why do people report benefits if trials find little?
Positive expectations predicted better outcomes in a prospective survey (Kaertner et al., 2021), and participants in blinded studies often worked out which condition they were in (Szigeti et al., 2021; Marschall et al., 2022). Surveys of microdosers also found that people expected much broader benefits than they actually reported (Polito and Stevenson, PLOS ONE 2019).Is microdosing safe?
Safety is not established. Short laboratory studies in healthy volunteers reported orderly, dose-related effects (Bershad et al., 2019), and some reported anxiety or confusion (Hutten et al., 2020). Long-term effects of repeated use are unknown, and the possible effect on heart valves via the 5-HT2B receptor is an open question (Rouaud et al., 2024).Can microdosing interact with medication?
Psychedelics can interact with other drugs, with effects that are attenuated, potentiated or unchanged depending on the combination (Halman et al., 2024). Speak with your prescriber. Never stop or change a medication without your prescriber.Does Ceremonia offer microdosing?
No. Microdosing is not a Ceremonia offering and this page is education only. To see how Ceremonia works with plant medicine, read the safety and screening pages.
References
Szigeti B, Kartner L, Blemings A, et al. (2021).
Self-blinding citizen science to explore psychedelic microdosing
eLife, 10, e62878 · doi:10.7554/eLife.62878
Cavanna F, Muller S, de la Fuente LA, et al. (2022).
Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study
Translational Psychiatry, 12, 307 · doi:10.1038/s41398-022-02039-0
Marschall J, Fejer G, Lempe P, et al. (2022).
Psilocybin microdosing does not affect emotion-related symptoms and processing: a preregistered field and lab-based study
Journal of Psychopharmacology, 36(1), 97-113 · doi:10.1177/02698811211050556
Bershad AK, Schepers ST, Bremmer MP, Lee R, de Wit H. (2019).
Acute subjective and behavioral effects of microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy human volunteers
Biological Psychiatry, 86(10), 792-800 · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.019
Hutten NRPW, Mason NL, Dolder PC, et al. (2020).
Mood and cognition after administration of low LSD doses in healthy volunteers: a placebo controlled dose-effect finding study
European Neuropsychopharmacology, 41, 81-91 · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.10.002
Yanakieva S, Polychroni N, Family N, et al. (2019).
The effects of microdose LSD on time perception: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Psychopharmacology, 236(4), 1159-1170 · doi:10.1007/s00213-018-5119-x
Kaertner LS, Steinborn MB, Kettner H, et al. (2021).
Positive expectations predict improved mental-health outcomes linked to psychedelic microdosing
Scientific Reports, 11, 1941 · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81446-7
Polito V, Stevenson RJ. (2019).
A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics
PLOS ONE, 14(2), e0211023 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211023
Fadiman J, Korb S. (2019).
Might microdosing psychedelics be safe and beneficial? An initial exploration
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 51(2), 118-122 · doi:10.1080/02791072.2019.1593561
Rothman RB, Baumann MH, Savage JE, et al. (2000).
Evidence for possible involvement of 5-HT2B receptors in the cardiac valvulopathy associated with fenfluramine and other serotonergic medications
Circulation, 102(23), 2836-2841 · doi:10.1161/01.CIR.102.23.2836
Roth BL. (2007).
Drugs and valvular heart disease
New England Journal of Medicine, 356(1), 6-9 · doi:10.1056/NEJMp068265
Rouaud A, Calder AE, Hasler G. (2024).
Microdosing psychedelics and the risk of cardiac fibrosis and valvulopathy: comparison to known cardiotoxins
Journal of Psychopharmacology, 38(3), 217-224 · doi:10.1177/02698811231225609
Halman A, Kong G, Sarris J, Perkins D. (2024).
Drug-drug interactions involving classic psychedelics: a systematic review
Journal of Psychopharmacology, 38(1), 3-18 · doi:10.1177/02698811231211219
Johnson MW, Griffiths RR, Hendricks PS, Henningfield JE. (2018).
The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act
Neuropharmacology, 142, 143-166 · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.05.012
This page is for educational purposes only. Ceremonia does not provide medical advice and does not offer microdosing. Consult your healthcare provider before making any medical decisions.