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A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing
    #25798648 -

https://hightimes.com/news/findings-from-groundbreaking-study-psychedelic-microdosing/


The Findings From A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing Are In
Fans of microdosing claim it can work miracles. Researchers are putting those claims to the test.

Published 11 hours ago on February 7, 2019 By Nick Lindsey
The Findings From A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing Are In Shutterstock
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The concept of microdosing has been around for a while. Recently, it’s enjoyed an upsurge of renewed attention, both in mainstream media and among some academics.

In general, microdosing is the practice of taking tiny doses of psychedelic substances on a frequent basis, sometimes daily or every couple days. The idea is that each individual dose is too small to produce any serious effects, but still substantial enough to generate subtle changes.

This, proponents claim, leads to a number of benefits. Typically, fans of microdosing claim it helps them focus better, stay mentally alert, enjoy greater levels of happiness and creativity, and other similar benefits.

To put all this to test, a group of researchers recently completed a groundbreaking study. And the results of that study were just published in the journal PLOS One.


The Study
To conduct the study, researchers had to figure out a way to work around laws prohibiting the possession and use of psychedelic drugs.

They decided to work with people already microdosing. From there, researchers asked them a number of questions to gauge the effects of microdosing.

More specifically, participants answered a number of questions each day. Additionally, they answered a more intensive set of questions at the beginning and end of the specified study timeframe.


Finally, researchers gathered, aggregated, and analyzed all participant responses. They looked for any trends that could point to consistent outcomes from microdosing.

Positive Outcomes of Microdosing
According to researcher Vince Polito, who summarized the study at The Conversation, study participants reported mostly positive effects.

The most pronounced positive effects of microdosing include:


A general boost in things like creativity, focus, happiness, productivity, and other indicators on days that people microdosed. The study found less pronounced effects on days that people did not take a dose.
People tended to report lower levels of depression and stress when they microdosed. Polito noted that none of the participants had serious issues with depression or stress, so that could have skewed the data on this point.
Participants said they were more focused and imaginative when they were microdosing.
Negative Outcomes of Microdosing
Along with the positive experiences people had from microdosing, there were also some negative ones. Chief among these was a slight uptick in feelings of neuroticism.

According to researchers, some participants had such bad experiences when they first started microdosing that they stopped experimenting with it.

More generally, there was a slight increase in neurotic feelings after six weeks of steady microdosing. Based on this finding, researchers guess that it may be fairly common to begin feeling more and more negative emotions after the six-week mark.

Where Do We Go From Here?
Ultimately, this study is mostly laying the groundwork for more comprehensive investigations into both the practice of microdosing and the potential benefits of psychedelics.

In particular, Polito reminded readers that all data used in the study came from personal questionnaires, not more controlled experimentation. If laws about psychedelics become more lenient, it will likely become possible to carry out more scientifically rigorous tests.

Similarly, this study was fairly broad and general. As a result, it primarily provides general ideas about microdosing and psychedelics rather than well-proven trends and outcomes.

“There are promising indications of possible benefits of microdosing here,” Polito wrote. “But also indications of some potential negative impacts, which should be taken seriously.”

He added: “It’s early days for microdosing research and this work shows that we need to look more carefully at the effects of low dose psychedelics on mental health, attention, and neuroticism.”

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: sycodelix]
    #25798688 -

This type of study is great for getting “opinion” but the data is skewed and it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. They looked for people “already” microdosing. Picking your subjects for a study in this manner is a huge failure in receiving sound, solid, scientific evidence of anything if there are other methods available, which in this case there are. Going through the proper government channels is possible for the researcher if they are actually serious about gathering data. This was a questionnaire.  To study the effects of microdosing, subjects need to be randomized within the group of focus, I.e. depression, anxiety, mixed in. Then a double blind procedure needs to followed, researchers don’t even know who is getting placebo, psilocybin, whatever. Then, a further removed group crunches numbers. 
I’m all about dosing...large or small and would love see more objective data, this just doesn’t qualify for me.
There is already a large body of sound research into psilocybin and more happening right now. Although this sounds positive in nature we don’t need another blow up of public and government opinion like with Harvard in the 60s with a flood of hastily put together research. This type of study takes years and isn’t best gathered from a handpicked group of people filling out questionnaires. UNM New Mexico has been studying psilocybin for 15 years...that study has now grown is in NY. ALL WITH FDA approval. Now that is a study I’m excited to read about.
HH


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It looks a lot more like it does now than it did...


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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Humanhelper]
    #25798800 -

Agreed, it should've been titled ground breaking questionnaire... that's statistics, not scientific inquiry...

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: sycodelix]
    #25799759 -

Studies don't have to contain experiments...

It's groundbreaking because of its topic, not because of results.

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Holybullshit] * 1
    #25799910 -

A reliable study, at the very least, must contain reliable data. Period. Selecting a haphazard group because they say they do something and it works without quantative data to back it up is not reliable. That is anecdotal evidence at best.


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It looks a lot more like it does now than it did...


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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Humanhelper]
    #25801984 -

No, you are still talking about experiments. A study is a study, not an experiment. If they are making factual claims that aren't backed up by empirical data, that is one thing. But this study is neither doing that, trying to do that, or claiming to do that.

This study is publishing reported effects, it's not trying to pass its data off as anything other than that. And I don't see it making any claims that couldn't be reasonably drawn from those reported effects, so I really don't see what you're upset about.

You might have problems with this article, or with its author, but that's not on the researchers.

Edited by Holybullshit (02/09/19 04:26 PM)

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Holybullshit]
    #25801994 -

I think the poster is simply pointing out how incredibly weak this study is. There is no telling what the participants actually took, no way to really confirm the blinding etc. It's so poorly designed that is questionable scientific relevance, if any at all.


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...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge.  It is an indellible experience; it is forever known.  I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did.

Smith, P.  Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27.

...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely.

Osmond, H.  Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: badchad]
    #25802002 -

Lol, you guys are a bunch of arm chair scientists with no idea what you are talking about. Research and academics moves very slowly, especially with such taboo topics. This is how you get the ball rolling on things like this. Look at the quotes from the researcher found within the article.

“There are promising indications of possible benefits of microdosing here,”

He is CLEARLY not pointing out how "weak" the study is, he is attacking its methodology. But since the study has never even claimed to have performed an experiment nor to have established ANYTHING other than the reported effects of micro-dosing, there is nothing to attack.

They are laying the groundwork for further research, and hopefully one day experimentation. They should be applauded, not attacked.

These guys are psychologists for chist's sake , not medical doctors, not pharmaceutical researchers, they aren't about to apply for FDA approval. Lol.

Edited by Holybullshit (02/09/19 04:34 PM)

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Holybullshit]
    #25802025 -

Actually, I'm far from an "armchair scientist" given my publication record. This article is summarizing a peer-reviewed observational study in human volunteers. Look it up in PLOS one.

There are major issues with the methodology, primarily that there wasn't even confirmation the subjects ever took any drug whatsoever. How can you even report on microdosing when you cannot confirm subjects were microdosed in the first place?


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...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge.  It is an indellible experience; it is forever known.  I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did.

Smith, P.  Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27.

...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely.

Osmond, H.  Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436

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Re: A Groundbreaking Study On Psychedelic Microdosing [Re: Holybullshit]
    #25802975 -

I think you need to mellow out about the post man. First off, I am far from an “armchair scientist”.  My point of contention with the article is that the amount of bs it contains, in “High Times”, nonetheless, is damaging to the real work going on involving very promising results for mental disorders through the use of psychedelics.  Leary, and others of the counterculture of the 60’s had a negative impact on the government’s opinion on use of psychedelics in research that was topped off by the fiasco at Harvard. We lost 20 years of research because of the governmental crackdown that followed. (Ive heard Pollan touches on the subject in his book). My point is that a shit-ton of poorly performed, lackluster studies, glorified in rags like high times is moving backwards.  I think microdosing is the absolute shit, but I’m not going to scream it from the rooftops because it is still illegal in the US. I would like to see that change but articles like this don’t actually help. Regardless of how we feel about it we live in  a country with laws, we don’t necessarily like all of the laws, but most of them work in your favor. The government, specifically FDA, DEA, is not going to read this article and get all warm and fuzzy about legalizing psychedelics so everyone can enjoy the proven benefits of this “study”. The folks that make the laws are highly educated, and for better or worse, put a large amount of value on acedemia and the institutions performing real science. Additionally, the large body of underground treatment centers definitely don’t need any eyes on them.....That’s all man. Shit study, headline just to get people to read the mag, overglorified mass media bs.


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It looks a lot more like it does now than it did...


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