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TieDyeCamo
Source Code Humanoid


Registered: 01/16/23
Posts: 22
Loc: Sweden
Last seen: 7 months, 21 days
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Microdosing Causing Depression?
#28187256 - 02/14/23 02:53 PM (11 months, 7 days ago) |
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I've somewhat recently started microdosing psilocybin to deal with anxiety and chronic migraines.
Dosing is currently at .23g every 4-5 waking hours totalling around 1g per day. It really helps with the eye pain so I do it for a week and then stop for 2 days.
During the 2 days that I don't dose, I feel some weepy/melancholy feelings. They are a bit depressing and I don't feel motivated to do much.
Given that psilocybin works on the seratonin neurotransmitters, I have 2 questions:
1. Have you or anyone you know experienced depression when stopping microdosing? 2. Do you know of any negative effects to microdosing everyday for extended periods of time (1 month+ before taking first day off)?
-------------------- "As artists and professionals it is our obligation to enact our own internal revolution, a private insurrection inside our own skulls. In this uprising we free ourselves from the tyranny of consumer culture. We overthrow the programming of advertising, movies, video games, magazines, TV, and MTV by which we have been hypnotized from the cradle. We unplug ourselves from the grid by recognizing that we will never cure our restlessness by contributing our disposable income to the bottom line of Bullshit, Inc., but only by doing our work." ~Steven Pressfield
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Anonymous #1
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: TieDyeCamo]
#28189557 - 02/15/23 11:19 PM (11 months, 5 days ago) |
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1. No, not me. 2. Nope. I. Going on 6 months. I take .20 twice a day tho.
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Rhizomorph
Psychedelic Researcher



Registered: 04/24/20
Posts: 785
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: TieDyeCamo] 2
#28191411 - 02/17/23 10:45 AM (11 months, 4 days ago) |
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I haven't heard of this happening to anyone before, although everyone is different and inter-individual drug effects vary substantially.
Pharmacologically speaking you shouldn't experience any significant rebound effects as the molecules in question don't affect your endogenous serotonin functions (I.e., your brain's natural levels of internally-produced serotonin). Classical psychedelics mimic serotonin by activating serotonin receptors thus leaving your brain's natural supply of serotonin unaffected.
Usually when people experience negative after-effects of drugs like cocaine, MDMA, etc. it is because the drug causes a massive release of endogenous serotonin/other neurotransmitters and the after effects are caused by the brain having less of these feel-good molecules the day after; when neurotransmitters (endogenous or not) flood the synapse, they are metabolized (broken down) afterwards and need to be re-constructed. It takes some time to do this and this is why drugs like MDMA & cocaine cause a comedown; whereas classical psychedelics just metabolize the psychedelic molecule itself.
However, there are other mechanisms that can cause rebound effects that are less directly biological. For example, in the cognitive domain we can develop certain expectations or beliefs about how we ought to feel based on whether we dosed that day (these can be explicit/conscious or implicit/unconscious beliefs).
We may also be utilizing greater energy on our dosed days; afterall, psychedelics increase cerebral blood flow & global nervous system activity, requiring greater resources to be directed to individual cells. They also slightly dehydrate us which can slightly stress the body. We may feel somewhat tired or lethargic the days after taking psychedelics as we will likely have greater sleep needs or require more energy from food. Meanwhile, psychedelics can interfere with sleep if the effects have not worn off, and they generally reduce appetite. So be sure that you're timing your doses appropriately for quality sleep & ensuring you eat well, even if you don't feel as hungry. This isn't too different to how high-intensity exercise can make us feel tired in the days following.
These are, of course, untested hypotheses. I'm just trying to give you some insight into the various potential reasons you could feel low afterwards. Psychedelics' effects are still poorly understood beyond their safety & aggregate effects across the larger population. I.e., we know they're safe & effective for most populations, but we don't fully understand the more nuanced effects.
As with any drug, listen to your body intuitively & if it isn't benefiting you, try changing your regimen, lowering your use frequency, or stopping altogether; drugs should be benefiting us more than they hinder us and the goal with microdosing is to experience a greater benefit-to-cost ratio 
Regardless, I recommend taking a few days off per week to avoid the rapid tolerance-building effects of psilocybin which take up to 2 weeks to return completely to baseline. You will witness incredibly diminished returns by the end of the week after microdosing for even 1 week straight.
Edited by Rhizomorph (02/17/23 11:03 AM)
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rocky_raccoon
Not a number


Registered: 12/12/22
Posts: 94
Last seen: 5 days, 5 hours
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: Rhizomorph] 1
#28200413 - 02/23/23 09:31 AM (10 months, 29 days ago) |
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What always surprises me is the difference in sensitivity to this drug between individuals. For me, 0.1 g is already more than a microdose and my perception is definitely altered. 1 g per day would be way too much to function normally. Anyway, I also get some kind of mood swings after psilocybin consumption. The higher the dose, the more pronounced the effect. It lasts for one or two days and then my mood improves and I feel more energetic and concentrated than before. I call it emotional hangover, probably similar to what you describe.
-------------------- Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. -Marie Curie
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TieDyeCamo
Source Code Humanoid

Registered: 01/16/23
Posts: 22
Loc: Sweden
Last seen: 7 months, 21 days
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: rocky_raccoon]
#28200680 - 02/23/23 12:58 PM (10 months, 29 days ago) |
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Well, I'm on medical leave due to a *cough*...vaccine...*cough* injury that was mandated by my employer. This being said, I know 1g a day is a lot (consistently) but I don't have to function much during the day, since I'm at home and not working. My daily goal until further notice is to experiment with my body and natural therapies until I get my health back.
"Emotional hangover" is an accurate way to describe how I've felt after stopping. It could be some situational depression due to my circumstances, too. Even though I feel hopeful and still have a great life despite the health challenges.
I am being treated/studied by a prominent university and their neurology team. Supposedly there are psilocybin trials going on now for neuro-regeneration and neuro-regulation that I may qualify for. If so, I'll make sure to post my experience in the applicable thread.
-------------------- "As artists and professionals it is our obligation to enact our own internal revolution, a private insurrection inside our own skulls. In this uprising we free ourselves from the tyranny of consumer culture. We overthrow the programming of advertising, movies, video games, magazines, TV, and MTV by which we have been hypnotized from the cradle. We unplug ourselves from the grid by recognizing that we will never cure our restlessness by contributing our disposable income to the bottom line of Bullshit, Inc., but only by doing our work." ~Steven Pressfield
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TieDyeCamo
Source Code Humanoid

Registered: 01/16/23
Posts: 22
Loc: Sweden
Last seen: 7 months, 21 days
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: Rhizomorph] 1
#28200687 - 02/23/23 01:03 PM (10 months, 29 days ago) |
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Thanks, Rhizo for the articulate opinion. I was thinking maybe the seratonin in psilocybin was affecting the reuptake mechanism, thereby causing my body to reduce it's natural serotonin production.
Lot's to chew on and experimenting to follow.
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Rhizomorph
Psychedelic Researcher



Registered: 04/24/20
Posts: 785
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Re: Microdosing Causing Depression? [Re: TieDyeCamo]
#28206662 - 02/27/23 11:45 AM (10 months, 25 days ago) |
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Yeah it won't affect your brain's natural reuptake of serotonin as endogenous serotonin is relatively unaffected. I would consider other explanations 
Psychedelic neuroscience is fascinating
Edited by Rhizomorph (02/27/23 11:48 AM)
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