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Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

nature.com

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Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#51
post #24

Am I reading this right, from the abstract: > The reported acute effects were significantly more intense for the active dose compared to the placebo, but only for participants who correctly identified their experimental condition. Does that 'correct identification' go both ways, psilocybin & placebo? If so I don't think they claimed a strong enough result!

and isn't that contradicting the premise of using "sub-perceptual" doses?

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This study doesn't bear that out, nor have any other placebo-controlled trials. Also, I've experienced about 40 different psychoactive drugs, including both micro and megadoses of psychedelics. And my experience tracks with GP in that it does cognitively impair you. Maybe don't make blanket statements about people you disagree with, it doesn't make your argument look any stronger.

>I've experienced about 40 different psychoactive drugs That is insane How is your brain not fried

Well if all on one weekend it might be but over a sufficient amount of time it probably, maybe, has less of a impact as having had 40 nights out on a different alcoholic beverage ;)

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This study doesn't bear that out, nor have any other placebo-controlled trials. Also, I've experienced about 40 different psychoactive drugs, including both micro and megadoses of psychedelics. And my experience tracks with GP in that it does cognitively impair you. Maybe don't make blanket statements about people you disagree with, it doesn't make your argument look any stronger.

Erm, define "impairment". Yes this study notes reduced performance in some areas (but the authors acknowledge plenty of weaknesses and explanations in their discussion). However, increases in something like "creativity" might reduce e.g. verbal fluency, while increasing "performance" for artists, or increasing insights when problem solving in many disciplines.

[deleted]

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's an uncharitable reading. OP is just sharing what works with her/him. Which is ok. From what I understood from your comment, for you it doesn't. Which is ok too, as now you know yourself a bit better. Two personal experiments with very different outcomes. There's no need for moral judgments either way.

I'm not saying her experience is invalid. If it works for her, great. But there is this tendency of microdosing proponents to oversell what is effectively a high(nothing wrong with that, I love getting high) as some sort of profound self-help tool. It's a high. That's fine. Getting high can have positive effects too. Call it that, though.

The paper stated James Fadiman as the source for the characterization of a microdose, it however failed to properly convey his point of view.

I've heard James Fadiman reporting twice that it is 10% of a recreational (1-3g) or therapeutic dose (3.0-3.5g), but certainly not 10% of a heroic dose. This study went with 0.5g which is 10% of what's considered a heroic dose.

The effective dose is considered to be 6mg if psilocybin or 0.6g of dried magic mushroom, thus the amount given in the study is very close to being detectable (and incidently was in most of the cases) which I don't think you can charaterize as a microdose. James Fadiman expressly stated a microdose would be a dose that you couldn't detect and would forget you had taken while going on about your day.

If one is taking 0.2-0.3g of dried magic mushroom this would be, without question, not getting high.

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#55

Been doing it for some months on & off, this shit is legit. Altough 0,5g has me tripping so I rarely dose above 100 milligrams. Get up early, do a workout, take cold shower, meditate and then pop a microdose shrooms, feels great. Microdosing is like steroids for meditation. Especially helpful for the programmer logic types of people like me, gets you out of your head for some time and helps you connect with your emot…

> Get up early, do a workout, take cold shower, meditate and then pop a microdose shrooms, feels great.

But if you did all of those things without the shrooms you likely would still feel great.

Especially exercise which is scientifically proven to improve wellbeing unlike the shrooms.

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#56
> These changes were accompanied by reduced EEG power in the theta band, together with preserved levels of Lempel-Ziv broadband signal complexity.

Sounds more like a specs of a DSL modem than a psychiatry paper. I certainly didn't expect to see Lempel-Ziv mentioned in a context other than compression.

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a common fallacy perpetuated by people who have only experienced the alcohol drug. Microdoses of psychedelics are not impairing. On the contrary, they can improve performance, especially in abstract problem solving.

This study doesn't bear that out, nor have any other placebo-controlled trials. Also, I've experienced about 40 different psychoactive drugs, including both micro and megadoses of psychedelics. And my experience tracks with GP in that it does cognitively impair you. Maybe don't make blanket statements about people you disagree with, it doesn't make your argument look any stronger.

Now we have two blanket statements.

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not saying her experience is invalid. If it works for her, great. But there is this tendency of microdosing proponents to oversell what is effectively a high(nothing wrong with that, I love getting high) as some sort of profound self-help tool. It's a high. That's fine. Getting high can have positive effects too. Call it that, though.

The paper stated James Fadiman as the source for the characterization of a microdose, it however failed to properly convey his point of view. I've heard James Fadiman reporting twice that it is 10% of a recreational (1-3g) or therapeutic dose (3.0-3.5g), but certainly not 10% of a heroic dose. This study went with 0.5g which is 10% of what's considered a heroic dose. The effective dose is considered to be 6mg if psil…

depends on your individual sensitivity to psychedelics, 0.2 would be too much for me to go into work, no visuals but a head trip. I also know plenty of people who can take 0.5 and don't feel much.

Re: Microdosing with psilocybin mushrooms: a double-blind placebo-controlled study

#59

Been doing it for some months on & off, this shit is legit. Altough 0,5g has me tripping so I rarely dose above 100 milligrams. Get up early, do a workout, take cold shower, meditate and then pop a microdose shrooms, feels great. Microdosing is like steroids for meditation. Especially helpful for the programmer logic types of people like me, gets you out of your head for some time and helps you connect with your emot…

> Get up early, do a workout, take cold shower, meditate and then pop a microdose shrooms, feels great. But if you did all of those things without the shrooms you likely would still feel great. Especially exercise which is scientifically proven to improve wellbeing unlike the shrooms.

sure, it's just the cherry on top on some days. You don't microdose and lay on your couch eating McDonalds, would feel wrong to me. Stacking all the good stuff has a nice synergy.
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