Disclaimer: Psychedelics are potentially illegal substances, and we do not encourage or condone the use of any compound where it is against the law. However, we accept that illegal drug use occurs and believe that offering responsible harm reduction information is imperative to keeping people safe. For that reason, this guide is designed to ensure the safety of those who decide to use them.

Introduction

In this guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know to get started on a safe and effective microdosing protocol, including the precautions to be aware of before starting.

If you're new to microdosing and want to understand more about what microdosing is and its benefits, check out our article, "What is microdosing?"

Psilocybin and LSD

This guide will primarily cover psilocybin and LSD, the safest, best understood, and most readily available psychedelics used for microdosing. We also think they're some of the most effective!

This guide works for all types of compounds that one might consider microdosing, however! Including cacao, iboga, and many more. We'll stick to the big two for discussion, but check out our articles for information on microdosing other compounds.

Precautions

Before you begin your microdosing protocol, it's important to be aware of the necessary precautions to take to ensure you have a safe and effective experience, including:

• Legality & safety
• Existing health conditions
• Common pitfalls to microdosing

Legality & Safety

Legality

By far, the most significant risk of microdosing is the legality. If you live in the US, psilocybin, and LSD are schedule 1 compounds. Fortunately, due to some of the significant strides in mental health research using these compounds, we're seeing a loosening of restrictions, allowing them to be accessed therapeutically. There are a handful of states that have taken the step to decriminalize (though not legalize) certain psychedelics, such as Colorado and Oregon. Be sure to check the legal limitations in your home state.

Occupational testing

In rare cases, some employers may subject their employees to drug tests that can potentially detect LSD or psilocybin. While this is rare, we recommend being aware of whether your employer requires this type of testing and the limitations of such testing.

Purity testing

One unfortunate side effect of a non-existent legal market for these compounds is the prevalence of an unregulated black market. It is less common for other substances to be sold as psilocybin or LSD; however, we strongly recommend testing anything you plan to consume with a purity test kit and only sourcing from people you trust.

Psychedelics tend to be less prone to misrepresentation; however, it can still happen. So please take necessary precautions here or consider growing your psilocybin-containing mushrooms so you're aware of precisely what you're consuming.

Existing health conditions

Aside from the potential legal risks, there are also the unknown risks of microdosing for normally healthy and at-risk individuals. None of this is medical advice, and we recommend consulting your physician before deciding whether to microdose.

According to The National Library of Medicine, specific subgroups are suggested to take extra precautions using psychedelics. This does not mean that these conditions preclude someone from conscious and intentional consumption; however, extra caution is advised to ensure your situation is not worsened.

Listed conditions include:

• Pregnant women
• Individuals with epilepsy
• Individuals with paranoid personality
• Individuals with overt psychosis and schizophrenia or a family history of these
• Individuals with cardiovascular disease
• Individuals with the organic-toxic cerebral disorder

The NLM's recommendations here are primarily for macrodoses; caution is still advised when microdosing. If you have any of these conditions and are interested in microdosing, we recommend first consulting your physician.

Common pitfalls with microdosing

A microdosing practice is not simply a magic pill that requires no other investment beyond consumption. Though that can be effective to some degree, it can sometimes have adverse side effects, including increased anxiety or even manic states.

One could argue that the most significant potential pitfall is not first asking, "Am I ready to experience a shift in consciousness, perspective, and understanding?" Psychedelics, in big or small doses, should not be taken lightly but rather with an openness to changes in all areas of life (e.g., friendships, beliefs, values, and career paths).

If you are ready, there are three more things to be aware of that can be gotchas on your path:

1. not having an informed protocol
2. not taking the time to integrate the experience
3. not sticking with the practice for long enough

Not having a protocol

Your microdosing protocol is your personalized criteria for what compound you dose when you consume it and in what amount. Not having a plan can lead to dosing too much or too little, too often, or too infrequently.

We'll address all parts of this in the following chapters of the guide to ensure you have everything you need to create your perfect protocol.

Not integrating

Integration is taking action in your day-to-day life on the lessons and insights you get from microdosing. It can look like a substantial life-changing shift (though it might!) and is often best when the changes are small and consistent. We'll discuss integration in its fullness in the final section of this guide; however, it's worth touching on lightly now as well.

The most effective way to integrate during your practice is to journal. Whether using The Microdosing Journal to check in daily and record your dose or just writing what comes to mind in a spiral-bound notebook, journaling is the key to an effective practice!

Not staying consistent

Sometimes the profound insights don't come immediately, and that's okay! We will all have different experiences based on our openness and where we are in life. For some people, this can mean that it takes a few weeks or even months to start to notice the positive effects of a microdosing practice. The key is not to quit too soon.

If you find yourself having this experience, here are a few recommendations that might help:

Record how much you're dosing and when

If you're dosing multiple days in a row, try taking two days off in between (see Protocols).

Try increasing your dose

Everyone is affected by each compound differently. You can read the guide section on dose and try slowly increasing your dose until you feel a slight perceptual effect.

Please shoot us a message!

We'd love to support you in your practice, so always feel free to reach out if you have questions, and we'd be happy to help you find the right resources.

Conclusion

Once you understand the precautions for microdosing and have consulted your physician if necessary, you're ready to take your first step on your microdosing journey: setting intentions.