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
A microdosing protocol is a schedule implemented to maximize benefits while minimizing tolerance build-up.
The protocol should support the microdosing intention.
Until further research on the long-term effects of microdosing is complete, taking a minimum month-long break between 1-3 month protocols is recommended. No microdosing protocols should exceed three months.
This break will also allow the body to drop tolerance and enable the microdoser to observe how they have integrated the microdosing experience.
Tolerance
Tolerance refers to the build-up of psychedelic compounds in the body over time.
There is nothing inherently wrong with tolerance; it just means that with a higher tolerance, microdosers will have to frequently up their dose.
Avoiding Tolerance Build Up
The only way to avoid tolerance build-up is to take breaks between microdosing. Breaks should be at minimum 24 hours.
Protocols could look like microdosing every third day, so two days off in between microdosing days. This protocol will depend on the microdoser’s protocol (see below).
Tolerance can build quickly, and it can decrease rapidly with breaks.
Cross Tolerance
Cross-tolerance refers to the tolerance build-up that happens when taking different psychedelics each day. For example, LSD and psilocybin tend to have cross-tolerance. If a person microdoses LSD one day and psilocybin the next, this is not the same as taking a break because the body builds tolerance and will require higher doses to receive the effects.
The best way to avoid cross-tolerance is to take breaks between microdosing days.
Common Protocols
Although The Microdose Journal intends to help beginner microdosers develop a personalized protocol, it can help to reference some of the traditional protocols for getting started.
A protocol can, and likely will, change over time as the microdoser develops their ideal schedule.
Fadiman (LSD)
James Fadiman, a researcher in the psychedelic and microdosing movement, suggests microdosing LSD every third day—one day on, two days off.
His studies show that LSD has an “afterglow,” meaning the effects last two days. While the first two days are about being in the microdose experience, the third day is for reflection and integration.
A Fadiman protocol can look like microdosing Monday and Thursday. Personalization comes into play here when deciding, based on the intention for microdosing, what days in a week are best for microdosing, having an afterglow, reflecting, and planning life’s events around those days.
Stamets (Mushroom)
Paul Stamets, a mycologist and popular psychonaut, suggests taking psilocybin mushrooms five days on and four days off.
Stamets suggests mushrooms have a slower tolerance build-up and must be consumed more consistently to experience the effects and transformation. By the fifth day, microdosers probably won’t “feel” anything but will ride the wave for the days following.
If five days on seems like a lot, Stamets also recommends four days of microdosing and three days of integrating.
The Microdosing Institute (Depression or Anxiety)
The Microdosing Institute, a research institution, suggests to microdosers intending to decrease chronic mental states a one day on, one day off protocol.
Although this can increase tolerance, most people integrating this protocol are replacing pharmaceuticals with psychedelics and need a higher frequency to experience more positive sensations.
Many microdosers without chronic mental states use this protocol to get familiar with a substance quicker and integrate microdosing more consistently.
Personalized Protocols
While the traditional protocols are a great starting point for many, one size does not fit all, and some microdosers are ready to make a protocol unique to them.
For example, a woman who wants to microdose to get more in touch with her body’s cyclic nature and optimize her energetic potential, might not microdose during ovulation. Ovulation is when her energy is highest. Her luteal and menstrual phases, however, induce much lower energy levels. Honoring her body’s low energy can be difficult when also trying to meet company deadlines at work. Microdosing LSD to combat her intense energy and brain fog can help her get the job done quicker and easier.
Another example is a man who wants to build strength but experiences low motivation and negative self-talk at the gym. He chooses to microdose only on leg days to bring awareness to the negative thought patterns and write a new story about his relationship with working out.
The Microdose Journal guides microdosers through the discovery process and helps them create their personalized protocol over three months.
Conclusion
Microdosing protocols, or schedules, are the best way to process and integrate microdosing experiences for a successful journey.
While there are traditional protocols that many microdosers use, there are infinite ways to personalize a protocol to align with microdosing intentions.
With a clear structure for microdosing, individuals have a more detailed experience integrating.
