Dosing Psychedelics and MDMA.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences – January 01, 2022
Source: PubMed
Summary
Psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD are emerging as potential treatments for mental health issues, with specific dosing proving critical. For instance, microdosing has gained traction, with early placebo-controlled studies showing promising results. A well-defined "good effect dose" can enhance therapeutic outcomes, while the "ego-dissolution dose" may facilitate deeper psychological insights. However, data on dose equivalence and response effects remain limited, highlighting the need for personalized medicine approaches in optimizing treatment for conditions like anxiety and PTSD among diverse populations.
Abstract
Classic psychedelics, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), dimethyltryptamine, and mescaline, and entactogens/empathogens, especially 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, have received renewed attention in psychiatric research and may be developed into medications for such indications as anxiety, depression, cluster headache, and posttraumatic stress disorder, among others. However, identifying proper doses is crucial. Controlled study data on dosing using well-characterized pharmaceutical formulations of the substances are scarce. The dose equivalence of different substances, dose-response effects, and subjective effects of different doses are of great interest and practically important for their clinical use in psychotherapy. Furthermore, the so-called microdosing of psychedelics has recently gained popularity, and the first placebo-controlled studies of LSD have been published. This chapter discusses different aspects of psychedelic dosing, including pharmaceutical aspects, definitions and characteristics of different doses, including microdoses, aspects of personalized dosing, and non-pharmacological factors, that can influence the response to psychedelics.