LITERATURE REVIEW: THE EFFECTS OF LSD AND PSILOCYBIN MICRODOSING

Abstract

The consumption of small doses of psychedelic substances without causing sensory and visual changes is known as microdosing, which has become popular in recent years as an alternative treatment for psychiatric disorders and for providing beneficial cognitive effects. Among psychedelics, LSD and psilocybin are the most used substances in microdosing and have structural similarity with the neurotransmitter serotonin, acting as agonists in serotonin receptors. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to carry out a quantitative review to verify the use of LSD and psilocybin microdosing through studies found in SciELO, PubMed and CAPES Journals databases. Some of the effects reported by individuals when using microdosing include the reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms, improvement in cognitive performance, productivity and focus, in addition to facilitating creativity. Preliminary results have already shown the possible efficacy of microdosing as a therapeutic treatment but future clinical studies, mainly with the use of placebo, needs to be carried out to analyze possible adverse effects, differences between substances, schedule and other conditions of exposure to psychedelics.