FIRST & FOREMOST, just so we’re all on the same page, microdosing psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms) is the act of taking a teeny tiny dose of psilocybin (about 1/10th that of which would make you “trip”) which has been claimed to improve creativity, boost energy, improve your overall mental health, sharpen your problem solving skills, treat anxiety & depression, and so on. Literally, the list goes on and on.
I first heard about it through the “grapevine” as something the tech geniuses in Silicon Valley partook in. It peaked my interest then, I love plant medicine (ahem, weed), but I am also incredibly anxious when it comes to the idea of any kind of psychedelics.
I had friends take mushrooms in highschool & when they described their experience, it scarred me. I have always been anxious & the idea of not having control is just something my nervous system can’t take. So, I never tried magic mushrooms & honestly had no desire to…
Until I saw firsthand how they work. About a year ago I reached out to my secret Facebook group about a health thing my Dad was dealing with & someone told me to research microdosing psilocybin. I did, & it seemed perfect for my Dad. I had a friend who had raved a while back about how it helped her husband, so I called her up, got the contact, and ordered my Dad a months supply.
In that month, I saw how it was positively effecting him & that’s when I thought- why aren’t I doing this? I am anxious, overwhelmed, stressed, & have been feeling really unproductive/creatively drained lately. I called my contact, ordered myself a months supply, and within a week- I knew I was onto something amazing.
I felt great, my productivity levels were high, I was more creative than I have been in a while, and I just feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Microdosing was an almost instant game changer in my life, and I knew I had to share this with all of you, in full detail.
& since there is SO MUCH tea to spill, I went ahead and filmed a whole ass VLOG ALL ABOUT MY MICRODOSING EXPERIENCE.
I go over my experience microdosing from start to now, the ONE time I kinda maybe felt *something*, how it’s benefited me positively, and I answer all of the most common questions I’ve been asked about microdosing thus far (what’s your dosage? regimen? does it make you nauseous? where do you get it? etc. etc.).
PEEP THE VLOG BELOW & if you’d prefer to skim read (I get it)- I did a little summary for ya below.
MICRODOSING MAGIC MUSHROOMS FAQ
*I am not a medical professional. I am not giving medical advice, I am just sharing my experience!*
Q. Does it make you trip? Do you feel anything? Can you drive?
No, it does not make you trip. It is around 1/10th of dose of what you’d need to take to trip. The Cut did an article and they used the analogy of a 2cm long joint. If you’ve never smoked weed before, you might feel it for for a minute or less- but if you smoke weed, you wouldn’t notice a thing. My first dose, I noticed it more drastically than any dose I’ve taken following, but was most definitely not high by any means. I can drive on it just fine, but I suggest taking your first dose on a day when you don’t have to do anything. Just cause it’s the responsible thing to do, but I can guarantee- you won’t get high.
Q. Can you feel when they kick in or is it subtle?
as I mentioned, I felt it kick in my first dose. Now, it’s more subtle. I actually notice it more when I am not taking it, because I am just less productive & more anxious. The only thing that makes me know it’s “kicking in” is the niacin flush- I will go over what I take exactly in a following question, but it contains niacin which makes you FLUSH. At first, I flushed a lot- I got red and a little hot (feels like a sunburn) for 10-20 minutes & then it went away. I am flushing less now, which is nice- but the flush is nothing to worry about. Niacin just opens blood vessels, which makes you red. It’s short lived.
Q. How did you get them? Where do you get them? Is it legal?
Word of mouth for me. I knew someone whose husband tried it, and got the info through her. I think reaching out to friends who are in the world of plant medicine would be a good place to start or maybe plant medicine Facebook groups in your area. Some people go on Reddit & learn how to grow them themselves- apparently it’s not that hard.
Is it legal- federally, no. Psilocybin is considered a schedule 1 drug, next to heroin. I don’t agree with it at all, but it is what it is. Psilocybin is getting more attention and has been decriminalized in Oakland (CA), Denver (CO), Santa Cruz (CA), & Cambridge (MA). As more decriminalization happens, more clinical research can be done- which would be great!
Q. How do you take it? What is your “dosage”?
mine are put into capsules and I take what’s called the “Stamets Stack”. Paul Stamets developed the Stamets Stack, which is a combination of .2mg psilocybin, .2mg niacin, and .2mg lions mane. This “stacked” formula was created by Stamets for the purpose of upregulating neurogenesis (aka creating new connections in the brain).
Q. What is your microdosing regimen?
I do 5 days on (Monday-Friday) & 2 days off (Saturday & Sunday). I did a ton of research, and this just seemed like the best fit for me. If I am gonna do something, I am gonna do it full force. That being said, some people also do 2 days on, 1 day off or 1 day on, 1 day off. If you take it one day and feel it still when you wake up, you may want to do a 2 day on, 1 day off schedule. You can adjust if need be, but the key is to take days off so you don’t develop a tolerance to it.
Q: How long do you plan to keep microdosing for? Will it’s effect last in the long run?
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! This is working for me, and I plan to continue on. From my understanding, since microdosing is more gradual than a dose that would actually make you “trip”- you take it continuously like a daily supplement. Now, there is some research being done on larger doses of psilocybin that would make you trip, to kinda reset the brain & could have longer lasting effects (i.e. you have to do it once every 3-4 months).
Q. Do you get nauseous? Any negative side effects?
Remember the highschool friends who scared me from ever doing psychedelics? Yes- that’s cause they threw up from them. I am terrified of throwing up, and I can promise you- these don’t make you nauseous one bit. So far, I have had no negative side effects other than the annoyance of the niacin flush, which is cancelled out by all the positives.
Q. Did trying it worsen your anxiety? I have anxiety thinking about it?
NO! And I swear, this would typically be something that would make me so anxious. I went in to it without overthinking it too much, I didn’t want to hype myself up. I just popped it with my morning vitamins. & got on with my day. When I got the niacin flush the first time, I almost freaked out thinking I was having a reaction- but quickly learned that’s normal and temporary, so I was fine. From one anxious human to another- you have nothing to worry about. You are about to feel SO much less anxious.
Q: Benefits you’ve noticed?
Okay- so the best way I have explained it to my friends and family is this… I get overwhelmed easily. When I get overwhelmed I get anxious. I get overwhelmed when I have too much to do, and instead of doing it- I freeze. All productivity goes out the window & I can’t get anything done except the stuff that doesn’t need to get done (like organizing under the sink in the middle of the day). When taking my microdosing- nothing feels “too big”.
Things that would normally bug me, don’t. To do lists are more of a challenge than a task I am dreading doing. I find that my anxiety is so much less, I am less reactive & emotional, and I am able to get SO MUCH MORE DONE & done better than if I wasn’t microdosing. I am more creative, I feel more sharp, and I just feel like if this is what people without anxiety feel like on the daily- HOLY SH*T, it’s amazing.
Q. Resources to learn more about it?
+ READ: The Cut – Microdosing: A Complete Guide
+ READ: The Third Wave – Microdosing Psilocybin Mushrooms with the Stamets Stack
+ WATCH: Fantastic Fungi (I believe it’s now on Netflix!)
+ PODCAST: Paul Stamets on the Joe Rogan Show
