 |
| Source: Vanity Fair |
In our culture today we
tend to learn about new information via media whether that is movies,
Instagram, or YouTube. Recently, one tv-show that has spurred some commotion
is, Nine Perfect Strangers, which can be found on Hulu. In the beginning
we are introduced to nine different people who have each gone through different
perils throughout their life and have had a hard time overcoming them. Each of
them decides to attend a retreat where they are promised healing and
transformation. Towards the end of the show, it is uncovered that Masha the
women who has been hosting this retreat has been micro dosing each of the
guest. Each morning she was making a tea with a miniscule amount of
psychedelics, which would help them deal with deeply rooted issues such as
anxiety, depression, anger management issues and addiction. Interestingly, throughout
the show we see the benefits of this micro dosing but also the drawbacks. If
you are someone like me, you may be wondering whether this would work? Would this
be a new treatment for patients in the future? No worries, these will all be
questions that I will answer as I discuss more about micro-dosing in the
upcoming paragraphs.
There are pharmacological mechanisms of action for micro-dosing; however, it is possible that individual differences in metabolism, psychopathological diseases, personality, interpretation of signals may affect how micro-dosing outcomes manifest (Anderson et al., 2019). The receptor involved in micro-dosing is the serotonin 5HT-2A receptor. A variety of mutations of this receptor which may affect how the 5HT-2A agonists such as LSD and psilocybin are processed may be present in different individuals. This may be exemplified with an example of a healthy person in comparison to an individual who may be suffering with depression. In addition, the effect of these substances on 5HT-2A receptors has enhanced neural plasticity and neurogenesis along with neuroprotective effects, which are relevant to neurodegenerative diseases (Ona & Bouso, 2019). As we can see, micro-dosing will not have the same effect on everyone and there really isn’t a one dose fits all since there are genetic components involved in micro dosing that result in differential responses.
 |
| Source: www.slashgear.com |
So, you may be wondering
if I begin micro-dosing what type of benefits could I possibly expect? Many
personal accounts of micro-dosing have been uploaded on to YouTube and
qualitative study was completed looking at some of these personal accounts.
Anderson and Kjelleren (2019), classified their findings from these YouTube
videos into four categories. The first category included enhanced state and
heightened senses (more focus and energy, experiencing the present moment,
improved mood and reductions in sadness, anger, and stress). The second
category included insights and transformations (augmented self-reflection,
thoughtful insights which led to deeper connections and changes in habits). The
third category included improved abilities and optimal performance (increased
creativity, enhanced productivity and effectiveness, and extraversion in social
settings). In the final category was relief and cure for health conditions
(benefits regarding depression, anxiety, and ADHD etc). These qualitative
studies are informative, but survey studies are a little more helpful when potential
benefits are emphasized. One survey study recruited 278 participants who had
already been micro-dosing either with LSD or psilocybin. Anderson et al.
(2019a) reported the major benefits of micro-dosing to be an improved mood
(26.6%), improved focus (14.8%), creativity (12.9%). Some users even reported a
reduction in caffeine (44.2%), alcohol (42.3%), cannabis (30.3%), and tobacco
(21%). They also found that micro-dosing resulted in lower scores for
dysfunctional attitudes and negative emotions, but higher scores for wisdom, creativity,
and open mindedness (Anderson et al., 2019). It is easy to get caught up on all
these positive results especially in an age when people want a quick fix to
issues such as mental illness. I believe micro-dosing has very positive
benefits, but it is important to consider the harmful effects as well before
participating.
There were some negative side effects reported by some of the participants from these previous studies. Anderson and Kjelleran (2019), mentioned how some users experienced increased anxiety, panic attacks, gastrointestinal cramps, restlessness, jitters, insomnia, decreased problem solving skills and cognitive function. In some instances, patients experienced a worsening of symptoms including mental health, over stimulations, or a bad trip when LSD was combined with cannabis. Honestly, the side effects continue from there and contradict the positive effects experienced in the paragraph above. To me, this emphasizes how little we still know about micro-dosing, and how studies are difficult to compare due to the difference in methods and variables which may or may not be confounding variables. I believe this may be a promising therapy for the future, but studies still need to be completed to have a firmer understanding of these positive and negative benefits.
In my view this is an exciting field, in which more research needs to be completed before more of the public jumps on the micro-dosing bandwagon. As we have seen from other therapies such as cannabidiol (CBD), that micro-dosing will not be an end all therapy where it will fix each issue that you have but will be helpful in mitigating issues you may be experiencing. This therapy is gaining momentum in the medical community, but research is still being completed before it will be offered as a legal therapy. We have a lot to look forward to as the scientific community continues to discover more about micro-dosing.
By Ashely Wahlman, A Master’s of Medical Science Student at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Sources:
Anderson, T., Petranker, R., Christopher, A., Rosenbaum, D., Weissman,
C., Dinh-Williams, L. A., Hui, K., & Hapke, E. (2019). Psychedelic
microdosing benefits and challenges: an empirical codebook. Harm
reduction journal, 16(1), 43.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-019-0308-4
Anderson, M., and Kjellgren,A. (2019). Twenty Percent
better with 20 micrograms?A qualitative study of psychedelic microdosing
self-rapports and discussion on YouTube.Harm reduction Journal,16(1).
Ona,G., and Bouso,
J.C.(2020).Psychedlic drugs as a long-needed innovation in psychiatry. Qeios,
https://doi.org/10.32388/T3EM5E.2
Interesting choice of topic for your blog! It is really fascinating to see more research being done on psychedelic drugs, especially on micro-dosing. I feel that it is possible that research concerning drugs like these has been largely swept aside for decades due to social stigmas and their classification as schedule I controlled substances.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add onto my comment: After researching my presentation topic, I found a study that showed very low doses of opioids (~3-5mg naltrexone & morphine) have potential to be very effective, perhaps even more so, at treating pain than the standard dose (~50mg or more). Apparently the low dose produces a "hyperalgesic" response in the central nervous system. I know opioids are a completely different class of drug than psychedelics, however the coincidence of "very low doses = different responses" between both of these drug classes is interesting.
DeleteI wonder how we could continue this research as some of the drugs classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance becomes legalized for use. More so, I haven't watched the show, but I am curious as to how all nine people reacted to the micro-dosing considering everyone does respond to drugs in a certain way based on their metabolic and genetic make-up and if it were really beneficial to all parties. I do think it could possibly be a beneficial form of treatment if doctors could some how offer it in a controlled environment where individuals are out of harms way from the real world, like in a hospital. However treatment of things like depression are not things that are solved overnight so it would require a long stay which is not feasible for many people. Interesting thought though!
ReplyDeleteMicro-dosing is almost like an individualized medicine where each individual will not have the same experience. Therefore in the show they even alluded that each dose is subjective to the person. I think at the larger doses is where we begin to see increase adverse effects, but I do agree it will be interesting if this can be used to depression! Also, whether people with certain characteristics are more prone to negative effects from micro dosing.
DeleteThis is a very interesting topic! I have not seen this television program, but have heard of similar psilocybin and ayahuasca retreats that take place throughout the world that entail various ceremonies and spiritual practices which have been described to me as "life changing." I am curious to know if there is a tolerance of the 5HT-2A receptors to these micro-dosed substances or if the substances possess qualities with potential for addiction.
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting topic that I know very little about. I find it interesting micro-dosing is being used in popular culture but not a lot of people know its effects. I have read a couple studies about what Madison pointed out that smaller doses seem to have different responses inn drugs we commonly use. I did know that giving a smaller dose of opioids over several time points actually helps relieve pain without the addiction aspect. This is what we use in our mice and rat models in the lab I work in-it helps to ensure they do not become dependent on the pain relief, but also have that acute pain being treated early on. I think a lot more research needs to be done, specifically looking at the mechanism behind both the positive and negative effects. It is interesting that micro-dosing specific drugs can have both anxiety relief while causing panic attacks; that seems counter-intuitive. I would also be interested in seeing the long-term effects of micro-dosing specific drugs. Could this end up affecting BDNF in patients with depression/anxiety like SSRIs do? Or does it work through a completely different mechanism? Overall, a very interesting topic that could use a lot more research.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very cool and interesting, as I know the current research regarding the use of psychedelics as a therapeutic has been promising. I think how you tied together the scientific research regarding micro-dosing and how it is displayed within our media through the tv show. I think that sometimes there can be stark contrast to the way our media and culture can portray a therapeutic, compared to the real life application and experiences. Given the wide range of symptoms exhibited after micro-dosing, it would be interesting to do further research on whether a larger dosage could elicit less profound side effects. Maybe a few larger doses could be more helpful, rather than a continual, yet smaller dosage.
ReplyDeletePsychedelics as therapeutics is a pretty cool topic, if a bit taboo in the medical (and especially political) world. The benefits of micro dosing come as no surprise to me - they seem to be mostly much milder effects of what recreational (higher dose) users of LSD and psilocybin experience. While I do think micro dosing has significant therapeutic value, I fear the stigma around psychedelics may prevent it from ever becoming something a physician would recommend (obviously it would be legal in this hypothetical). The public perception of psychedelics along with notorious "bad trips" leading to the adverse effects you mention, such as panic attacks and insomnia, would likely cause many people to steer clear of trying micro dosing over more conventional methods of improving mood, focus, etc. Nonetheless, examining the effects of micro dosing with these substances is fascinating. There is still a lot to learn about psychedelics and how they affect us. I look forward to reading about advances in this field in the future.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you approached the use of psychedelics as a use for therapy to combat mental illnesses. It is known that psychedelics can be a bit taboo in the medical field while considering it as a type of therapy for mental illnesses. I do agree that there should be more scientific research regarding micro-dosing before being used as a first line type of therapy for mental illnesses.
ReplyDeleteI think there has been a recent glut of interest in psychedelics. Recently, I read of studies attempting to use ketamine, another psychoactive substance to treat depression. I think psilocybin is on a similar track, as mentioned in the research in the article. One issue with this line of research is the lack of "hard" evidence on patient improvement, which may improve over time with advancements in psychological care.
ReplyDeleteI have also seen papers about opioid micro-dosing and there have even been studies showing that heroine micro-dosing may be a more effective way of treating heroine addiction that using methadone. This also got me wondering about if people might already be applying this in everyday life. Herbal teas are all the rage now and in my recent presentation I even talked about the medicinal effects of chamomile. Could it be that if someone regularly drank herbal teas that they are practicing micro-dosing? I think there are huge therapeutic benefits to micro-dosing as I believe that less is more especially with drugs. I'm interested in seeing where this topic goes in the future with more research.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I am going to have to watch this show on Hulu now. secondly, I find this approach to medicine very interesting and I can see the benefits for select individuals. However the more I read/think about micro-dosing it kind of feels like fantasy for me. As much as I would like to see more research on micro-dosing and its benefits my mind jumps to the risks. When it comes to micro-dosing I think the risks may outweigh the cost. Do you see micro-dosing having a successful market in the future? Do you think the government would allow research in something like this that involved controlled substances?
ReplyDeleteI am definitely interested in watching this show after reading your article. Micro-dosing psychedelics is an interesting practice but I like the individuality of experiences that it provides for those who use them. I've heard of micro-dosing opioids as a more effective treatment for opioid addiction than the traditional methadone treatment. It makes you wonder if micro-dosing any other alternative treatments for a number of diseases would perform better than the traditional treatments.
ReplyDelete