Microdosing is gaining traction with different crowds, from tech workers in Silicone Valley to productivity hackers, to everyday people that struggle with mental health.
To admit it’s gone main stream doesn’t do the movement justice. Microdosing, and pychedelics in general have the attention of world class researchers, investors, and big pharma - everyone seems to want a piece of this pie. While decriminalization efforts have sprung up across the US, Oregon is the most progressive. Not only did they effectively decriminalize Psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms), they are the first state to legalize it for therapeutic use.
Once considered a dangerous recreational drug, Psilocybin is getting serious attention for treatment of a variety of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, addiction and PTSD. But what about PMDD, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder? Considering that PMDD is severely under researched, I might be in menopause before any peer reviewed research is completed. For reference, I’m 34 :)
But that’s not stopping PMDD sufferers from exploring pychedelic medicine on their own terms. While some prefer the macrodosing experience - which I’ll get into in a later post, the topic of this post is microdosing, or taking small amounts of a pychedelic substance. To be clear, you can actually microdose anything - caffeine, cannabis, magic mushrooms etc. But typically, microdosing is referring to a pychedelic like psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, or even DMT.
So let’s get into the nitty gritty.
Should I microdose for PMDD?
You are the only one that can determine that. For me, I went through a mini risk analysis before giving it a try. Here’s a few key things to consider:
Legality - Is the psychedelic you’re considering illegal or decriminalized where you will be consuming them? Keep in mind, illegal and decriminalized are two different things. Do your research and know your risks, they vary based on geographical location.
Support - Do you have close friends or family that support your decision? Do you have a “guide” or someone knowledgeable about the topic? If not, consider joining the following subreddits for support and a wealth of information.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PsychedelicWomen/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PsilocybinMushrooms/
Research - Do you feel comfortable with your knowledge of how it works? Have you jumped online and asked questions? If you’re on the shy side, I recommend https://www.reddit.com/r/PsychedelicWomen/ . It’s geared towards premenstrual and female pychedelic journeys. There are no strangers there and any question is fair game because they are all in the same boat! Extremely supportive and knowledgeable crowd.
Sourcing - Are you comfortable with how you’re going to source your substance of choice? Depending on your background you may not have friends that are into pychedelics. This is one of the biggest issues I see people run into - especially with microdosing. You’re not trying to spend the weekend at Burning Man, you’re simply trying to reclaim your life. Know that you have options, but again you have to weigh your risks and do your research.
Growing them yourself- Yep. It’s a thing. You can source the materials online and have them shipped directly to your house. Do your research, but in most places, the individual ingredients to grow them might be legal but the finished product might not be. Surprisingly, once you get it right you can have a finished batch in a month, sometimes less. Check out the thirdwave to help you on that journey.
How much is a microdose?
According to Dr. James Fadiman, the best selling author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys - a microdose of a psychedelic is between 1/10 and 1/20 of a “recreational dose.”
For psilocybin mushroom microdosing for PMDD, refer to dosages in the Microdosing Guide for PMDD. Note that fresh mushrooms contain a lot of water, so for consistency measurements should always be in terms of dried mushrooms. This method also makes them last much longer compared to fresh. Ever had a portabella after a week or two?
Because psilocybin mushrooms are naturally occurring and not manufactured in a lab, there is a natural variance in potency. It is always recommended to start out with the smallest amount, then adjusting from there.
How often should I microdose for PMDD?
While there are well established protocols in the community, PMDD is a bit of a different monster. For the microdosing masses, the Fadiman protocol references once daily every 3 days while the Stamets protocol calls for stacking psilocybin with lions mane mushrooms and niacin once daily for 5 days straight, then taking 2 days off.
So what about PMDD? Well, to start, psilocybin doesn’t need to “build up” in our bodies like other substances. Effects are felt within an hour or so. For me, I found that microdosing as needed for PMDD was the most effective “protocol”. With PMDD, symptoms are cyclical and can last for a day or two full weeks. Microdosing protocols may need to be flexible and experimented with over time.
You do want to take days off in between because your body will build up a tolerance to psilocybin pretty quickly. When my symptoms were still severe, I would opt for every other day, but when they were mild I would follow a once every 3 days approach. Keep in mind that the mood boosting effects of microdosing are felt for a day or two after taking it.
How will microdosing for PMDD make me feel?
Just like any remedy, natural or prescription, we experience effects differently. However, a microdose is considered sub-perceptual and the amount should be low enough that it should not produce visual or perceptual distortions like a perceptual dose. If the dose is correct, you shouldn’t notice any type of impairment; microdosers report being able to carry on about their daily routine normally.
So what’s the upside? Well, consider being in the midst of hell week and being able to carry on about your daily routine, normally. That was my experience with microdosing. While there are no self reported sample sets that focus on PMDD, there is significant symptom overlap with other, more common mental health conditions like generalized anxiety and depression. Here are just a few of the self reported benefits based on an article in the Journal of Pyschoactive Drugs published in October, 2019. The list is in descending order based on the number of responses for each benefit.
(1) cognitive and creative enhancement
(2) reduced depression and anxiety
(3) enhanced self-insight and mindfulness
(4) improved mood and attitude toward life,
(5) improved habits and health behaviors,
(6) improved social interactions and interpersonal connections
(7) heightened sensation and perception
These benefits would have anyone taking a closer look, but for PMDD, they look more like a gift from the divine. As I document in my book, The Woman in the Basement: How to Live Your Best Life 75% of the time, after microdosing psilocybin, my mood improved dramatically and my suicidal ideation was eliminated completely.
A similar account of using pychedelics for PMDD is well documented in Ayelet’s Waldman’s best selling book, “A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life” She talks about her severe suicidal ideation from PMDD and knowing she needed to do something drastic. The middle aged, middle class, mom of four decided to try microdosing LSD after reading “The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys” by Dr. James Fadiman. Her book is an authentic, detailed and hilarious account of the process she used over the course of a month and how her life changed throughout the journey.
Although the preliminary information and first hand accounts are promising, the PMDD community should advocate for more research in this area. We need to make sure we have a seat at the pychedelic table. With the traction and momentum of pychedelic research for mental health, it won’t be long before microdosing will be more and more accessible, much like the cannabis movement of the last few years.
Whether or not to microdose for PMDD is a deeply personal decision that no one can or should make for you. Intuition and knowledge are important parts of the process. For more information on microdosing for PMDD, check out my Substack: Menstrual Moods and Mushrooms.