Important: this manual reflects personal opinions based on experience, but in no case it does intend to encourage you to do something that you have not previously and personally decided so that, from here, all responsibility for your decisions is yours alone. With this manual I only pretend that, if you have decided to use LSD microdoses, you can have a rational reference that provides more or less objective information and offer some basic safety tips.
In any case, I am a strong advocate of free will and the right to freely access any substance that we want to use for recreational or therapeutic purposes without a paternalistic state endeavor to complicate our lives.
And, I take this opportunity to say that, when I die, I would like to travel that path consciously and peacefully, if possible, under the beneficial effects of LSD, before any other drug that numbs me and prevents me from consciously experiencing something so important. And this, for now, I must do it in a shamefully clandestine way because of some stupid and outrageous laws.
What are LSD microdoses?
The microdoses of LSD, as the name suggests, are very small doses of this substance, below the threshold that would produce tangible effects and that, therefore, would allow to continue carrying out daily activities. Using microdoses of LSD probably does not notice any obvious effect beyond that, at the end of the day, you can conclude that "it was a good day".
It is generally accepted that the threshold is around 20 μg (micrograms) so that, given the possible individual variants, the microdoses will be comprised between 10-30 micrograms.
The usual dose of LSD to obtain a psychedelic experience is around 100-150 μg. An intense experience can be obtained with between 150-400 μg. Doses between 30-100 μg usually produce mild effects.
However, the experience can be very different in each person and, given the difficulties to make a controlled investigation with a substance that has been wanted to be illegal, it is not possible to offer a table of standardized doses.
Fortunately, LSD is extraordinarily safe and there are no cases of fatal poisoning since its lethal dose (in animals) is tens of thousands of times higher than the entheogenic dose. The use in the form of microdoses does not seem to present any problem except the fact that it will be necessary to establish the ideal microdose for each person; which will require a series of initial tests within the range of microdoses.
First point to consider
The LSD presentations that can be obtained, usually from the "black market" may present slight variations with respect to the dose they are supposed to contain. On the other hand, it should not be a very worrying topic because:
LSD is possibly the least counterfeit drug. It is not worth it since almost anything that can be used to falsify or "cut" it will be more expensive than LSD itself. In any case, according to the way it is made, there is more or less pure LSD, but the variations are not very large.
There may be variations according to the method to present or dilute it either in blotters (blotting paper), gelatin or liquid. In any case, variations above or below are not very significant in microdoses. We will simply have to make a new trial every time we change supplier or product to make a fine adjustment of the microdose that we want to use.
Why would we want to use LSD microdoses?
Stay with this idea: to learn to live better.
You have probably heard or read that LSD microdoses can:
- Improve the state of mind
- Enhance creativity
- Awakening constructive emotions
- Restore healthy sleep patterns
- Facilitate social relations
- Increase your energy
- Help you find creative solutions
I do not doubt the above. But again I emphasize the principle in another way. LSD microdoses are probably not a good idea if you are not willing to learn from experience and NOT use them as a chemical crutch to counteract your shortcomings or excesses. I do not think I should suggest that they are a kind of "mood enhancer" for a lifetime. Not in most cases, far from it.
Probably, LSD microdoses work as an excellent antidepressant. But it is not a good idea to consider that we should take an antidepressant forever on a regular basis. If a therapy does not fulfill its function it becomes a piece of chemical orthopedics. If we "need" the LSD to be well I think we started from some mistake.
Do not use microdoses of LSD...
If you have or think you have a serious psychic problem or you are living a critical or emotionally intense moment or are taking antipsychotics or antidepressants.
If you are a person who will wait anxiously to see if it takes effect.
Remember: microdoses of LSD do not have to make an effect too obvious. If others notice that something is wrong with you, you have not used a microdose.
The frontier of a hallucinogenic dose
It has been agreed that the dose from which visual effects (hallucinogens) can be given is around 1 μg per kg of body weight. Obviously, that dose is still well above what is meant by microdoses, which is generally a maximum of 20-25 μg
How to get LSD
This is a subject for which I will elaborate another small manual that you will be able to see if you follow my publications.
Clarifications
There are often certain confusions about the doses tand I want to clarify this issue now. When we talk about doses, we must bear in mind that, depending on the route of administration, the bioavailability of a substance will be greater or lesser. In the case of the oral administration of LSD, it is agreed that its bioavailability is around 70% -73% with respect to its intravenous administration, which ideally would be 100%.
In the context of this guide, when I speak of microdoses, I always refer to the amount of LSD that theoretically contains a piece of blotting paper that is going to be administered orally.
How to make microdoses
It is becoming easier to find microdoses for sale, usually about 20 μg. If not, it is also easy to do them from blotters of 90 or 100 μg.
I recommend blotters because there is not much variability, in origin, about the amount distributed in each secant. It is true that there are certain possibilities that the indicated amount is something different; but the most frequent could be that a part of a blotter has not been bathed by the liquid. That is, the failure would be more by default than by excess; assuming a source of trust. Also the product can be degraded over time, depending on storage conditions (classic: clean, cool, dry and away from light).
And then, the process of dividing each piece into equal parts is simple.
The use of the liquid form directly requires much more expertise so I will not add it to this manual.
Therefore, starting from a blotter in which each unit already appears delimited by the microperforation, it is enough to separate one of them.
The image above shows 10 doses of 90 μg. If I divide one of those doses into 4 parts, I will have practically microdoses of 22.5 μg. If I divide it into 8 parts (easy cutting diagonally) I will obtain microdoses of 11.25 μg.
Now, we must have certain variabilities. And, therefore, every time we use LSD from different sources or presentations it will be necessary to apply a certain precautionary principle and an adequate protocol.
Startup protocol
It will be considered the first shot that is made for the first time and also every time the product or supplier is changed. I advise the following:
- Never be in a hurry or start with this from impatience.
- Let's start with the smallest dose on a Saturday or Sunday that we have nothing else to do. The shot is made in the morning. Observe how we are throughout the day.
- If everything goes well we can take another equal intake in working time, on Tuesday or Wednesday (as we have chosen Saturday or Sunday). Go to point 5
- If the first day you felt that the effect is strong, people have noticed you weird or have not been completely satisfactory, go to point 2) with a lower dose. If you have come here again with doses below 10 μg it is quite likely that this is not for you. Leave the experiment.
- You can maintain that microdose or, if you think it's worth trying a little more up but do not pass 20-25 μg. If you raise the microdose always do it from point 2)
Another guide, in English: The ultimate guide to microdosing
Why not take it every day?
LSD tends to produce tolerance very quickly. That is, after a dose, the following tend to have an smaller effect. But, just as that tolerance occurs very quickly, it also disappears in a short period of time. In other words, it is a good idea not to take microdoses every day, even if it is not clear if microdoses can produce tolerance, since we are not trying to achieve the intense entheogenic effects but something much more subtle. But, just in case, in order to take better advantage of their qualities, it is not recommended to take microdoses more than twice a week. If you think about it, it is enough since we do not want to use LSD as a daily stimulant, as if it were caffeine or alcohol. The point is another and, if our predisposition is correct, every "good day" of microdoses will leave a subtle but valuable teaching in our consciousness.
For this reason, it is also a good idea to experiment for a maximum of 10 weeks and then reconsider whether or not we should continue. To reach the point where we believe that it is not necessary to continue would mean a very important psychological milestone similar to having completed studies with a good use.
What happens the days you do not take it?
Perhaps the main drawback of LSD microdoses is that you can not take them every day because they have to be spaced out so that tolerance is not created and their effect diminishes. Therefore, it is pertinent to ask what happens on days when it is not taken. I will tell you:
The day of the shot: it is definitely a "good day". You will notice something more creative and relaxed at the same time. You understand other people better. Your awareness of yourself and your environment is slightly wider so that your brain is able to better understand things and, establishing new relationships of meaning, learn new skills to live better.
The next day: you have the pleasant memory that yesterday was a "good day". Therefore, remembering it, today can also be a pleasant day.
The third and next day: yes, you miss that state a little bit more "light" that LSD showed you; that state in which the serotonergic receptors are activated and everything flows better. Of course, you have to wait for the day of the next take, which you will greet happily when you arrive.
The path of conscious learning
I already said that LSD microdoses are an excellent way to learn to live. The mild stimulation of serotonergic receptors during a whole day opens you up to new meanings and levels of understanding; in a very smooth way, yes. This means that the following days will not only remember the experience but are opportunities to put into practice what you have learned. Here it's your turn. The effect of LSD microdoses is not unnatural. You can reproduce this state in simple ways: keep in mind the experience, learn to meditate, enjoy the little things in life (relationships, music, reading or the simple contemplation of yourself and your environment). This means that LSD microdoses can have the meaning of a somewhat more intensive learning about the art of living. It is possible that, after a while, you do not even need them. That would be a good objective. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is formed from the amino acid tryptophan, good night's sleep and your thoughts and emotions. On all those things you can have a great influence. But you have to know how to act on all of them. Recommended foods rich in tryptophan are: cocoa, oatmeal, kefir, chickpeas, sunflower seeds and raw pumpkin, raw peanuts, bananas, spirulina, almonds, dates, amaranth and chickpeas, among others.
Normally, every time you remember the LSD status your brain can get in that mode. You will smile, you will see the world from a somewhat more detached perspective and you will even feel the soft metallic taste of LSD in your mouth while you produce some more saliva. Remembering it to reproduce is a very easy trick, a hack of life that will be very useful to you.
Brain scans from Feilding's 2016 imaging study, showing the difference between the brain of someone on a placebo vs someone on LSD. Image: Amanda Feilding/Beckley Foundation.
Do not forget that each person is different
It has been said that LSD tends to enhance what is already there. That is why it is not a good idea to expect LSD to be the solution for serious or intense psychological conflicts. But it can be useful when life, for you, is a continuous process of learning and you have a reasonable knowledge of yourself. It can be an interesting help, for example, if you practice meditation regularly.
So we should not make generalizations. The protocol shown above is suitable for most people, to start an experience with microdoses or to definitely determine that this is not for you.
Out of the field of microdoses, other people prefer to use light doses. 40-50 μg may be fine for one day a week or sporadically on a special day. But it is always advisable to start with microdoses and, after several days without taking, experiment with a light dose; always a day of rest or that we want to dedicate to pleasant activities like walking in company, meditating or listening to music. Light doses can help us to better manage our consciousness.
In my personal case, light doses do not make me show myself essentially different from what I usually am. Perhaps, slightly more friendly and calm. It is true that creativity (the ability to spin and weave ideas to obtain novel results) seems to increase. But if I took LSD to increase my "productivity" I should say that it is a failure. Because I'm already lazy, so LSD is the only thing that makes me procrastinate a little more. Very creatively, however.
Let me finish therefore in the idea that I have repeated several times. Do not get involved in this to increase productivity. That soundsvery bad. You can expect a greater well-being, a little more creativity, some quiet energy. But better, do not expect that at all. Live and be conscious. Enjoy the moment. Always.
Some interesting references:
Essential Psychedelic Guide (PDF, psychedelics in general, without references to microdoses))
There are other articles on microdoses of LSD in SteemIt. For example:
The mental and metaphysical effects of microdosing LSD by
Microdosing LSD With Inkha: Day 1-2s by
LSD, Acid, microdosing - all you ever wanted to know by
I spent six months on LSD and meta-programmed a new, more liberated sense of self by
Microdosing LSD - It Saved Me from Depression and Stress by
There are more, but many seem to be simply copies of other articles. And, well, the Internet is full of articles on microdoses of LSD, many clearly invented, others in excess sensationalist and some interesting.
Please understand that English is not my native language and that is why you will find many annoying spelling and grammatical errors. I apologize for this, although I hope everything is understood correctly. There is an earlier version of this article in Spanish: Manual de microdosis de LSD.