Review of Microdosing Psilocybin: The ingredients, dose, and outcomes

Quick Background:

I have been reading more and more about the positive benefits of microdosing psilocybin but over the past year had yet to try it myself. If I’m honest, I was waiting to get a little more time under my belt in sobriety and really think long and hard about the reasons behind trying it. I am keenly aware of how experimenting further with psychedelics could indicate that slow roll of addiction creeping back into my life. Logically, I saw no inherent risk in the intentional use of psychedelics. I regard them with respect and since getting sober have never used them as an escape or have felt a need to repress the urge to use them on a regular basis. That being said, there was a time in my life where I didn’t see alcohol as a problem either. The distinct difference is that while psychedelics can be enjoyable, I have never seen them as a substance I’d want to waste on just looking at the pretty lights or laughing with friends. I abused alcohol from day one, whether I knew it was alcoholism or not, I never drank responsibly. I’ve seen such a positive change in how I view myself and the world after psychedelics and if anything, I withhold the use of them for times when I’m looking for answers or perpetually stuck.

The Specifics Around My Microdosing

There are really two main players in the world of microdosing protocols. James Fadiman and Paul Stamets. Paul Stamets, a world renowned mycologist and James Fadiman, PhD and author of The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide both offer similar regimens that differ slightly on the formulas but mostly on the regimen with which the microdosing is administered.

Here are the breakdowns of each protocol:

I will list just the ingredients, dosage recommendations, and comparison between the two. If you’d like more information on either you can visit the following websites for more detailed information:

• Fadiman’s protocol
• Stamets Stack

After each full cycle it is recommended to take two to four weeks off. Primarily this is to keep the body from adapting and growing a tolerance to the supplement.

There is a simple breakdown you can find here that spells the above in a little more detail.

Stamets Stack

I chose to experiment with the Stamets Stack protocol partially because I had already begun growing Lion’s Mane at my house and figured this would be the best use for it. Secondly, I was interested in seeing how I felt not just while on the microdose but any adverse affects on the longer periods off.

I have to admit I noticed benefits almost immediately. I journaled daily to track and understand what I felt but also to go back and re-read my entries to get a better sense of my mood in general. Below are my personal findings.

Overall Feeling:

In the first week I noticed all around I was in a better mood. Not elated or overly joyous but just even through the week. I didn’t get overly angry or frustrated and the typical triggers that occur in daily life were still there but were less sticky. I navigated situations driven more by objective thought and less by my visceral reaction to others based on previous filters I had built in my head.

For example, my biggest triggers can be found at work. It’s difficult for me to maintain healthy relationships at the work place when individuals either don’t do what I need them to or don’t operate how I want them to. This is a personal defect of mine I am intentionally working on but after the first day I noticed that those triggers were there but I was less likely to act on them or let them ruin my day. It was immediately noticeable to me (most likely my co-workers as well). I had a much more objective view of everyone and it’s helped me not only recognize my triggers better but helped me soften them on the off days. I could look at different perspectives and was more empathetic for others viewpoints.

Sleep:

My sleep has been amazing. I am able to drift off to sleep and stay asleep, something I’m not particularly good at. Sleep has become an important performance metric for me in recovery. I realize the benefits in my mood and mental clarity when my sleep is good. I track it regularly and benchmark progress.

The biggest noticeable change I saw was in my HRV. Prior to this first cycle it was rare that I would get more than two stars on my Readiness score. For background, I use an app called, AutoSleep. It had the best reviews for Apple that work with the Apple watch.

Their readiness score is a combination of waking resting heartbeat and your heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is highly individual and positive and negative scores are based on your own benchmarks.

Waking Resting Heart Rate:

My waking resting heart rate was typically between 52 – 56 bpm. During the cycle my waking resting heart rate was between 48bpm – 50bpm. These were maintained during my off days as well. That was unexpected and I don’t have a clear understanding of why, but I’ll take it.

Heart Rate Variability:

The most surprising change was in my HRV. HRV is individualized so my readings may not align with yours but I saw a massive improvement during this entire cycle.

I rarely received a good sleep rating prior to microdosing. I was always somewhere between one and three stars. My HRV measured in milliseconds was always between 40ms-50ms. Since starting the cycle the range has been between 120ms-140ms and my sleep rating has been all 4/5 or 5/5 stars.

Confidence:

My confidence has grown significantly in this last year of sobriety however I still get very self-conscious, anxious, and nervous whenever I am speaking in public and/or presenting to people I perceive as important or who I want to make a good impression on. Even after a year of speaking and/or leading AA meetings I would still get a rush of anxiety and my heart pounds right through my chest. I noticed, rather immediately, that since starting the stack the anxiety was completely gone. Disappeared.

My issue was not the anxiety necessarily but that the anxiety would put me into a clouded head space where my thoughts were more centered around how others were reacting to what I was saying. This would take me off track and I was off and running in multiple directions without a clear path. Now, my thoughts were clear, concise, and confident. This bled into work where co-workers even commented on my change in composure and confidence.

General Mood:

One thing I noticed after reading my journal entries was that overwhelmingly I was on neither ends of the spectrum with respect to mood. I can tend to relish the highs and the lows for very different reasons. When I am excited, I can tend to get overexcited and almost delusional about the possibilities in front of me. On the other end, if I’m down I can lean into the victim and almost take comfort in how horrible life is to me. Over this initial cycle I noticed that whether I was on a 4 day cycle or during an off period my mood was always pleasantly uplifted. I didn’t spiral down when something I perceived was negative happened, in fact, I started looking at what I could take from the negative feelings. Same when the opposite was true. I didn’t look at things happening to me but rather just looking at it for what it was.

This is new. Weird. Didn’t know what to do with it. All I know is I liked it.

Depression, Anxiety, & Self Talk:

On a slightly negative note I did notice on 2 of the off cycles (first and last) that I experienced a lot of imposter syndrome, anxiety, and depression. Both of those weeks I had particularly stressful work weeks but no major life events that would have spawned it. The only difference in my daily routine was coming off the microdosing regimen. I have no idea whether it was related or not but I put it here because I note it. The last week was particularly difficult. My self talk was really bad and all of my tools didn’t seem to work. Ultimately, I sat with how I felt and worked really hard not to lean in to the feelings or act out because of them. It wasn’t anything close to my drinking days but an observation I made and took note of. While overall I saw extremely positive impacts I would be remiss if I did not put this aspect of the cycle that I experienced. It gives me pause to experimenting with this further.

Post Cycle:

I’ve always felt that psychedelics didn’t change me, it was the work I put in before or after that really had the lasting impacts. The psychedelics just loosened that grip I had on the models I had built in my head to allow for change to happen. The same seems to be true, for me at least, with microdosing. I’m able to experience and consciously take note of how I was handling situations while on a sub perceptual dose of psilocybin and could use those as benchmarks to continually progress after the cycle was through.

I felt zero withdrawals and did not feel a drop off since stopping (outside of the 2-3 day bout with depression and anxiety I mentioned earlier). It just felt fluid. It felt like a supplement like anything else but one that is actually helping to alter my thinking towards positivity, creativity, and less reactionary. I am a highly reactive person and just assumed I was wired that way. Maybe I am but I get a strong sense that I’m creating new healthier grooves in my thinking that are deepening by the day.

Caveats:

I feel it’s important to note that this alone isn’t the only ingredient. I have had a strong spiritual practice over the last year and some change. I have been doing constant work on myself and have abstained from the use of alcohol or drugs. I exercise at minimum of 6 days a week and have maintained a pescatarian diet for over 6 months now. I meditate every morning and some times before bed and have been continually reading and exposing myself to positive healthy content.

All of these factors are contributing to my continual positive growth. These practices remained constant through the cycle and it is a contributing factor to how the supplements have impacted my mood. It’s not just taking a pill and magically I’m improving. It’s IN ADDITION TO a mindset towards growth and betterment of myself and to others.