There’s some good news and bad news for people who microdose LSD as a treatment for ADHD.
First, the bad news. According to a study published in the esteemed scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry, there was no difference between groups taking LSD to alleviate ADHD and groups that were taking a placebo. In essence, telling yourself that a Jolly Rancher will help you focus on your work would be just as effective as micro-dosing LSD.
The good news is that, hey, LSD might not be helping you out with your ADHD, but at least you’re on LSD. I can help with PTSD and depression, so that’s something.
IS MICRODOSING LSD AN EFFECTIVE ADHD TREATMENT?
Researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland wanted to find out if all the tech grows in Silicon Valley micro-dosing LSD to treat their ADHD. They gathered 53 people ages 18 to 65 who had been clinically diagnosed with ADHD.
Twice a week for six weeks, half of the participants took a randomized dose of either a placebo or a microdose of LSD, and the other half were only given LSD. In both cases, the LSD administered was 20 micrograms, which is considered on the higher end of the microdosing scale but still well below recreational dosages.
Early reports seemed to vindicate microdosing enthusiasts, as the folks on LSD were reporting an alleviation of their symptoms. After a while, though, everyone, including the placebo group, started reporting that they were on LSD. Not the results microdosing proponents were looking for.
Despite early reports of symptom improvement, the results revealed that the LSD group showed no significant difference from the placebo group in alleviating ADHD symptoms. The findings seemed to echo the results of a UChicago Medicine study from 2022 that separated adjustments in the three groups.
One group was given 13 micrograms, another was given 26 micrograms, and a third was given a placebo. The researchers found that while micro-dosing is generally safe, it isn’t exactly providing the benefits its proponents claim it does.
