Microdosing LSD analogues means taking small, repeated doses of unregulated chemical relatives of psychedelic LSD, mostly converted to LSD in the body, to aid mood or focus. Placebo-controlled LSD trials show short-lived changes, like slightly longer sleep; lasting gains have not held up. Risks include dose-day anxiety and small blood-pressure rises; lithium use, personal or family psychosis or bipolar history, and heart-valve problems (long-term effects remain unknown) bring serious dangers. (Full Review)

Protocol

Community protocol (Fadiman)

6–20 µg LSD every third day

One day on, two days off, for 4–10 weeks

Analogue dose equivalence

10 µg LSD ≈ 11–13 µg analogue

ALD-52, 1P-LSD, 1cP-LSD or 1V-LSD free base, assuming complete conversion; more for tartrate salts

Best time of day

Morning

Evening doses risk delayed sleep onset

Time to effect

Extra sleep

Following night

Longer sleep on the night after each dose

Depression scores

8 weeks

Open-label trial only; not confirmed against placebo

Acute effects

About 1 hour

Peak near 2.5 hours; end by about 5 hours

Benefits

Medium: Longer sleep on the night after dosing

Low: Transient dose-day mood and energy lift; reduced anxiety; reduced depressive symptoms in major depression; cold-pain tolerance; cluster headache relief; attention and creativity enhancement

Speculative: Neuroplasticity and neurotrophic signalling; protection against neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration; lifespan extension

Contraindications

Personal or first-degree family history of schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, or bipolar I or II disorder

Current lithium therapy

Pregnancy or breastfeeding

Known valvular heart disease (moderate or greater regurgitation or stenosis) or prior use of valve-toxic drugs

Hypertension not controlled below 140/90 mmHg

Epilepsy or any prior unprovoked seizure

Prior hallucinogen persisting perception disorder

Age under 18 years

Safety-critical occupations (pilots, commercial drivers, heavy-machinery operators) on dosing days, and people subject to mandatory drug testing

Key Interactions

SSRIs and SNRIs (sertraline, escitalopram, venlafaxine)

Strong CYP2D6 inhibitors (paroxetine, fluoxetine, bupropion, quinidine)

MAOIs (phenelzine, tranylcypromine) and tricyclics (amitriptyline, clomipramine)

Antipsychotics and 5-HT2A blockers (quetiapine, olanzapine, risperidone, trazodone, mirtazapine)

Ergot and triptan medicines (ergotamine, methysergide, cabergoline, sumatriptan)

Tramadol

Dextromethorphan (cough suppressants)

Decongestants (pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine)

Serotonergic supplements (St. John's wort, 5-HTP, L-tryptophan, SAMe)

Stimulant supplements (caffeine, yohimbine, synephrine)

Cannabis

Alcohol

Other psychedelics (psilocybin, mescaline)

Risk & Side Effects

High: Acute anxiety and psychological distress; perceptible intoxication and mild dissociation; acute blood pressure elevation; reduced cognitive control

Low: Headache, nausea, fatigue and insomnia; dose uncertainty and mislabelled grey-market products; hallucinogen persisting perception disorder; psychosis or mania in predisposed people

Speculative: Heart-valve disease; unknown toxicity of newer analogues

Monitoring

Marker	Target	Why
Blood pressure (home cuff)	Below 120/80 mmHg; dosing-day rise under 10 mmHg	Detects dose-related rises
Resting heart rate	50–70 beats per minute	Flags stimulant-like strain
Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)	No more than trace valve regurgitation, unchanged from baseline	Screens for valve damage
CYP2D6 genotype	Normal metabolizer	Predicts exposure
PHQ-9 depression score	0–4	Tracks mood effect
GAD-7 anxiety score	0–4	Detects anxiety adverse effects
Sleep duration (wearable)	7–9 hours	Tracks sleep effect
Cognitive-control task (e.g., Stroop or go/no-go app)	No decline from own baseline	Detects impaired inhibition

Cadence: Baseline before a first cycle; blood pressure about 2 hours after each of the first three doses, then weekly; mood and anxiety questionnaires at weeks 2, 4 and 8; continuous sleep tracking; attention task at week 4 and cycle end; echocardiography every 12 months while cumulative use continues beyond 3 months.

Qualitative Assessment

Energy, mood and sense of connection on dosing versus non-dosing days
Focus and error rate at work
Anxiety, restlessness or somatic discomfort within 5 hours of dosing
Visual disturbances persisting beyond the dosing day
Sleep quality and morning alertness
Motivation for healthy habits (exercise, diet, social contact)

Microdosing LSD Analogues for Health & Longevity

Protocol

Benefits

Risk & Side Effects

Monitoring

Qualitative Assessment