The improvements in well-being and life satisfaction that come with microdosed psychedelics may be nothing more than the placebo effect, according to the largest study on the practice.
The tendency to microdosar LSD or psilocybin appeared in Silicon Valley a few years ago and spread around the world with its advocates reporting greater well-being, creativity and overall cognitive performance.
But with so much evidence of anecdotal microdosing, scientists are unclear whether taking regular small doses of the substances really hits the impulses doctors claim. The illegality of the drugs did not help in the search for answers.
To find out more, the researchers at Imperial College London recruited 191 members of the public, who were already microdosing with LSD, for a placebo-controlled trial. It is the largest study of its kind on the effects of psychedelics to date.
The scientists found that while those who microdosed for several weeks reported less anxiety, improved mood and improved creativity, so did those who took the placebo.
“Our findings confirmed some of the beneficial psychological effects of microdosing from anecdotal reports and observational studies, such as a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction with life,” said Balázs Szigeti, the lead author and associate researcher at the psychedelic research center of the Imperial.
“But we see the same improvements among participants who take placebos. This suggests that the improvements may not be due to the pharmacological action of the drug, but can be explained by the placebo effect. “
The researchers recruited people who were already making LSD microdoses and could participate online. The volunteers followed the instructions to prepare gel capsules containing a low dose of LSD, estimated at about 13μg, or a placebo. Then they followed the instructions to mix the capsules so that they didn’t know which ones to take when.
The researchers used bar codes that, when scanned, recorded when each participant was taking a placebo or a microdose of the psychedelic drug. Over the course of the four-week study, the volunteers responded to surveys on how they felt and performed a series of cognitive tests online.
Typically, study participants reported an increase in psychological well-being and creativity within hours of taking the microdose, but those who took the placebo capsules reported similar effects, with no statistical difference between the two groups. The results, published in eLife, suggest that the expectation of taking a small dose of the drug was as good as taking the drug itself.
Although the scientists believe the results are valid, they admit that the study is not as robust as a standard, laboratory-based, placebo-controlled clinical study. Since participants purchased their own medications, it is impossible to be sure what doses each took, and many of the participants were probably familiar enough with the drug’s effects to guess whether they had taken an LSD microdose or a placebo capsule.
But the success of such a cheap test has spurred scientists. The idea of recruiting members of the public and making them “blind” for online testing can now become a valuable tool in other areas of medicine, for example, in assessing the benefits of cannabis products that contain the active ingredient cannabidiol.
“Accounting for the placebo effect is important when evaluating trends such as the use of cannabidiol oils, fad diets or supplements where social pressure or users’ expectations can lead to a strong response to the placebo,” said David Erritzoe, senior author and senior clinical lecturer in psychiatry at Imperial. “Self-blinding citizen science initiatives can be used as an inexpensive initial screening tool before launching expensive clinical studies.”