Amid growing interest in alternative and innovative approaches to treating mental health disorders, numerous documentaries and social media posts have popped up on microdosing psychedelics, including the use of ketamine infusion therapy. Usually, these practices involve the use of psilocybin mushrooms or LSD, but some classifications include ketamine in the definition of psychedelics, and ketamine infusion therapy has been shown to greatly improve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
While emerging in popularity, the use of psychedelic medicine is not new. In early humanity, many indigenous cultures of mesoamerica used psychedelics as medication, but faced suppression with the shifting standards of western medicine. Today, the benefits of microdosing psychedelics are being studied internationally, exploring how mushrooms, LSD, and ketamine can contribute to mental health treatment.
Understanding Microdosing:
Microdosing is considered taking “sub-perceptual” doses of psychedelics to experience subtle effects without a full-blown hallucinogenic experience. Many of those who microdose never feel ‘high’ or like they are ‘tripping’ on any substance, but feel lighter in their minds, have greater brain connectivity, and feel alleviation from the symptoms of common mental health disorders.
Microdosing is typically done on a regular schedule, whether weekly, monthly, or depending on their comfort level, with people taking tiny amounts of the substance, usually one-tenth or less of a recreational dose. Microdosing is said to enhance mood, creativity, focus, and overall well-being, while minimizing potential risks or adverse effects associated with higher doses.
Potential Benefits of Microdosing Psychedelics:
Less Anxiety and Better Mood: Research suggests that microdosing psychedelics may help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Some users report improved mood, reduced anxiety, and increased feelings of well-being.
Improved Cognitive Ability: Microdosing has been linked to improved cognitive performance, including enhanced creativity, focus, and problem-solving skills. In ketamine infusions specifically, small, regulated doses of the medicine have been proven to lessen the effects of psychiatric distress, especially for those with PTSD.
Neuroplasticity and Emotional Regulation: Proponents of psychedelics say they help promote neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections. These brain pathway connections work to facilitate emotional regulation and help individuals break free from negative thinking patterns and behavior.
Ketamine Infusions as a Form of Microdosing:
While not a traditional psychedelic, ketamine is noted as part of the psychedelic family of drugs by some bodies of medicine. It’s a largely subjective debate in scientific communities, but the point stands: ketamine infusion therapy can be considered a form of microdosing, and ketamine helps people’s mental health. We’ve seen it firsthand.
Originally used as an anesthetic medication, when administered in small doses in controlled, monitored environments, ketamine has rapid and significant antidepressant effects. Ketamine infusion therapy involves intravenous administration of ketamine under medical supervision, typically in a series of sessions or with ‘booster’ infusions. In our offices, the medication is given in very small, controlled doses over the course of about 40 minutes. Here’s more information on how infusions work.
The three core benefits of ketamine infusion therapy include rapid relief from symptoms of anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, and PTSD, little side effects from use, and the safety of its use, as our infusions are given under Physician supervision at one of our six locations.
If you’re interested in microdosing psychedelics for your mental health, consider choosing the safe, physician-prescribed option of ketamine infusion therapy. Schedule a free phone consultation with one of the physicians at Freedom Ketamine Treatment Centers, located in the Washington, D.C. metro area, today to discuss the next step of your mental health journey.
The image used in this article is by Samuel Ramos.