Microdosing with LSD promises big health benefits but it's a risky business

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Taking low doses of psychoactive drugs is being touted as a way to treat everything from chronic pain to depression, but the research to prove it is seriously lacking, writes Sanet Oberholzer

People who microdose may choose to do so every day but typically do so two to three times a week.Patricia* sits across from me on a lovely spring afternoon. Wearing a floral dress, she orders a plate of nachos and answers my questions in a calm, collected manner - lucid in all respects.

She describes herself as someone who is highly strung and gets stressed out easily. She's also suffered from depression and insomnia in the past."It is hard to measure the effects but I do feel calmer in general. I've found I'm less inclined to get worked up into an emotional state." A microdose is small enough to trigger the drug's effects on the user's mood or creativity levels without sending them on a hallucinogenic trip

But, of course, microdosing comes with its own challenges. Both LSD and magic mushrooms are illegal in SA. This makes them hard to find and difficult to regulate their quality and strength when you do find them, which makes toeing the fine line between heightening your senses and tipping the scale into unfamiliar territory that may evoke anxious feelings or, worse yet, a bad trip, tricky.

 

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