Will Microdosing LSD Fix Your ADHD?

Good morning, and happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter delivering independent journalism about psychedelics straight to your inbox.

Today’s news looks at the science behind taking LSD for ADHD, and the other is about how ayahuasca impacts memory. If you keep scrolling, you’ll find pieces about nexus flipping, how MDMA made one writer a better parent, and how to grow mushrooms as a city dweller.

Also! On March 30, we’re hosting a live conversation between journalist Patrick Maravelias and Willy Myco about how to synthesize LSD. You DON’T want to miss this historic event.

Stay weird 🖖🏾,

Mary Carreón
Senior Editor

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Microdosing LSD Won’t Fix Your ADHD, Sadly

A recent clinical trial found that microdosing LSD doesn’t improve ADHD symptoms any more than a placebo, challenging the hype around using the drug to increase focus.

The findings of a new clinical trial cast doubt on the commonly held idea that microdosing LSD can reduce ADHD symptoms. Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial to test the effects of low-dose LSD on ADHD, and the findings, published in the journal Psychiatry: Interpersonal and Biological Processes, suggest that the psychedelic is no more effective than a placebo.

The study recruited 53 adults in Switzerland and the Netherlands with moderate to severe ADHD, New Scientist reports. Half of the participants received a 20-microgram dose of LSD twice a week for six weeks, while the rest took a placebo. At the end of the trial, ADHD symptoms were measured using a standardized 54-point scale. While both groups ultimately showed improvements, the placebo group actually scored slightly better — an average 9-point decrease in symptoms compared to 7 points in the LSD group. In other words, microdosing LSD offered no notable improvements.

Researchers noted that participants generally tolerated the LSD well, with reported side effects including mild fatigue, headaches, nausea, insomnia, and slight visual alterations (which actually suggests that the amount they were given wasn’t really a “microdose” by the true definition, but we digress). However, two participants dropped out due to stronger acute effects — one found the experience unpleasant, while the other described it as enjoyable but disruptive to daily life. The pharmacokinetic analysis, which looks at how a drug moves through the body, showed LSD was rapidly absorbed, peaking in the bloodstream just over an hour after ingestion, Psychiatrist.com reports.

The study states that most participants believed they had received LSD. Those who held that belief reported slightly better symptom improvements, reinforcing the role of placebo effects and expectation bias in psychedelic research. The study’s authors emphasized that previous anecdotal claims of microdosing LSD benefiting ADHD likely stem from self-reported data, which is particularly vulnerable to these biases.

While standard ADHD treatments, including stimulants and non-stimulants, can have significant drawbacks, this study underscores the need for rigorous clinical trials before considering psychedelics as a viable alternative to mental health conditions that manifest differently in everybody. 

The researchers called for further studies exploring different dosing strategies and potential psychological factors that might influence outcomes. But for now, the results suggest that self-medicating ADHD with microdosed LSD may be more influenced by belief than experiencing true biochemical benefits.

Ayahuasca Sharpens Memory Without Warping Reality

A new study shows that ayahuasca enhances memory, challenging assumptions about psychedelics and their impact on cognition.

Ayahuasca impacts the brain and body in myriad ways. But did you know it appears to specifically enhance memory? A new study published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology found that those who were experienced in working with ayahuasca demonstrated sharper recollection of specific details without becoming more susceptible to false memories or generic familiarity, which is the vague sense that you've encountered something before without being able to recall specific details about it, PsyPost reports.

While ayahuasca is usually sipped in spiritual or Indigenous ceremonies, researchers wanted to understand its cognitive effects, particularly around its influence on memory. Prior research from the early ‘90s Drug War-era suggests that psychedelics impair recollection, or our ability to remember when and where something occurred — while enhancing familiarity, the vague sense of recognition. The study, led by Manoj Doss of UT Austin’s Dell Medical School and the McGill Center for Psychedelic Research, sought to determine whether ayahuasca followed the same pattern.

Researchers studied 24 longtime members of the Santo Daime church, a religious group that incorporates ayahuasca into its ceremonies. Each participant completed memory tests during two sessions: one sober and another after drinking ayahuasca. Researchers didn’t provide the brew, but it was later analyzed for its chemical composition. It’s important to note that not all ayahuasca brews are the same. The concentration of DMT and beta-carbolines can vary significantly depending on the plants used to make the brew and how it's prepared.

The memory test involved three phases. First, participants studied six black-and-white scenes. Then, they read descriptions of those scenes, some of which included false details — like inserting a beach umbrella into a beach scene where none existed. Finally, participants were asked to recall which objects had been present and rate their confidence in their answers.

Considering how potent ayahuasca is, the findings are surprising — although probably not to those who work with aya more regularly. Instead of impairing memory, ayahuasca did the opposite. Participants were significantly better at correctly recalling objects they had seen, particularly when using recollection rather than familiarity. Unlike other psychedelics, ayahuasca did not increase false memories or alter participants' awareness of their own memory accuracy.

Researchers suspect this may be due to the high beta-carboline content in the brew, which has been linked to memory enhancement. Future studies will need to test these effects under controlled conditions, but for now, ayahuasca appears to strengthen memory without warping reality, which is an A-typical trait among psychoactive substances.

Join Us

FREE WORKSHOP | Synthesizing LSD with Willy Myco
March 30 | 1 PM PT

For decades, the synthesis of LSD has been shrouded in secrecy—gatekept by elite chemists, entangled in legal red tape, and steeped in underground lore. Even buying ONE ingredient can put you on a government watch list. 

Willy Myco pulled off the seemingly impossible. Traveling to a remote Pakistani lab, he risked everything to make the world’s first step-by-step video tutorial for synthesizing LSD.

Now, he’s coming to DoubleBlind to tell the full story. And it gets weird.

Join us for a free, no-holds-barred discussion with journalist Patrick Maravelias and mycologist, chemist, and psychedelic educator Willy Myco. 

🔥 This is one conversation you won’t want to miss.

 Free for DoubleBlind+ members (Not a member? Sign up for a free trial & get instant access.)

Join DB+ and Get the Workshop Free!

Learn with Us

💊 You’ve probably heard of candy flipping (MDMA + LSD), but have you heard of Nexus Flipping? Here’s what you need to know about this potent psychedelic combo

🗣️ Ready to have “the conversation” with your mom? Here’s how to talk to your loved ones about psychedelics

🕳️ If you haven’t actually been there, a K-hole can appear to turn someone into a catatonic zombie. But there’s more to it than that — good and bad. Get the full scoop in “WTF is a K-Hole?”

🍄Growing mushrooms in a city apartment presents a unique set of challenges for would-be fungi cultivators. If you’re looking to grow your own magical medicine, be sure to take a look at our mushroom Cultivation guide for City Dwellers.

DoubleBlind Supports

LEARN / DONATE: Mothers of the Mushroom asks the question most people in the psychedelic space are afraid to ask: 

How does psychedelic use affect mothers, before, during, and after pregnancy?

They are the best research for any moms who want clear, unbiased information about psychedelics and motherhood. Read real world stories from other moms, dig into the research, and explore their library of resources here. 

Or, if you’re inspired to support psychedelic education for mothers, you can https://www.gofundme.com/f/mothers-of-the-mushroom

At DoubleBlind, we believe in reciprocity—the idea that everything in the world is interconnected and that we have a responsibility to uplift a psychedelic ecosystem that centers equity, inclusivity, and healing for all. Through our work, we hope to help our community participate in this effort with us.

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Watch Now

A Conversation With One of Our Most Popular Journalists

Mattha Busby’s work has been featured in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Vice, The Independent, and (naturally) DoubleBlind. He’s one of our most popular journalists. Shelby sat down with him to pick his brain about Drug Policy, the evolution of psychedelic culture, the implications of state-sanctioned drug use, corporatization of the sacred, and a lot more. 

Watch the conversation here