The improvements in well-being and life satisfaction that microdose psychedelics entail can be nothing more than the placebo effect, according to the largest study in practice.
The trend toward microdose of LSD or psilocybin emerged in Silicon Valley a few years ago and has spread around the world with advocates reporting greater well-being, creativity, and overall cognitive performance.
But with a wealth of evidence on anecdotal microdose, scientists have not been clear whether taking small regular doses of substances really achieves the impulses professionals claim. Drug illegality has not helped to find answers.
For more information, researchers at Imperial College London recruited 191 members of the public, who were already microdosing 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 did microdoses for several weeks reported less anxiety, better mood, and better creativity, so did those taking the placebo.
“Our findings confirmed some of the beneficial psychological effects of microdosification from anecdotal reports and observational studies, such as a better sense of well-being and life satisfaction,” said Balázs Szigeti, lead author and associate researcher. at the Imperial Psychedelic Research Center.
“But we see the same improvements among participants taking placebo. This suggests that the improvements may not be due to the pharmacological action of the drug, but may be explained by the placebo effect. “
The researchers recruited people who were already microdosing with LSD and who could participate online. Volunteers followed instructions to prepare gel capsules containing a low dose of LSD, estimated at about 13 μg, or a placebo. They then followed the instructions to confuse the capsules so that they did not know which one they took when.
The researchers used barcodes that, when scanned, were recorded when each participant took a placebo or a microdose of the psychedelic drug. Throughout the four-week study, volunteers completed surveys on how they felt and conducted a series of online cognitive tests.
Typically, trial participants reported an increase in psychological well-being and creativity within hours of taking a microdose, but those who took placebo capsules reported similar effects, with no statistical differences between the two. groups. The findings, published in eLife, suggest that the expectation of taking a small dose of the drug was as good as taking the same drug.
While scientists believe the results are valid, they admit the study is not as robust as a standard laboratory-based, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Since participants obtained their own medications, it is impossible to be sure what doses they each ingested, and many of the participants were probably familiar enough with the effects of the drug to guess whether they had taken a microdose of LSD or a placebo capsule.
But the success of such a cheap trial has spurred scientists. The idea of recruiting members of the public and making them “self-blind” for online testing could now become a valuable tool in other areas of medicine, for example, to evaluate the benefits of cannabis products that contain the active ingredient. cannabidiol.
“Considering the placebo effect is important when evaluating trends such as the use of cannabidiol oils, fad diets or supplements where social pressure or user expectations may elicit a strong placebo response,” he said. said David Erritzoe, lead author and clinical professor of psychiatry at Imperial. “Self-blinding citizen science initiatives could be used as a cheap initial screening tool before launching costly clinical studies.”