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Expectation, Excitation, Subjectivity, Idiosyncrasy, Placebo, and the Psychedelic Micro-dosing Experiment
A systematic study of microdosing psychedelics: Taken together these findings paint an intriguing picture. We found clear changes in a small set of psychological variables: decreased depression and stress; decreased mind wandering; increased absorption; and increased neuroticism. Notably, these variables were not those that participants most expected to change. If the current findings were entirely due to expectation, then we should have seen changes in those variables that are most commonly discussed in media and online accounts of microdosing, and in those variables rated highest in Study Two. In fact several of the most commonly discussed effects of microdosing and the effects most expected to change (creativity, wellbeing, mindfulness) showed no evidence of alteration whatsoever. This suggests that the longer term changes we identified were unlikely to be due to expectation.
On the other hand, although we did identify clear short term changes following each microdose in the daily analyses, the longer term changes identified in Study One were unrelated to the total number of doses participants ingested during the study period and also unrelated to participants’ prior microdosing experiences. This surprising lack of a relationship between the overall quantity of microdoses and the degree of subjective effects is a reason to interpret these findings cautiously. At face value this suggests that any engagement with microdosing, whether a single dose or relatively frequent dosing, can impact the variables we identified. This may be the case, but it is also possible that participants’ self reports of dosage and frequency in this study were not precise enough to accurately characterise dose related effects.
Overall, these findings suggest several disconnects between the popular narrative around microdosing and the experience of microdosers in this sample. Participants in Study One microdosed less often than is recommended in most online protocols and did not report that many of the immediate effects of microdosing lasted beyond the day of dosing. Although popular accounts of microdosing describe sustained boosts in productivity and creativity [16–18], the longer term effects we identified mainly involved reduced mental distress and changes in constructs such as absorption and mind wandering that are not as commonly discussed. This suggests that microdosing may lead to more subtle changes characterised by improvements in mental stability, the capacity to sustain attention and increased ability to become engaged in intense imaginative experiences.
The most surprising finding was that neuroticism also appeared to increase following microdosing. This is not something that is discussed in popular accounts of microdosing and was not what participants expected in Study Two. This highlights an important and under discussed aspect of microdosing: not everyone has a positive experience. Although the majority of participants’ comments were positive (and even glowing), there were a subset of comments that reflected unease about microdosing (see Table 5). In a context of considerable hype around the practice of microdosing, particularly with regards to it’s potential as a business tool, it important to acknowledge that microdosing may not be universally beneficial. These findings highlight the need for further research into the full range of microdosing effects (positive and negative) and also for investigations into subtypes of individuals who may particularly benefit from or be adverse to the practice.
Strengths, limitations and future directions
This was very much a preliminary and exploratory study of microdosing, and there are clear limitations to the study design. This was a self reported observational study and as such, we relied on participants’ accuracy and honesty in their reports of doses and effects, and also on their continued responsiveness throughout the study period. Recruitment for this study occurred through online forums that were mainly very positive about the effects of microdosing. As such, these results may be affected by sampling bias, and may under represent individuals with negative or ambivalent experiences of microdosing. Furthermore, as might be expected in an observational study of individuals who are interested in psychedelics, there was some concurrent use of higher dose psychoactive substances and non psychedelic substances that may have had some influence on these results. A better design would certainly be to conduct an experimental study with controlled doses of known substances and a placebo comparison condition. The legal and bureaucratic limitations around psychedelic research make the approval process for such a study prohibitive. As an alternative, in implementing the current design we aimed to demonstrate that it is possible to investigate the effects of psychedelic substances in a systematic observational paradigm, using an automated and anonymous communication system.
It is clear from this research that there is a high level of popular interest in microdosing, that many people are engaged in this practice, and that there are strong expectations about the various effects that microdosing can have. The current findings suggest that popular accounts of the effects of microdosing may not match the experience of long term microdosers, and that promising avenues for future investigation are the impacts of microdosing on improved mental health, attentional capabilities, and neuroticism.
Further Reading
Psychedelics: The New Panacea – Just Like Cannabis, it will Fix Everything, Won’t it?
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Start smoking – lead to e-cigarette use! Start vaping – lead to smoking! #quit
Conclusion Our study replicated the positive relation between e-cigarette use and tobacco smoking in both directions for adolescents. This may mean that the gateway works in two directions, that e-cigarette and tobacco use share common risk factors, or that both mechanisms apply.
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A new study by Portland State University… found that the toxic gas known as ketene is released when cannabinoid acetates are heated under vaping conditions. Ketene was found previously by researchers studying vitamin E acetate in 2019 in the emissions from a commercial e-cigarette. This led to ketene's identification as a possible source of the vaping-induced lung injury outbreak that led to nearly 3,000 hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. as of February 2020. While ketene is known to be toxic to humans, Researchers said “it's too dangerous to study in order to fully understand its impact on the human body.”
The acetate group used in products, like Delta 8, make it easier to cross the blood-brain barrier, enhancing potency, Strongin said. The chemical reaction is similar to how morphine becomes heroin, he added. Strongin hopes to work with regulatory agencies to alert consumers and regulators about this finding.
The study provides results based on one puff, which showed not only that ketene formed at lower temperature settings than previously thought but at levels that are known to be dangerous to an individual's health.
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Although vaping is relatively new and studies are limited, some research suggests that it may worsen GERD symptoms. Nicotine and other chemicals in e-cigarettes may cause inflammation and affect the function of the valve that prevents stomach acid from rising into the esophagus. The authors suggest that vaping may cause mucosal injury, oxidative stress, and DNA damage. In addition, they note that the inconsistent regulation of e-cigarettes can result in people inhaling unknown chemicals and toxins.
What is the relationship between vaping and GERD? (medicalnewstoday.com)
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The importance of non-targeted testing to keep pace with a rapidly evolving synthetic opioid market.
The synthetic opioid market…is constantly evolving. Once a new substance is identified, it may only be prevalent for three to six months before it’s replaced by something new and yet to be identified by forensic laboratories.
For example, over one weekend in July 2018, Philadelphia-area hospitals experienced a surge of more than 100 patients with suspected opioid overdoses. Following the administration of naloxone, patients would become combative – an unusual reaction for an opioid overdose.
To help local public health and public safety agencies identify what was causing this troubling trend, the NPS Discovery drug early warning system at the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) acquired a sample of “Santa Muerte,” the drug linked to the large number of overdoses. Advanced mass spectrometry analysis found within the sample a combination of fentanyl, heroin, and a synthetic cannabinoid – a combination not often seen in the region. Given the unique side effects that overdose patients were experiencing, it was thought this may be a synthetic drug combination worth tracking closely.
However, substances containing fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids did not last long and were only a fraction of the whole drug supply in the region. After about six to nine months following the July overdoses involving “Santa Muerte,” these substances were largely replaced by new synthetic drug products, primarily fentanyl cut with xylazine.
For complete article Novel Psychoactive Substances and a Stronger Path Forward | National Institute of Justice (ojp.gov)