TL;DR: I’ve microdosed with psilocybin for six months. Here’s how it’s going, a Q&A with my social media followers, and an exclusive discount for ordering magic mushrooms products online (yes, really).
It’s not legal, it’s not formally approved for medical use, and it’s riddled with controversy, but I’ve been taking magic mushrooms every workday for six months.
Okay, fine.
To put it a little less salaciously, I’ve been taking a measured, consistent, low dose of mushrooms every weekday for six months to treat my troop* of mental illnesses. And the truth is, I’ve never felt better.
Did you know that a collection of mushrooms is called a “troop?” I didn’t until I just Googled it for this very reason. We learn a lot around here.
This was far from a random decision on my part, though I do my fair share of those. It’s not the complete picture as to why I decided to add shrooms to my daily vitamin intake, but the ongoing ADHD medication shortage right now is truly abysmal.
Even if I wanted to stay on Adderall (more on that later), the reliability of procuring those little pills has been challenging for (emphasis on plural) years now. So what’s the alternative?
A micro intro to Psilocybin
The world of mental health research is increasingly interested in the potential of psilocybin — a natural compound derived from certain mushrooms — as a therapeutic tool for all sorts of conditions.
Because the government and Big Pharma are evil and dumb and bad, you probably have some unjustified level of negative association with hallucinogens. Maybe you’ve seen headlines about mushrooms treating depression, but they seem exaggerated for clicks. But here’s the thing: we don’t know how a lot of drugs work.
With dozens of depression medications on the market and despite millions of Americans taking them every day, we don’t really know why antidepressants work. More broadly, we don’t know why most medical treatments work.
“Pick your poison,” one might say.
From pharmaceuticals to cannabis, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, we all take a ton of substances with supposed benefits and side effects without really knowing why they do what they do, especially long-term. In some cases, we do know their impacts and choose to pretend not to. For me, psilocybin fits neatly into the category of tea, cannabis, and herbal supplements.
Ultimately, if it helps you, it helps you.
In this article, though, I figured I’d share some personal insights on microdosing, ADHD, where I’ve procured my psilocybin capsules, and a unique discount code for my readers.
Adderall vs. Psilocybin for treating ADHD
What can psilocybin help with? ADHD affects us all in a variety of ways, but a few common symptoms it can help with include distractibility, emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity, impulsivity, irritability, and restlessness.
In one study, 70% of participants preferred shrooms over conventional ADHD medications, and there are ongoing clinical studies as to this application of the drug (as well as LSD, DMT, and MDMA for other conditions).
There are risks, unpredictable experiences, and even the potential for “bad trips” to keep in mind. But Adderall can elevate your heart rate, dehydrate you, increase anxiety levels, and decrease libido. All no good, very bad things!
Generally, the symptoms are fewer. Some even have worse ADHD symptoms on Adderall than they do without any treatment, or the negatives outweigh the positives in some way.
For me, Adderall often felt like that meme of the alert skeleton with an elevated heart rate. When I got out of that cycle, I realized what I was supposed to feel like and that it doesn’t have to be that rough just to get by with work and other daily tasks.
If I’m focused but also a dried-up husk of a being, what’s the point?
I already wrote about all that for Inflow, so check it out if you want more context on the studies, science, and medical perspectives behind psilocybin and ADHD.
Your brain on shrooms: Can microdosing psilocybin help ADHD?
Morel of the story: Psychedelics’ trip down research-lane is only just beginning.
Why not both?
A recent study found potential benefits in “stacking” conventional ADHD meds and microdosing. Researchers observed no shift in personality traits, like agreeableness and openness, in these participants. Does this call into question the broader influence microdosing has on people with ADHD?
They also noted changes in mindfulness and neuroticism, more closely resembling the average population. After four weeks, microdosing seemed to “balance the scales” regardless of whether they took other pharmaceuticals.
These findings hint at a potential dual-treatment approach with existing medications tailored to the individual.
My microdosing experience
Lately, my diagnoses and personal discoveries with ADHD and autism have inspired lengthy research sessions and checking books off my reading list.
Between Michael Pollan’s This Is Your Mind on Plants and How to Change Your Mind to the great resources at Tripsitter, I started to connect the dots between microdosing and quality of life improvements with psychedelics as a neurodivergent person.
I’ve recreationally tripped on mushrooms with a standard dose that resulted in all sorts of wild effects that are not conducive to daily use. This experience taught me as much about myself as did piles of books and therapy, but it is not compatible with, you know, maintaining a job or being a functional person.
It’s hard to quantify the changes from microdosing psilocybin, as many effects have long-term influence. Even when taken in higher doses and with the intent to “trip,” the subsequent results could range from immediate, dramatic changes to more subtle adjustments to your day-to-day over time.
That’s the challenging and most alluring side of this drug to me. The potential is immense, yet we know so little beyond the brain-rewiring, perspective-shifting, mind-altering effects it tends to have.
How microdosing psilocybin may help you
People tend to observe increased energy, creativity, and focus on mushrooms. It can also help with mood stabilization, stress relief, and problem-solving. It can even help with relationships, cognitive flexibility, and a general heightened sense of awareness across all areas of life.
It’s important to consider that many of the “approved” or recommended (albeit limited) treatment options with psilocybin are guided trips and experiences in alignment with a therapist or other medical professional, like psychedelic-assisted therapy. These sessions facilitate positive reintegration experiences for macrodosing and a broader treatment plan for microdosing.
A journey of a thousand good days begins with a single dose… or something like that.
The cumulative effect or the tipping dominoes visual is the best way to describe the past six months. Think of it like a small change that triggers a sequence of effects, each causing the next, leading to a significant outcome.
You know how if you sleep well one night, you may make better choices throughout the next day? You might eat healthier or be more active. Your next sleep is even better when night comes, and the next set of positive effects follows.
Of course, there’s cumulative stress and cumulative effects of substances that damage your body and mind. There are also random freak accidents and the non-zero chance of getting hit by an actual bus. But I’ve found that my social anxiety, inability to focus, and all sorts of other stressors usually benefit from having a bit of a reset, a cumulative effect building in the other direction.
Psilocybin initiates a positive chain reaction that enhances my overall well-being, promoting positive experiences and improvements. It’s not about immediate perfection but gradual, compounding progress.
In ADHD terms (and to revisit the dominoes visual), it kinda felt like it enabled me to push the first domino over each day so that all the others could follow. And sometimes that’s all the difference for ADHDers.
Magic mushrooms changed my mind, and that’s how I found my focus.
11 Guides for Making Life with ADHD a Little Easier
Tips AND tricks? In THIS economy?!
How it feels
I feel fuckin’ great. Really.
To get a full picture of where I’m at with things, I’ll share that life has improved for several reasons. Taking better care of myself and learning a lot about AuDHD life are big factors. Resolving some ongoing perils of living under late-stage Capitalism has also helped.
Microdosing, though, has been an undeniable influence. If everything else I did in life was a pair of pants, psilocybin is the sock lube that helps put on the pants.
I can’t take credit for the pants lube reference, but you know what they say: if the sock fits, wear it.
Lately, I am far more comfortable being present without distractions. I’m noticing things. I can sit and watch my dog play and just smile to myself. I’m noticing every little growth on my many plants. I take time to smell the air and see the sky and feel the sun.
It’s hard to explain, but everything feels easier. It’s easier not to go into a complete autistic meltdown over stressors, to sit and focus. It’s easier to be creative and avoid taking feedback personally. It’s easier to deal with life stuff, good or bad.
How I started microdosing
Where did I get my mushrooms? It wasn’t a talking cat, a mad scientist, or a pizza delivery guy. (Is now a good time to make a callback to “dominoes”?)
I ordered my microdoses online and didn’t even have to venture into the dark web. (Really though, they’re a rather clean and sophisticated brand.) I learned about Schedule35 (the brand, duh) early this year, probably on an episode of Wisecrack. #ShoutOut
From there, it took a bit of research before trusting my credit card info and the mostly functional nature of my brain to this site’s products, but so far, I’m alive and writing, no credit card fraud to be seen.
I even contacted those wonderful people, who agreed to offer my readers a special discount. How nice, right?!
Use code DYLAN15 for 15% off all orders of Schedule35’s psilocybin microdoses and other products.
You could certainly grow and process shrooms yourself. You could even cut all that out and buy actual shrooms. But with that comes volatility. There are over 100 strains of magic mushrooms, resulting in inconsistency in quality and dose and a lot of other unknowns. That’s why I like the little capsule guys that fit into my pill organizer with other meds and vitamins.
Schedule35 also has some great resources for you, including a guide for when and how to take your doses and how to consider your off days.
Magic Mushrooms Marketplace – Schedule35
Schedule35 is the number one shop for premium magic mushroom and psilocybe cubensis microdose products.
A microdose of Q&A
A while back, I asked my Instagram and Bluesky followers what they wanted to know about my experience microdosing psilocybin. These are some of those questions and my answers.
Isn’t psilocybin illegal?
I live in Seattle, where psychedelics, including psilocybin, were recently decriminalized. Though this does not necessarily mean “legal,” it does add to the growing list of local and state governments that have started to evolve ever so slowly in this area.
Does microdosing work?
For me, yes! It depends on what you mean by “work” and what you expect from them. Because the effects are so subjective, it’s difficult to make conclusive statements on microdosing for ADHD (or anything, for that matter).
Psilocybin and other psychedelics are marred by wasted potential, famously blocked by legal and logistical challenges that make even the most basic studies difficult, let alone clinical trials or widespread adoption in formal treatment environments.
How’s microdosing helping your anxiety?
Immensely. I didn’t necessarily anticipate this part, but it has probably been the most prominent effect of microdosing. I feel balanced in a way that therapy, pharmaceuticals, and manifesting positive vibes never accomplished.
Was the start and end of the “micro trip” noticeable?
Not really. On the first day or two, I felt a noticeably elevated mood and creative energy shortly after taking them (around thirty minutes to an hour).
This shouldn’t happen much at these doses, especially after consistent use. The “end” of the trip was even less noticeable, if at all. Refer back to “cumulative effect” for context here.
Daily function? Are you able to do things around the house? I’m 57 and curious.
I am not 57 yet, but I am more able to do things around the house, with work, all of it. I haven’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m tempted to attribute this to feeling better overall and thus having an easier time getting started on tasks I need to do.
This is a good time to emphasize how little this experience resembles full-on tripping. At these low doses, I’m not hallucinating as I clean the bathroom or do dishes.
Are you keeping a journal to track your microdosing experience?
Sort of! I recapped much of this experience with my boyfriend in text messages and otherwise jotted down some notes to help me write this article.
Sometimes, it’s about what isn’t happening that really makes all the difference. A journal would be more interesting to read when documenting those “woah, dude” moments, anyway.
Will microdosing make my ass fatter?
Probably not, but I’ll report back with any developments.
(Yes, I got this question.)
10 (More) Guides for Making Life With ADHD a Little Easier
Cannabis, Duolingo, hyperfocus, energy drinks, microdosing psilocybin, ESAs, and other topics from a neurodivergent…
Disclaimer
I am not qualified, licensed, or empowered to give medical, legal, or otherwise consequential advice regarding psychedelics. I technically don’t even have formal credentials or a degree to be a writer.
Find out your local regulations, talk to a mental health professional, and do your due diligence if you’re interested in trying psilocybin, whether for fun or because you believe it may benefit your health.
Please don’t send me threatening emails saying I broke your brain or got you in trouble with the law. While my experience has been great thus far, nothing is preventing my little experiment from going off the rails.