How to Microdose Mushrooms and Does It Help Anxiety and Depression?

Anxiety and depression difference: People with a generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD) display excessive Anxiety or worry, most days for at least 6 months, about many things such as personal health, work, social interactions, and everyday routine life circumstances. Fear and Anxiety can cause significant problems in areas of their life, such as social interactions, school, and work. 

• Bipolar disorder: is different from Depression, but it is included in this list because someone with bipolar disorder experiences episodes of extremely low moods that meet the criteria for major Depression (called “Bipolar Depression”). But a person with bipolar disorder also experiences extreme high – euphoric or irritable – moods called “mania” or a less severe form called “hypomania.”
• Postpartum Depression: is much more serious than the “baby blues” (relatively mild depressive and anxiety symptoms that typically clear within two weeks after delivery) that many women experience after giving birth. Women with postpartum Depression experience full-blown major Depression during pregnancy or after delivery (postpartum depression). The feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that accompany postpartum depression may make it difficult for these new mothers to complete daily care activities for themselves and/or their babies.
• Seasonal affective disorder: is characterized by the onset of Depression during the winter months, when there is less natural sunlight. This Depression generally lifts during spring and summer. Winter Depression, typically accompanied by social withdrawal, increased sleep, and weight gain, predictably returns every year in seasonal affective disorder.
• SAD Seasonal Depression (Depressed SAD): A form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is triggered by the changing of the seasons; it starts and ends about at the same periods each year. If you have SAD like the majority of people do, your symptoms begin in the fall and last through the winter, draining your energy and making you cranky. Typically, these symptoms go away in the spring and summer. SAD less frequently results in depression in the spring or early summer and clears up in the fall or winter.
  SAD treatment options include medications, psychotherapy, and light therapy (phototherapy).

Depression and Anxiety Statistics

It’s critical to understand the distinction between anxiety and depression. Anxiety, in its most basic form, is an excessive feeling of worry, whereas depression, in its most basic form, is an excessive feeling of worthlessness and hopelessness. It is conceivable for someone to experience depression and anxiety simultaneously.

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Microdosing Mushrooms: How to Microdose Mushrooms for Anxiety and Depression?

Benefits of Microdosing Mushrooms

Microdose Mushrooms: Mental health benefits 

When it comes to psychedelics, microdosing is taking drugs in doses that are insufficient to have an adverse effect on daily life. Depending on the dosage, it could be taken three to five times each week.

According to the 2021 Global Drug Survey (GDS), 1 in 4 psychedelic users reported microdosing on LSD or psilocybin mushrooms within the previous year. The poll also discovered that around one-third of those who used psychedelics microdose another psychedelic substance, despite the fact that these two chemicals are the most frequently used for microdosing.

A challenge for this kind of research, according to Dustin Hines, Ph.D., assistant professor of neuroscience in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is precisely defining the size of that dose. Despite the fact that most people perceive a microdose as being extremely small.

How often to microdose mushrooms? He said that the right microdose may vary from person to person and situation to situation. “When determining a microdose, people are trying to have normal cognitive functioning — they can still carry out their work obligations or other responsibilities without feeling a detrimental influence,” he said.

Participants performed many moods and mental health assessments as part of the new study, reporting their recent use of microdosing psychedelic mushrooms and noting a variety of changes.

Microdosing Magic Mushrooms: Possible Psychomotor Benefits

Researchers used a smartphone finger-tapping test to measure psychomotor symptoms of neurodegenerative illnesses like Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis in addition to examining mental health effects.

This tapping test was used to assess improvements in psychomotor performance in individuals 55 years of age or older who microdose mushrooms. The effects of “stacking,” or mixing psilocybin and a non-psychedelic substance, were also examined by researchers.

The researchers discovered that combining psilocybin with lion’s mane, a non-psychedelic fungus, and niacin, a B vitamin, had no impact on the changes in mood or mental health. However, the psychomotor performance of older people who microdose mushrooms and coupled psilocybin with both of these drugs were more likely to be enhanced.

Mushroom Microdose: Positive Results, But Research is Observational

A portion of participants from a bigger, earlier study by the same researchers, which was published in November 2021 in Nature-Scientific ReportsTrusted Source, were utilized in the new study.

In a previous study, it was discovered that those who microdose either psilocybin (microdose mushrooms) or LSD experienced reduced levels of anxiety, depression, and stress than those who did not.

In addition, a smaller 2019 study discovered that those who used modest amounts of psychedelics experienced fewer depressive and stressful symptoms as well as less distractibility. Non-microdosers were not used in this study as a control group, nevertheless.

It’s also crucial to keep in mind that, although being the largest study of its sort to date, the new one is still observational rather than a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Because of this, it was difficult for researchers to adequately control for variables including age, gender, baseline mental health, and type of treatment that might have an impact on the results.

These kinds of variables might also have an impact on how each person reacts differently to psilocybin.

“Who enters these trials is one factor that varies greatly. Some people can handle depression well but struggle greatly with anxiety, and vice versa, according to Hines. Therefore, a microdose may have a completely different impact on someone with high levels of anxiety compared to someone with high levels of depression.

Microdose Mushroom: More Rigorous Research Needed

Due to the fact that psilocybin, LSD, and other psychedelics are now prohibited in the United States by federal law, conducting psychedelic research has historically been difficult.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently given psychedelics “breakthrough therapy” status and is currently promoting the scientific study, despite the fact that previous clinical trials on psychedelics have been contested in the past.

And despite the fact that psychedelic medications like psilocybin may have therapeutic value, the negative risks are not fully known, necessitating further thorough investigation.

Long-term usage of psilocybin mushrooms raises the possibility of heart valvulopathy or valve damage. Psilocybin, when consumed, is broken down by the liver into the pharmacological substance psilocin, which binds to serotonin receptors in the heart.

According to Rochelle Hines, these kinds of possible concerns need to be thoroughly examined over an extended period of time in order to fully determine the dangers and advantages of microdosing psilocybin.

“It appears like psilocybin might not offer too much hazard in that aspect for infrequent use,” she said. But I’m not sure that we have a lot of longitudinal data looking at regular chronic users to determine what the possible impact of this substance on the heart is.

Microdosing Mushroom: Stigma Around Psychedelics

Dustin Hines noted that while he is happy with the new study’s methodology and findings, he is also struck by the fact that scientists still need to persuade the public that some psychedelic substances have positive effects. He claimed that although psilocybin and LSD have a low risk of addiction, especially when compared to legal narcotics like tobacco and alcohol, psychedelics nonetheless suffer from a bad reputation.

According to Sherry Walling, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist with a license and the host of the podcast Mind Curious, which examines the advantages of psychedelics for mental health, “they are not particularly unsafe drugs to microdose.” “Overdose and addiction risk profiles are quite low.”

Since psilocybin is thought to have very low toxicity, psilocybin-related deaths are actually quite uncommon. As a result, scientists are looking at psychedelics as potential treatments. Source to Trust for Substance Use Disorders. Walling said, “There’s a really nuanced story here about how substances can be harmful to us, but they can also be extraordinarily healing.

Magic Mushrooms Microdose: How to Microdose Mushrooms for Migraines?

A two-beer buzz is frequently used to describe the felt effects of the tiny doses of psychedelics used to treat cluster headaches. However, they still have a much smaller impact than the results of a recreational dose. Fewer side effects than those associated with their prescribed medications may also be experienced by patients. A dose for clusters may provide the patient with slightly brighter blue skies for a few hours after taking it.

There is no question that psychedelics can treat cluster headaches. However, there is one drawback: in order to get help, patients must break the law. Research into psychedelic remedies for cluster headaches is hindered by regulations because of the legal status of psychedelic drugs. Nevertheless, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) appears to be moving in the opposite direction of legalization, proposing to add five new psychedelic molecules to Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act on January 14, 2022, despite the evidence that psychedelics may be able to treat cluster headaches and a variety of other untreatable medical conditions.

How to Microdose Mushrooms for Fibromyalgia 

Fibromyalgia’s mystery is being dispelled by new research, which is beginning to suggest that it is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder. Psilocybin for fibromyalgia pain control might be a potent weapon in your management toolbox. Psilocybin is one of the incredibly few medications with the capacity to reduce neuroinflammation, a condition that is exceedingly difficult to treat.

The medical profession has a history of mistreating and demonizing the fibromyalgia population. It is a relief to get concrete evidence that the disease is not just “genuine,” but also obviously visible on testing.

Sadly, recognizing your enemy does not mean the battle is over. Neuroinflammation, the inflammation linked to fibromyalgia, is resistant to our existing autoimmune therapies.

We Level Up Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The exact definition of dual diagnosis (also referred to as co-occurring disorders) can differ between institutions.  However, it is generally described as the specific treatment of someone who has been diagnosed with a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time.

Treating dual-diagnosis clients is a critical aspect of our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders are strongly correlated with instances of substance abuse. Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of withdrawal, the psychological connection with drug use, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success. 

A thorough mental health analysis identifies possibilities for treatment.  Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment.

At our dual diagnosis treatment center, We Level Up can implement the highest quality of care. We recognize the fragile complexities of how mental and substance abuse disorders can influence others and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction.  That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual-diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

It can be challenging to accept that you may be living with a mental illness, but once it is properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of substance abuse can be magnitudes easier. Only a properly trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions.  If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to seek a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery. Call We Level Up today.