Microdosing, Hero Dosing, Flood Dosing - Oh My!

We’re hearing more and more about dosing these days. Yes, dosage is a key component of effective psychedelic therapy, but what’s with all the dosing nomenclature lately?

As psychedelic therapies become more studied and socially acceptable, dosing has become a hot topic. How much, or little, is the right amount? And what exactly counts as a hero dose?  Should you even bother with microdosing psychedelics? 

Let’s take a closer look!

*Quick Disclaimer: At the moment, dosing is largely undefined. There isn’t a set dosage that determines what falls into the various categories. Furthermore, the dosage amount varies depending on what medication you’re using and the person. Body weight, past use of psychedelics and more all influence how a dose will hit someone.

So moving forward, understand that dosing psychedelics isn’t an exact science yet, which is something researchers are currently working on. 

What to Know About Microdosing

This is the one people are most familiar with thanks to uber billionaire entrepreneurs that swear by microdosing, well, anything it seems like. In particular shrooms/psilocybin, LSD, ketamine - like we said, anything. 

The medical criteria for microdosing is a dose that's sub-perceptual. This means you’re not perceiving the effects of psychedelics or the effects are very subtle. However, it could have an impact on cognition - the jury is still out.

Math time! A microdose is usually anything from 1/5 to 1/20 of a normal dose in which you will feel the hallucinogenic effects.

Just a few years ago, Harvard published an article noting that there’s no known or definitive benefit associated with microdosing psychedelic medications. There’s also concern with people building up a tolerance by microdosing, which would then necessitate higher doses for the sae effects. 

BUT - all this is based on what has been studied explicitly. Some psychedelic therapists use microdosing as a way to prepare a patient for a full blown psychedelic therapy session. In this situation a benefit can be seen. If nothing else, it should put patients who are new to psychedelics at ease so that they can relax into the experience and get more out of it. And remember, there could be cognitive benefits.

What to Know About Hero Dosing

Hero dosing, also called macrodosing or a heroic dose, is most often used for psilocybin therapy, but it can really apply to many different psychedelics - although it is not recommended for safety reasons in most cases. Basically, a hero dose is a big dose. 

Hero dosing can hit hard, so patients have to be prepared for that. But as scary as it may sound, microdosing psilocybin has been seen to be beneficial in curbing anxiety and creating a more impactful experience. It’s thought that hero dosing can be a benefit when a person isn’t going to do multiple sessions. Basically, you do a big dose once in place of a series of smaller doses. 

It’s believed that a heroic dose really challenges the mind and can create a transformative experience that almost forces change. Studies seem to back that up. Treatments with around 25mg appear to have a profound impact. 

What’s considered a hero dose? Again, this isn’t an exact measurement. A hero dose is essentially anything more than a normal dose. Many psychedelic therapists consider 5 grams of dried psilocybin or 25-40 mg of pure psilocybin to be a heroic dose.

What to Know About Flood Dosing

Flood dosing is a term used in iboga and ibogaine treatment for addiction, trauma and other mental health conditions. It’s a lot like it sounds. A flood dose is a large dose of a medication that kind of flushes the system. (I guess toilet dosing didn’t sound as good as flood dosing.)

Flood dosing is the exact opposite of microdosing. If you’re looking for a metric, a flood dose is 20+mg/kg ibogaine. 

Flood dosing definitely isn’t for everyone. And it’s something that should only be done under the supervision of a physician or experienced psychedelic therapist. There are a growing number of clinics that cater to ibogaine flood dosing, despite the fact the effects can last up to 12 hours. And it's really best if the patient is there for a bit longer for monitoring.

Dosing Irregularity is One Reason Why You Want to Work With Psychedelic Therapists and Psychedelic Therapy Clinics 

Health experts stress that the irregularity in dosing is one huge reason why people shouldn’t try to do psychedelic therapy on their own. It’s hard to know for sure how much of a psychedelic medication you’re taking when the source isn’t super reliable or regulated. 

Psychedelic therapy clinics are going to be the best solution if you are concerned about dosage levels. The medication is administered by a professional in a medical setting so everything is controlled.

If you’d like to know more about dosing, talk with a psychedelic therapist in your area. They are an excellent resource for what’s appropriate for your exact needs.