Lack of regulation raises concerns amid growing popularity of microdosing psychedelic drugs

Karen Friery said her traumas began in childhood. They began with family problems, then an early marriage that led to a difficult divorce, a stressful job in biotechnology and several health problems. She suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.

“Of course, I tried to find ways to address them by taking antidepressants and taking many different antidepressants,” she said.

She added that some medications worked initially but lost their effectiveness over time.

In 2019, Friery, a 57-year-old who lives in Carlsbad, said she had a seizure after taking antidepressants, which is when she decided to seek alternative treatments.

“I really wanted to get off of prescription drugs. So I started reading a lot about clinical trials with psychedelic drugs, ketamine, LSD and of course psilocybin,” Friery said.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms are illegal at the federal level, but in California you can buy them in person or online.

The latest state action to legalize psychedelic substances Senate Bill No. 1012which aimed to legalize therapy assisted by psychedelic substances ended in failure.

AND test Google searches related to microdosing have increased by 1,250% from 2015 to 2023, surpassing 3 million last year, according to researchers at UC San Diego. The report found that the increase is consistent with recent legal changes allowing the use of psychedelic drugs in therapy and recreational marijuana.

Dr. Kevin YangOne researcher said psychedelic substances are becoming increasingly popular both in society as alternative medicine and in clinical trials.

“There’s been some really good clinical research so far, research showing that this is useful in treating conditions like depression, PTSD, substance use disorders,” he said.

However, he still advises consumers to exercise caution.

“It’s hard to say whether microdosing really works or not. Some studies have shown that it does. Others have shown that it doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean that there are probably a lot of people who are doing it and definitely getting benefits from it,” Yang said.

Yang said you can’t always trust labels, especially when buying from vape shops or online.

“A lot of these things they sell are not actually psilocybin mushrooms that are used in clinical trials. There is a mushroom called Amanita muscaria,” Yang said.

He added that some doses of the Amanita muscaria mushroom can be poisonous.

As of Monday, nearly 50 cases in two dozen states have been linked to sweets made with the Amanita muscaria mushroom, According to to the Food and Drug Administration.

Yang said if people want to consume these substances, they should do their research.

“Whether it’s their doctor, their therapist, or someone who’s trained and knows the evidence and the clinical basis,” he said.

Friery said she is cautious about what she buys. She spoke with microdosing consultant who developed a dosing plan and provided ongoing support.

“It just started happening, like, immediately. I couldn’t believe it,” Friery said. “I wasn’t drunk, you know, I wasn’t impaired.”

She followed the protocol for about nine months, taking two pills or gummies a day. She created her own ritual, lighting candles, drinking tea, and writing in a journal.

“I’m not saying it’s a magic cure. It just cured everything,” she said. “Feeling like some of those issues were alleviated a little bit made the day a little more bearable.”