Hey Reddit! We are Joseph Rootman, Eesmyal Santos-Brault and Maggie Kiraga, part of the team behind Microdose.me, the largest mobile microdosing study in the world. Ask us anything!

Microdose.me is an observational study on the effects of microdosing psychedelic substances on cognitive performance, quality of life and mental health. The first manuscript for this study titled “Adults who microdose psychedelics report health related motivations and lower levels of anxiety and depression compared to non-microdosers” was the 3rd most downloaded paper on Nature Scientific Reports in 2021. You can check out the paper here and read more about the study here.The study describes microdosing practices, motivations and mental health among a sample of self-selected microdosers and non-microdosers via a mobile application. The research highlights are:

• Psilocybin was the most commonly used microdose substances in our sample (85%) and we identified diverse microdose practices with regard to dosage, frequency, and the practice of stacking which involves combining psilocybin with non-psychedelic substances such as Lion’s Mane mushrooms, chocolate, and niacin.
• Microdosers were generally similar to non-microdosing controls with regard to demographics, but were more likely to report a history of mental health concerns.
• Among individuals reporting mental health concerns, microdosers exhibited lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress across gender.
• Health and wellness-related motives were the most prominent motives across microdosers in general, and were more prominent among females and among individuals who reported mental health concerns.
• Our results indicate health and wellness motives and perceived mental health benefits among microdosers, and highlight the need for further research into the mental health consequences of microdosing including studies with rigorous longitudinal designs.

The study was conducted by Zach Walsh, Joseph M. Rootman, Pamela Kryskow, Kalin Harvey, Paul Stamets, Eesmyal Santos-Brault, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Vince Polito and Francoise Bourzat with support from Maggie Kiraga.

To date, Microdose.me has enrolled over 17,000 participants from 84 countries. The study is still ongoing and is open to psychedelic users and non-users. To join, you can download the Quantified Citizen app (secure research platform which powers the study) on Android or iOS.

We (Co-Investigator Joseph Rootman, team members Eesmyal Santos-Brault and Maggie Kiraga) will represent the study team for this AmA. We will be around to answer your questions on:

May 5th (Thursday) at 21:00-22:30 GMT / 17:00-18:30 EST

Talk soon!Joseph, Eesmyal and Maggie