How to microdose psilocybin
Microdosing means taking a small amount of dried psilocybin mushroom, commonly 75mg to 250mg, on a fixed schedule with days off in between. The two schedules most people use are one day on and two days off, or four days on and three days off. Start at the low end, take it in the morning, and keep notes for two weeks before you change anything.
What counts as a microdose
A microdose is an amount small enough that your day carries on as normal. No visuals, no distraction, nothing that gets in the way of work or a conversation.
The range most commonly reported for dried psilocybin mushrooms runs from about 75mg to 250mg per dose. From around 300mg, most people feel it as more than subtle, and that is where macrodosing begins.
Those milligrams are dried mushroom, not pure psilocybin. Potency varies from grow to grow. Our recent grows tested between 1.3% and 1.8% total tryptamines, so a 125mg capsule carries roughly 1.6mg to 2.2mg. The lab reports page walks through that math for every product.
Where our doses sit
Mini Capsules (30mg) sit below the common range, for starting very low.
Clarity Lite (75mg), Clarity (125mg) and Mini Gummies (100mg) sit inside it.
Wavy (300mg) and Macro (450mg) sit above it.
The two common schedules
One day on, two off
Often called the Fadiman protocol, after the researcher James Fadiman, who popularised it in his 2011 book. You take a dose on day one, skip the next two days, and repeat. In practice that is a dose every third day, two or three times a week.
The off days give you a normal day to compare against.
Four days on, three off
Four dosing days in a row, then three off. It is often credited to the mycologist Paul Stamets, whose version pairs psilocybin with lion’s mane and niacin.
Plenty of people like the rhythm of weekdays on and weekends off.
Tolerance to psilocybin builds within a day or two of back to back doses, which is why every schedule includes days off. A common pattern is to run a schedule for four to eight weeks, then stop for two to four weeks before starting again.
Timing and your first two weeks
Most people take a microdose in the morning, with food, so any effect sits inside their waking hours. The directions on Clarity say one capsule every second or third morning.
For the first dose, pick a day with a familiar routine. You want an ordinary day to compare it against, with nothing important riding on it.
Give it one to two weeks before adjusting. Customers often describe the effect building over a few days of consistent use rather than arriving on day one. If you notice nothing after two weeks, step up a little. If you notice it too clearly, step down.
Keep short notes on dosing days and off days alike. Sleep, mood, energy and focus, one line each. That record is the most reliable way to tell what a dose is doing for you.
What subtle yet noticeable means
A well judged microdose sits just under the line of feeling anything like high. Customers describe it in small, ordinary terms. A steadier afternoon. Getting into a task more easily. A bit more patience with people.
Visual changes, giggles, a heavy body feeling or trouble concentrating mean the dose is above microdose range. Go lower next time.
Some people notice very little in the first few days. That is common, and it is the reason to track rather than guess.
What the research reports
Controlled research on microdosing is young and the results are mixed. A 2019 study that followed microdosers for six weeks reported small shifts in mood on dosing days, alongside an unexpected rise in neuroticism scores. Read the study summary.
A 2021 study in which participants blinded themselves with placebo capsules reported that microdosers’ wellbeing scores improved, and that the placebo group’s scores improved by a similar amount. Read the study summary. Expectation plays a real part, and it helps to know that going in.
Our research library holds 63 studies with the null results left in, including a section on microdosing.
Safety, and who should not microdose
Medication
Talk to your doctor first if you take any prescription medication. SSRIs and other antidepressants are the interaction people most often need to ask about.
Do not combine psilocybin with lithium. A 2021 analysis of online experience reports described seizures in a notable share of people who combined the two.
Skip it entirely if
You have a personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or you are under the legal age where you live.
If you have a heart condition or high blood pressure, speak to a doctor before you start.
On dosing days
Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how a dose affects you. Avoid mixing with alcohol or other substances while you are finding your dose.
Over the long run
A 2023 review raised a theoretical concern that frequent, long term dosing could affect heart valves, because of how psilocybin acts on the 5-HT2B serotonin receptor. It has not been shown in people. Regular breaks between cycles are a sensible precaution.
This page is general information, not medical advice.
Questions people ask
How much psilocybin is a microdose?
Commonly reported microdoses fall between about 75mg and 250mg of dried mushroom. Many people start between 75mg and 125mg and adjust after one to two weeks.
How often should you microdose?
The two most used schedules are one day on and two days off, and four days on and three days off. Both include days off because tolerance to psilocybin builds quickly.
How long until you notice anything?
Customers often describe the effect building over a few days of consistent use. Give a schedule one to two weeks before you change the dose.
Is it better to microdose in the morning or at night?
Most people take a microdose in the morning with food, so any effect sits inside their waking hours.
Can you microdose while taking antidepressants?
Talk to your doctor first. SSRIs and lithium are the main interactions to ask about, and psilocybin should not be combined with lithium.
Will a microdose make you trip?
No. A microdose is meant to stay subtle. Visual changes or trouble concentrating mean the dose is above microdose range, so go lower next time.
Do you need to take breaks from microdosing?
Yes. A common pattern is four to eight weeks on a schedule, then two to four weeks off.