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Are you considering microdosing mushrooms to treat your PTSD symptoms? The use of psychedelics for mental wellness is on the rise, with recent studies suggesting that psychedelics may have therapeutic potential for mental health, including mushrooms and ptsd.

If you are seeking more information about microdosing mushrooms for PTSD, Nue Life is here to tell you everything you need to know. Here is what you can expect from microdosing mushrooms.

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What Is Microdosing?

The concept of microdosing has been in development and psychedelic research for the past ten or so years. It is the process of administering a new chemical entity (NCE) that is being studied for potential drug use and development and measuring pharmacokinetic (PK) studies that use very small doses of the drug for its effects. 

Drugs typically have to go through a series of tests, regulations, and toxicology studies at regular dosages before they can be approved for Phase 1 trials.

How Does Microdosing Differ from Conventional Use?

Microdosing differs from conventional use mainly in terms of the size of the dose; it’s almost as simple as that. According to standardized guidelines, the typical dose for a microdosing study should be about one percent of the standard pharmacological dose. That gives you an idea of how small these doses of psilocybin are. 

Since there are few preliminary studies, microdosing studies can be easily approved. While this can be great for advancing certain medicines, it can also be dangerous for those participating in the studies.

Are Mushrooms a Psychedelic?

While not every varietal of mushrooms is hallucinogenic, there are still 190 known species of psychedelic mushrooms (shrooms). The element that makes these mushrooms hallucinogenic is the psilocybin within them. Mushrooms like this grow in tropical regions of the United States, Mexico, and South America. 

For new or high-dose users, the effects of psychedelic mushrooms can be intense. When you consume a typical dose, you will experience distorted reality, hallucinations, and an altered perception of time. People typically take them orally, either fresh, dried, or in a tea.

Can Mushrooms Help With PTSD?

While many abuse mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, several people have found the psychedelic effects of psilocybin therapy to be helpful for certain mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). 

For quite some time, doctors have prescribed antidepressants for patients struggling with the never-ending effects of PTSD. For many, these drugs do more harm than good. Over the years, antidepressants have proven unfruitful for many who struggle with PTSD and can even cause unbearable side effects. 

For this reason, many have turned to microdosing psychedelic drugs like psilocybin mushrooms. This is known as psychedelic therapy. Some forms of psychedelic therapy, like ketamine therapy offered by Nue Life, are FDA-approved. However, psychedelic mushroom therapy is not yet FDA-approved and thus can have some safety concerns.

Does Microdosing Mushrooms Have Side Effects?

Microdosing mushrooms is not an approved form of treatment for any mental illness. So, while many have done it, there are still risks and unknowns about the side effects that could occur. These side effects mainly revolve around the regulation of dose and the environment surrounding the consumption of the hallucinogenic drug.

What Does Microdosing Mushrooms Feel Like?

For some people, microdosing mushrooms may relieve some of their mental illness symptoms. The psychedelic effects can be incredibly mild if done correctly, leaving the user feeling relaxed with an increased sense of creativity. 

This calming nature is what draws many to this type of treatment. However, if microdosing is not done correctly, it could cause a negative trip that has long-lasting effects.

What Risks Are Associated With Microdosing?

Since microdosing is not a fully regulated medical treatment, it can come with many risks. Here are just a few:

Since magic mushrooms are not an FDA-approved medication for any mental illness symptoms, there are less-strict regulations on the drugs that people use. This means that while it is a relatively natural drug, there could be harmful substances added to them depending on where the drug is coming from.

If you are taking it upon yourself to microdose mushrooms, you should be careful when choosing your dose. Microdosing generally calls for about 1/100th of a pharmacological dose, but this can be difficult to judge. If you are not quite sure what this dose should look like, you could end up taking way more than you intended to.

Taking more than a mushroom microdose can lead to serious negative effects. Too much of any hallucinogenic can cause intense hallucinations, alterations of reality, nervousness and anxiety, and experiences with sounds and colors that make you uneasy. 

This is called a bad trip — for some, the effects of a bad trip dissipate as the drug wears off. For others, the experience could have a long-lasting psychological effect that may be difficult to recover from fully.

Is There a Safer Alternative to Microdosing Mushrooms?

If you are looking for relief from the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders without taking antidepressants. You may have read this hoping that the right alternative would be to microdose mushrooms for PTSD. 

Unfortunately, for most people, the risk of this method is too high. Thankfully, ketamine therapy can be a safer way to experience the relief you are looking for in a controlled healthcare environment.

What Is Ketamine Therapy?

Ketamine was originally FDA-approved as an anesthetic drug. Its dissociative properties made it the go-to high-dose solution for soldiers and surgeons throughout the years. Since then, clinical research has proven that much smaller doses of ketamine, taken in regulated intervals, can produce much-needed relief for many different types of mental health symptoms. 

The best part is that it is becoming a widely accepted form of psychedelic treatment and can be safely taken under the direction of medical professionals and clinicians. Here is a little more on how it works to support your mental wellbeing.

How Does Ketamine Therapy Work?

You can get started with ketamine for medical use by scheduling a consultation with our staff here at Nue Life. 

During your consultation, we will discuss factors like your age, weight, medical history, and current mental health symptoms. This will allow our professionals to assess your needs and craft your treatment plan accordingly.

With Nue Life, ketamine therapy is simple. Our treatment consists of a simple oral tablet that you can take right from the comfort of your own home, with virtual supervision by a member of our medical staff. Your supervisor will be there to ensure that you are comfortable throughout each ketamine experience.

Is Ketamine Therapy Beneficial for PTSD?

Ketamine therapy can be beneficial for a plethora of different mental illnesses. It has been known to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and other mental health conditions. The best part is ketamine has significantly fewer side effects than typical antidepressant drugs and a much higher rate of efficacy. 

So, if you struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, ketamine therapy with Nue Life may be the solution you have been searching for. 

What Does Ketamine Feel Like?

The effects of ketamine are typically calming and dream-like. When you take your oral treatments, you should set aside a couple of hours for the whole experience. After taking your prescribed dose, you may feel a calming and relaxing sensation. Some colors that you see may be enhanced, and a subtle feeling of euphoria may settle in. 

Overall, the doses you are taking shouldn’t be enough to cause a bad trip or any intense hallucinogenic effects, making it a safe and effective treatment for your unwanted symptoms. Plus, you will be virtually supervised throughout the entire session if you have concerns or questions.

Are There Side Effects of Ketamine Therapy?

A few short-term side effects that can occur include dizziness, elevated heart rate, impaired coordination, and motor skills, nausea, and increased blood pressure. 

Ketamine rapidly leaves the body, so these side effects should go away about two to four hours after your session ends. If you have any prior health issues and are concerned about the effects of ketamine, our professionals at Nue Life can address this to put your fears to rest.

Is Ketamine Therapy Safe?

While ketamine therapy comes with a few minor side effects, it is overall a safe treatment. Having medical professionals there to prescribe your treatment based on your specific situation is the key — which is why we prioritize whole-person care and evidence-based treatment.

Having a personalized treatment ensures that your dose is the perfect dose for you and that the amount of times you take each dose works for you. Our clinicians will give you all of the information you need to determine whether or not ketamine therapy sessions are the right option for you. 

Since our ketamine treatments are conducted remotely, the entire time you are taking ketamine, you will be reporting back to your counselor to let them know how you are feeling and if there is anything you need them to do.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that while microdosing mushrooms may help relieve symptoms of PTSD, it is not the most effective or safe treatment available. There is insufficient research to support microdosing mushrooms to treat PTSD, and this method is currently not FDA-approved. Microdosing mushrooms can be difficult to do properly, leaving you at risk for a plethora of side effects and negative experiences.

Ketamine therapy with Nue Life is a much safer, more effective, and FDA-approved alternative to help you achieve the mental wellness you are seeking.

Treatment at Nue Life

Nue Life believes in holistic treatment, which means that what happens before and after your ketamine experience is equally as important as the experience itself. We want to ensure you have meaningful takeaways from your experiences and help you establish positive new neural pathways.

That’s why we provide one-on-one health coaching and integration group sessions with each of our programs. We’re here to help map out the mind and body connections in your brain and help you discover the insights that lead to true healing.

Sources:

Microdosing: Concept, Application and Relevance | PMC

Hallucinogens (LSD, PCP, Psilocybin, & Salvia) | NYC Health

Naturalistic Study of Microdosing With Psilocybin – Full Text View | ClinicalTrials.gov

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