Microdosing LSD Won’t Really Help Your ADHD, Trial Finds

LSD can do a lot of things, but not necessarily much for someone’s attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In a recent small clinical trial, microdoses of the psychedelic failed to significantly treat people’s ADHD. Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland conducted the study, published this month in JAMA Psychiatry. In people with ADHD, twice weekly low doses of LSD performed no better than placebo at improving their symptoms. The researchers are careful to note that LSD can still have benefits for other conditions such as depression, however. Recreational psychedelic drugs like LSD, psilocybin, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have started to show promise in medicine. Several studies have found that these drugs—in doses that clearly produce psychedelic effects—could be used to help treat difficult cases of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, especially in conjunction with therapy. Some research has also suggested that even taking low doses of LS ... Read full article.