Shelve the Tylenol? LSD Microdoses Work as Painkillers
Psychedelics may help people endure discomfort and pain. Studies in the 1960s and ’70 showed LSD had killed pain in dying patients. Today, it looks like LSD microdoses could do the same. And, with microdoses, you don’t have to have a full-on trip to kill the pain.
A study explored the effects of LSD microdoses on pain perception in healthy volunteers. Published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, this study looked at 5, 10, and 20mcg doses of LSD compared to a placebo.
The researchers found that 20 mcg significantly increased the time that participants could tolerate exposure to cold water. The water was only a few degrees above freezing. Researchers asked people to dunk their hand “until you cannot take it anymore.”
The scientists noted that 20 mcg decreased their subjective levels of pain and unpleasantness.
This dose elevated blood pressure but within the normal range. It also slightly increased ratings of anxiety and dissociation.
It seems like a stunning result. It’s not, or not entirely. “LSD is just a trippy kind of Tylenol” is actually old news. Back when the Beatles were putting out new music and studying psychedelics was easier, researchers tested LSD vs. opioids in treating pain in dying people. One hundred mics of LSD eased people’s suffering–and it did it better and longer than the opioid.
The problem was that patients didn’t like tripping very much, and many refused a second dose.
The researchers in the modern study deemed that 20 mcg was low enough that no psychedelic effects would occur. However, it was high enough to offer people significant pain-relieving effects.
This study underscores that 20 mcg of LSD could deliver similar analgesic effects as opioids like oxycodone and morphine. Many people abuse — and become addicted to — prescription opioids like oxycodone. These drugs are significant contributors to the opioid crisis, which has seen worrying spikes in the number of people abusing, becoming addicted to, and dying from opioid use.
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These studies have demonstrated that the effects of microdosing can’t be completely down to the placebo effect. Further research is necessary. But the future of psychedelic therapy could bring exciting no benefits to people worldwide–in ways that most people don’t think about.
Pain is a huge part of psychedelic research. And it’s not explored enough. Regular people have found that LSD can wipe out cluster headaches, the most awful brain-pain there is.
It’s hard to know what are the real effect of psychedelics and what’s just hype–or, on the other hand, scare tactics. People have recently said that DMT puts you in touch with aliens. We happen to believe that seeing E.T. on DMT is highly unlikely; though big if true. And in the ’70s, haters said LSD makes people jump out of windows. Attempted flight is not usually what happens on LSD, in our experience. But it’s worth saying here that, if you think you can fly while on LSD, try taking off from the ground first instead of the eighth floor balcony.
So does LSD work as a painkiller? The key, in our opinion? Intention.
If you say to yourself: How long could I stand being exposed to cold water? And you answered: only a little while–that’s likely the answer. On the other hand, if you told yourself: this LSD will strengthen and fortify me to endure a plunge in an ice bucket–there’s a high chance that’ll be true.
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