A Year of Microdosing: What Changed and What Didn't
A comprehensive account of twelve months of systematic microdosing — protocols tried, benefits observed, unexpected effects, and what the author plans to do next.
I started microdosing in January 2023 as an experiment and kept detailed notes. This is my twelve-month review.
What changed: The most consistent change was emotional regulation — specifically, the reduction of the reactivity that had characterized my anxiety. By six months it had normalized into a new baseline that I didn't notice until I stopped for a month and noticed its absence. My work output quality improved — fewer errors, more thoroughness. Social anxiety reduced significantly in the first four months and then plateaued.
What didn't change: My fundamental temperament. I'm still introverted, still anxious in a constitutional way. Microdosing reduced the distress associated with these traits but didn't change them.
The unexpected: Six months in, a persistent mild visual phenomenon appeared — visual snow, more noticeable in low light. I reduced my dose and it stabilized. I've since had it evaluated and it appears to be mild, non-progressive HPPD.
What I'd do differently: Start lower. Also integrate more intentionally. The microdosing opened things that needed actual therapeutic work; I should have prioritized that from the start rather than treating microdosing as a stand-alone intervention.
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