I love that they surveyed people with ADHD and 80% didn't return their surveys 😄 I feel seen.

Psychedelics helped me get out of years of depression and severe social anxiety. They have proven very effective in treating various mental health related issues.

Microdosing psilocybin, around 0.3 and 0.4, just enough that it´s felt and has a little glow, has helped me a lot. It soothes my mind so much and my mind feels less foggy. It also allows me to click into meditation way easier.

I have diagnosed mixed ADHD and have been microdosing two different types of psychedelics at different times for my mental health. I have seen a dramatic improvement in my ADHD symptoms and have weaned off of my prescription stimulant medication. I hope there is more research done and that this becomes more accessible and accepted as a support for ADHD. Microdosing provides calm, focus, and seems to improve my working memory. I handle stress better and my anxiety levels have improved. I am less impulsive and periods of overwhelm, burnout, and depression are less frequent, shorter duration, and easier to manage.

Thanks for your continuing work, Dr. Barkley. I use you as a resource often to sift through a lot of the BS around ADHD that's become prevalent in the last few years.

I really appreciate this assessment of the study as empirical evidence (or lack of it). Not that psychedelic therapy can't be helpful for ADHD, it's just really important to know the specifics of research findings. And I would love to see more reliable testing and research around it!

You're so much more important than you currently get credit for. You deserve to be one of the men of our times.

Brazilian ADHD here, dr. Barkley. I took some microdoses of psilocybe cubensis and, in certain doses (200-400 mg), it seems to help with mindfulness, while larger doses (+600 mg) start to have cosmic and mystical effects. I only used it a few times for anxiety and depression, but after my team diagnosed me with ADHD, I started taking sertraline, bupropion and methylphenidate. I say that psilocybe cubensis has an effect similar to that of methylphenidate, but much more intense, euphoric and much more visually colorful. *PLEASE: I DON'T WANT TO PROMOTE DRUGS. IT'S JUST MY EXPERIENCE!* (I used the translator to write this, so forgive me if there are any errors).

I am very glad you are making a video on the subject and research. As someone who feels microdosing has helped me with my mood, I believe that way too many people see microdosing as some sort of holy grail. For me it has helped with some stuff, but I think a lot of it is because I enjoy the hobby of cultivation.

Just saw a doctor yesterday about ADHD thanks to you. It’s good to know I’m not hopeless.

Before I was officially diagnosed at 28 I had been a huge user of psychedelics. It was one way for me to kind of mute some of my symptoms. At the time I didn't know I had ADHD all I know is I was having trouble sleeping, I couldn't get my thoughts to stop racing, I had really bad anxiety and I was having trouble regulating my anger and emotions. Psychedelics allows your brain time to heal, at least I found after a psychedelic trip usually LSD, for a week or so I would just feel absolutely great. I wouldn't have any of the issues that I was facing, I was able to sleep a little better, I felt like I had literally just hit the reset button and for a week or two I would feel great. Then they would gradually come back because that's how it works. It doesn't cure it just helps but the perspective gained is the biggest help After diagnosis and medication along with CBT and mindfulness practices I still consumes psychedelics but not nearly as often. I think one of the big things I took away from most of the psychedelic trips is it allowed me to connect with myself on an emotional level that I had never experienced before. That was just as helpful as therapy, it's better than any mindfulness practice I had ever learned. I feel like I helped shape my intuition a little earlier than I would have gotten it. It allowed me to not only feel relief for my symptoms but it allowed me to empathize with others It allowed me to connect on a level that was bigger than myself and all of my problems and issues kind of go away for a while and with that "vacation" if you will, It's like a reset button. Psychedelics are truly medical miracles and have so much to offer. I'm very glad people are starting to find other use for substances that for the longest time we're considered the worst of the worst drugs that you can have. Everything should be done with the medical professional and you're going to get more therapeutic results with medical professionals but doc I promise you, there's a lot here to help people. By no means is it going to cure my ADHD. What it does is it allows me to take a third person view of life and experience an ego death, shedding that part of you holding you back, that hinders you from being the best you you can be. It's exhilarating. It's life-changing. I stopped drinking cold turkey after a psychedelic trip on LSD. Before diagnosis I was drinking a lot to deal with my symptoms, after one psychedelic trip and some deep reflection on that I gave it up I had no desire at all to take another drink and haven't had another drink now in 3 years. It has the ability to rewire the brain or reestablish connections that have weakened. Again, as far as actual treatment for ADHD I don't think it is a treatment for ADHD. It does however allow the brain to reset to a point where the behavior of the individual after that experience will be a different level of mindfulness examination of the individual. It will be its own perspective of mindfulness. When you give yourself access to that perspective you unlock the ability for an individual to literally put mind over matter and change on the spot if they so choose. That's the only catch they got to do it themselves but give them access to the key and you will be surprised at the level of insight an individual will come out with and that refreshing perspective will completely change the way they live their life from that point on. Like being born again. I want to mention that yes I do still consumes psychedelics even though I'm medicated, but I do not take medication for 48 hours before consuming psychedelics. It's a very rare thing but it's something I'm able to plan well ahead of time. I do not like the idea of mixing any additional chemicals with those chemicals lol

I really appreciate the translation and very concise break down of this type of information. Great content.

Great that you are covering this, and love the honesty about the nature of the publications and results. Finally got a doctor here in canada and she knows of your work! So pleased with that. I microdosed decades I knew I had ADHD or even heard of microdosing and found it to be the only way I could gain any control over time and my severe lack of executive function. However, I never could get the dosage right nor stay consistent with it as there would be about five to ten minutes where I could feel a buzzy effect and disliked the sensation, though after it would settle down and work well. Because of that, I would under dose it often and take too little. That said, I dont like the feeling of stimulants kicking in either and usually split my dose of vyvanse to avoid it but at least the dosages are consistent.

@9:04 It sounds like you give the journalists the benefit of the doubt in them "not picking up on these nuances" etc but I feel like they can do better. Thank you for sharing your perspective and keeping us educated Dr Barkley!

Dr. Barkley, thank you for outputting the enormous amount of very interesting video's on this channel, I'm sure i'm not the only one here that consumes each and every video the moment you release them. I've re-watched the lecture you gave in Toronto in 2009 ('The 30 essential ideas about ADHD' one) multiple times, in which you talked about the possibility of genotyping ADHD patients in the (near) future for better insight in medication response. I'm curious about your thoughts on the current state of genotyping for ADHD.

I discovered I have ADHD later and live and just started med a year ago. I also started microdoseing. I can tell you between both of them My life is 1000X better! Microdosing help me overcome alot along with ADHD meds

Thank you for speaking on this. I would guess that if microdosing has any efficacy for reducing ADHD sxs, that it would be far greater when microdosing with LSD or a phenethylamine, rather than with psilocybin or other tryptamines. As you said, it'd be wonderful to see some double-blind placebo studies, yet that seems unlikely as funding seems to be a likely barrier in addition to regulatory hurdles. (As I understand it, these molecules aren't able to be patented beyond novel delivery systems, which reduces pharmaceutical companies capacity to recoup R&D expenses.) Also, fun trivia fact, Albert Hofmann (the creator of LSD and first synthesizer of psilocybin) also speculated that his "problem child" [LSD] may have utility as an alternative to traditional stimulants for managing ADHD.

"Psychedelics had a very large impact in the 1960s. But in a way it was never anchored to anything, it was never explained to anybody by anybody, how it fit into the historical context of what preceded it. It was presented as an exploration of the contents of the personality with a little bit of overflow into aesthetic issues. And even back then it was clear that this was simply the room where you wipe off your shoes and hang your hat." - Terence McKenna

Hey doc thank you for your continued efforts! I wish the world cared like you! I've been prescribed medicine since I was 7 years old and My insurance got changed without me being able to have a So say in that and my new doctor is awful and the waiting list for additional doctors is 6 months plus! My new doctor doesn't believe in adhd I have showed her your videos and she seems to listen for a second then tells me I need to be doing CBT therapy for ADHD because medicines Dont help and cause bad side effects and people with ADHD just need to learn coping skills! I tried to tell her there is clear irrefutable evidence on the effects of the medicine, and how it helps and she just says “mhhhmmmm” in an undermining voice and then goes on to talk not listening to me or acknowledging me! I have recently lost my job and got into legal trouble because of the withdralws of not having my medicine ontop of the extreme difficulties that come with unmedicated adhd and due to losing my job lost my counselor and I haven't had a family I speak too in 5 years because my therapist pointed out how they were toxic which is true but my point is I'm left with no support system and no help and feel hopeless and feel like the only way to get my doctor or anyone to believe me and how bad I need help is to show them through an extreme example because I've tried everything else! I've been so nice and presented evidence to show her your videos etc I have cried in front of her because I'm anxious because my life is falling apart and I need my medicine! She told me I should go see a adhd specific doctor or psychiatrist and I said I would and have looked desperately but my insurance is not the best and the only doctors/psychiatrist my insurance is not the best and the only doctors availible is on a 6-month waiting list and that includes specialists/psychiatrists and even regular doctors! She said she believes adhd is a trauma issue and has heard other doctors say that and she believes in handling things in a way where you Dont have to rely on medicine and I said I wish I could not have to rely on medicine! When I was little and put on the medicine I didn't want to take it but as I got older and realized how much it helped me I decided to continue to take it and now without it I am falling apart! Idk what to do I feel hopeless and feel like this is why tragedies happen and people do very bad things to make big statements in regards to mental health because no one listens to them or cares and they are slowly losing everything they have and dying slowly essentially! I know saying dying slowly sounds extreme but it's not! If I become homeless because of this due to medical conditions I have I will absolutely die sleeping on the street! So why do I choose to continue to go forward? Just to suffer till I die? Because where is hope or help? I have looked at moving to a different state so I can see a doctor and get the help I need! But now that I lost my job and my counselor and now owe money to my counselor as well as other financial issues that come with adhd and forgetting everything etc especially if unmedicated and btw my doctor didn't ween me off the medicine either she took me off of Vyvanse 40 mg cold turkey! My brain has been fucked up since! Please help doc is there any doctors taking clients? Thank you and I'm not giving on my life yet or anything but just simply venting atm and still hopelessly trying!!!!!

I swear, everytime I start thinking about or researching a topic, you seem to also be reading about it haha. Keep it up

Psychedelic's definitely have potential to deal with mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression,I would like to try them again but it's just so hard to source here

Thanks Dr. Barkley. As much as your analysis of strictly ADHD topics, I think your example of critical thinking applied to any topic is much needed today. Maybe you could begin teaching the general public about critical thinking and the the scientific method in general? Just a thought. Thanks again.

Thank you, Doctor! You’re a hero !

Always a pleasure to see your videos in my feed 🙂

Thanks for this intriguing little video. Research in this area is so fascinating, I hope to see more done. Anecdotally (Diagnosed at 29 with ADHD), over a decade ago I tripped on mushrooms and I felt VERY good mentally for weeks after use. I felt a lot of the same clarity in thought I feel now on Atomoxetine as well as a massive reduction in anxiety. I always wondered what it was about them that did this, but I hadn't thought about that experience since my diagnosis. Judging by my own experience and so many others' I see online regarding this- it's hard not to get the sense that something must be there. The answers to those questions would surely have beneficial answers to our scientific understanding of this group of disorders.

Thank you for doing the work! Appreciate you!

Psychedelics have definitely had a positive impact on my mental health. They've been really helpful for me in dealing with anxiety and depression.

I microdosed psilocybin alongside taking Strattera. It helped my depression and anxiety, helped me be more agreeable and accepting of annoying things, but didn’t touch my adhd symptoms. I have not felt like microdosing again since adding guanfacine bc the medication helps with emotional regulation.

I have adhd and i find it helps big time in social situations

The retention rate seems to speak ADHD lol

I have ADHD as well as trigeminal neuralgia(Facial nerve pain on the right side). After only a month the benefits are noticeable even without the use of traditional meds. What amazed me was how much it help bear the weight of the TN after five year is agony.

Microdosing Psilocybin vs LSD is also reported to be very different.

Pure analogy based on a handful of experiences of an undiagnosed impulsive teen nearly 30 years ago at doses that were not micro; research should be done on treatment resistant depression in people with ADHD. The day after the few times poor judgement and opportunity aligned were some of the most positive young adult moments in memory. Increased mindfulness for sure. Low mood was gone. In the moment the doses were absolutely overwhelming but the day after was a day without the usual overwhelm felt daily. Calm, peaceful, present, and joyful instead of surly, distracted, withdrawn, and sad. 10/10 still don’t recommend because I was incredibly lucky and it was incredibly foolish and dangerous to experiment. Hopefully the FDA will get on board the research train and ensure safe and reliable prescription forms are available, at the very least for research purposes. It would be nice to know if good evidence can be found to back up my experiences.

I was particularly interested in this video Dr Barkley, last year I applied for a psilocybin treatment with our friend Gabor Mate doing the supportive therapy over in Holland. It was for PTSD primarily. I duly filled out the forms truthfully and based on my aces being too high, I was refused a place. Perhaps it was for the best but I'm really not that bad and certainly not out of control in anyway. It wasn't for research as far as I knew. It still smacked of cherry picking people who perhaps were very mild in their trauma history.

Mushrooms/ fungus , are some of the earliest life forms on earth . They're quite fascinating

HI Dr. B- I now use stimulant medication but must tell you that I found micro dosing was similar to the impact of my stimulant and the heroes dose worked to shut down my CPTSD enough to take in some DBT and CBT and to have it take hold and help my overall mental stability. After that I really just kept consuming ADHD management tips form KZfaq. Now at almost 60 its come too late. I seem to remember some research on the impact of the drug on neurological housekeeping of calcified dendritic spines which then promoted the development of new dendritic branches. If I were to describe the results of the drug a few days from consumption it would be that Housekeeping came into my brain took out the trash and tidied things up for me. Thanks for all your help sir Jamie from Canada

Thank you for analyzing the research. I am skeptical about microdosing in general. Is it mind altering, a magical solution for the daily work of building new neural pathways, does it address the right neurotransmitters. Since most psychedelics have a stimulant quality to them one could say they could help ADHD but that’s a small effect compared to the perceptual alteration, so the jury, as you say, is out.

In continuation to the videos about Caffeine and Nicotine, are there any research papers about the effect of Theanine on ADHD?

I would forget to take it on schedule and definitely forget to turn in the surveys.

Though I’m not particularly hopeful, I sure hope they find something to mushrooms+ADHD. Mushrooms are easily the most exciting drugs being researched. They do a lot to influence all sorts of brain activity and I’m eager to hear more updates.

Clear explanations.

psychedelics offered me a kind birdseye understanding of my life - thus, a new, kinder lens.

Thank you for this informations!

Small doses of THC gummies are enough for me to balance out my Autism and ADHD. It’s a lot easier to focus on right hemisphere activities with a little help.

I’m wondering about sleep: melatonin, L-tryptophan, blue light, bed wetting in older kids, and night terrors in young kids. Also, exercise in elementary age kids.

Microdosing has helped me quit drinking alcohol, has helped with depression, has helped with self awareness, and anxiety

Dr Barkley, would it be possible for you to make a video on sleep (theta wave) intrusion? I recently learned about this and it explains a lot about problems I have when doing tasks I am not engaged in, and it's difficult for me to find or understand research studies on the phenomenon.

I am reading your book, the ADHD handbook for diagnosis and Treatment. The 4th edition was released in 2014. Do you think that it is still up to date, and if not, is it still worth the reading?

I took about a bag of shrooms over the span of a month every morning and the rate of progress with my goals noticably increased. About halfway through the month I was taking about a gram a day. This is too much to be considered a microdose but it acted as one because of my tolerance.

I was microdosing my Ritalin IR 2.5mg every hour. Worked amazing. But it was unconventional and I was labelled a drug addict. Doctors don’t won’t give me IR anymore lol. But XR sucks for people who take low doses and fast metabolism. They rather me get zooted out my mind on high doses once or twice a day lol.

I'd rather stick with the stimulants. I don't want to be a guinea pig if stimulants are sufficient treatment. That said, I am worried about how long I can be on stimulants. Will my doctor want to prescribe it when I'm 70 years old? Probably not. So I'm supportive of further research, even if it means ruling things out officially.

Dr. Barkley, thank you for being so dedicated to sifting through the BS that surrounds ADHD. As a person who has been off medication since I was 13, because things like Adderall made me feel like a zombie, I've always been searching for alternative methods of treatment for my ADHD. I have been micro-dosing since I was 19 years old, and I'm 26 now. I can tell you without a doubt that what you are saying is true and hold weight. I hope you get more traction and become a popular person for many people like me to come too for guidance. Thank you again, Dr. Barkley!

As someone with ADHD and a lot of recreational experience with psychedelics mainly LSD, I can say that their isn't any change with symptoms. Except some temporary relief from a depressive episode, it was twenty years ago so it's hard say how long it kept depression at bay. I can say that it does build up in the body and that can cause some mental anguish so be careful it can end up being a rough ride.

i have severe ADHD. i was undiagnosed for 50 years, the last 8 years were horrible. it took psilocybin get me back to close to normal. so far it's the only thing that temporary relieves all my symptoms for 14 - 25 hrs. im now on 4 ADHD meds and I'm not back to functional yet - but i am much closer. if psilocybin works for you, you have low serotonin. unfortunately, SSRIs have so many side effects.

WE need studies about that. I think LSD (maybe Shrooms) can help to focus when using them MD. I think it is difficult to make a study for MD anyway if they use 20 mcg what is noticeable even though not tripping. Anyway, in this case I would suggest to have not a placebo instead but a common medicine as Vyvanse. Probably it only works if the clients haven't used the substances before. Anyway, I think it is even with MD difficult to have a placebo instead. My subjective experience with MD-LSD. It's another focus lense as ADHD medicine. I feel not as focused on one subject but having a better general view on things. Feel generally more motivated and it feels more natural. Anyway, I use it every third day, I slightly feel it as I feel Vyvanse slightly. I don't mix them together anymore but take one day pause from Vyvanse - that works good for me. Anyway, depending on what I have to do I might variate a bit.

Problem for me is controlling impulses, if i had these in the house o would defo abuse them.

Somewhere, the text says ’macrodosing’ …. a mistake ??

44 is too low of a base for even a survey. We would not do analysis on bases lower than 50 when I worked in Market Research.

I have paradoxical effect of most medicines. I haven't heard much about other people experiencing this. I would like to know how common it is. I can't even take a benadryl without akathesia.

Psychedelics is how I discovered that I have ADHD.

The nhs in the uk have started making people trip to help with depression but cannabis is so taboo i also have epilepsy and have asked my neurologist to put me on a canabis trial but its a couple a year and the waiting list is long.

I lost my compulsive buy after 2 MDMA pills on a chill evening with good friends (never took other drugs than alcool, weed cofee and sugar) , I felt nothing the day I took it but I felt changes the days after, I didn't relapse into compulsive buying since, I don't even have to fight the urge to buy, I completely lost it ^^

So long as it isn't detrimental, since I hope to find a psych in Australia somewhere that might let me try micro dosing for my depression. I'm currently in the "what's the point I'll never get better" hopeless pit and am wondering if treating enough of the depression will make all the hard work seem worthwhile.

I think I will try it anyways just to see how it effects me.

I have ADHD and depression , I took them when I was younger . I don't recall suffering from depression back then, But I'm curious to see what a micro dose would do , If it would improve my symptoms without distorting my judgement

If mushrooms truly cause neural plasticity to increase, and if ADHD is truly a chemical valve control issue between neurons, then yes. Paired with close therapy and guidance, mushrooms can be useful.

I'm trying microdosing for ADHD and mild depression but it either makes me feel no less distracted at all or worse, it makes me feel tired and drugged, what's up with that??

Could anyone give me an answer to the question about tolerancia for LSD micro doses?

Looking back I now realize I have some form of ADHD. I must admit ever since I did a megadose on shrooms I’ve felt like it changed my life. I’ve almost reprogrammed my mind I could say. I feel much more present which is probably my biggest take away.

Reading the title, I thought it had to be far too early for any kind of research paper to be concluding anything about psychedelics. Makes sense that's not what has been published. A light survey of anecdata is all.

Collect some data, look at it several different ways, publish a number of fluff papers in journals - maybe you might get some funding to investigate further - repeat - you might have a better chance of better funding - repeat and repeat. Ten years later you might get decent funding to do a proper study. As most psychedelics are still schedule one drugs making progress in such proper research is a long way off. Meanwhile those of us that think it helps us will continue self medication as we may feel the need.

Holy crossover episode

Tried it before. Didn´t help me personally at all. Pretty much like any (in most western countries illicit) substances I tried, either the dose was too small to have any verifiable effect, or it does have an effect especially when not micro dosing, but really is more of recreational use, than anything else. Based on personal experience I heavily doubt there´s a substance based magical solution out there, that hasn´t some sort of trade off.

Interesting, how does this kind of study get approved for publish?? I am a bit lazy (hey my fellow adhd crew) so when I see a journal I just assume there is a solid level of legitimacy. Oop.

Big pharma can toss right off Mushrooms have helped me more then any pill

A concrete conclusion would be "and a 100% of ADHA patients filled in the survey". Bingo!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this study’s design may be due to the restrictive nature of psychedelic research. These results may pave the way for ACTUAL studies.

We need to build community... all this self medicating is kinda alarming.

"mindfulness" has been severely distorted by pop sci :(. I'm a Theravadan Buddhist, and in the material the term originates from, mindfulness means being able to keep useful things in mind. Non-judgment is part of equanimity, not mindfulness, and the Buddha's teachings make it clear that equanimity, unlike mindfulness (the correct definition, that is) is not appropriate at all times. To be a skillful person in the world, you need to be able to judge and compare things. Also "mindfulness" in pop sci has been used to mean other things too. It's a real shame.

If microdosing were actually so effective then why would the patients taking it be continuing to repeat microdosing for months and years as it common?

10:05 You could have said "Take the headlines with a microdose of salt"

I would like to try it to help me fantasize about completing tasks. So I could feel it. And I could see myself doing it it would be envisioning it but with the stronger sense than just sitting at the kitchen table wishing I was doing something with my eyes closed😂 I think I just need a few mushrooms.

Isopropyl alcohol

Would be good if there was a proper study. I'm sceptical about use for ADHD, there's no way it should help really but who knows. Also would be good if journos stopped misinforming the public for clicks but they never will

Dubious self reporting? placebo ? and what is microdosing anyhow ?? ...If a dose is below the effective threshold then it's ineffective by definition 😂😂😂 Good God RB is being generous and gentle here

Microdosing psilocybin does nothing for my ADHD, i really wish it would but it just doesn't work. Most of this stuff is just wishful thinking imo.

Whats wrong with the sentence "improving extroversion"? 🤔 That it's not clear what an improvement in this genre would even be? Less - more?? There is nothing wrong with being introvert. There is nothing wrong with being extrovert 🤷‍♀️

Can you get to the point. Those of us with ADHD are having a hard time listening to this.

You know what's weird. I recently, like last week, did the test for adhd with my doc and she confirmed it. About a year ago I had an opportunity to buy some microdose shrooms and I got some on a whim. The first dose completely changed my whole way of thinking. I thought I had found a cure for my depression and PTSD(I'm a retired police officer). But now, since this new diagnosis I cant help but think the miraculous fog I felt lift when I took those mushrooms was because it helped out my adhd. I stopped taking them after the one little bottle I had, some part of me thought it was not a good idea to take it all the time, or that it was illegal. I dunno, my brain makes up its own mind without my input lol. I think I might look for more to try.