Should I Microdose Shrooms to Treat My PMDD?
In honor of Earth Month, we’re exploring the rise in popularity of microdosing psilocybin as a homeopathic option for treating the severe symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
“How does it feel? Everything’s a bit shinier and new,” Nia* answers over lunch in Silver Lake. Like most cafés mid-workday in Los Angeles, we’re surrounded by all manner of twenty-somethings working avidly on their screenplays. Nia and I are having our own clichéd Angeleno moment: A conversation on what it’s like to routinely microdose on magic mushrooms.
A larger conversation around microdosing psilocybin started gaining momentum about three years ago and it hardly elicits the eyebrow-raising it used to in places like Los Angeles. As Nia’s friend for over a year, we would often hang out for several hours before she would say, “Oh yeah, can you drive? I’m on mushrooms.” If she hadn’t told me I would have no way of telling. She would often explain, “I’m getting my period in a week so I’m on the sillies”—her nickname for psilocybin.
Like five to eight percent of menstruating people, Nia was diagnosed with a severe form of PMS called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). Occurring in the one to two weeks before your period, symptoms range from fatigue to anxiety to major depression. Unfortunately, there is relatively no routine treatment outside of therapy and medications for depression to target the severe onset of symptoms of PMDD. The scientific field has done an excellent job of dismissing and invalidating the psychological and physical pain of periods, stemming from the vast knowledge gap in Western science about female versus male bodies. Fun fact: it wasn’t until 1993 that women were included in pharmaceutical trials. Adobe Photoshop was invented in 1990 and yet, we couldn’t crack the code on how pharmaceutical drugs would affect 50 percent of the population.
With so little research or resources dedicated to treating symptoms of PMS, it’s no wonder most people who menstruate turn to homeopathic or self-administered treatments for pain. With the rise in popularity of microdosing psilocybin, clinical trials started popping up that showed a marked increase in positive mood and reduced response to negative stimuli in patients who microdosed. With effects that last even a week after treatment, psilocybin is proving to have promising medical potential for treating major depressive disorder. On January 1st, 2023, Oregon became the first state to legalize the adult use of medical psilocybin. With its natural origins and low toxicity, magic mushrooms could offer a safer alternative to most prescribed medication. On top of that, you can’t OD on mushrooms—you could get the impression you’ve been swallowed by a dragon, but you won’t actually die from eating too many shrooms.
Below, I talked to Nia for an insider perspective on treating her PMDD with “the sillies.”
What was your experience with PMDD before you started micro-dosing?
“I know some people have painful periods and mine is more mental pain. A lot of people have a combo of both: the mental and the physical anguish. It was the 24-hour sleep that was a big problem for me. I would literally sleep for a whole day, I was so depressed. I had suicidal thoughts—I knew I didn’t want to die, but having those intrusive thoughts was so overwhelming. When I would reach out for help most of the time people recommended I turn up my Lexapro.”
There are extensive studies that show when women and people of color report pain to doctors they are routinely dismissed or told it is psychosomatic. Did you end up going to doctors with the issue?
“I feel like every person I talked to said, ‘Talk to your gynecologist.’ I went to them and they just ping-ponged it back to my psychiatrist. That went back and forth for a while. No one really had a straightforward answer.”
When did you start experimenting with psilocybin for your PMDD?
“I started using mushrooms casually around 10 years ago, but when they started to be available online, that’s when it took off. I think about two and a half years ago I started experimenting with it for my PMDD. I would take it a couple of days or a week before—that’s when my mood starts changing. I’ll just microdose every other day until my period.”
What kind of mushrooms do you look for?
“I buy these little chocolates. I won’t say from who because I don’t want to blow up their spot. I’m very particular about where I get them. You can get some that are prayed over—people use them for a lot of spiritual reasons, or they are looking to cure their alcoholism so it’s part of holistic healing. Look, whether or not you believe in energy and all that, I want it to be special. I don’t want shit that’s been rolling around in some frat guy’s backpack. That’s not the energy I want to tap into.”
How would you describe the sensation of microdosing?
“I call it sparkling. Everything radiates a little bit more. I don’t know much about the exact science, but I still have a pep in my step the day after as well, even when I just take it every other day. My mood is peppier. It changes my frame of mind and that doesn’t wear off.”
What would you say to people that think it might be a placebo?
“The world is obviously ending, something is going down [laughs]—this boat is sinking, like the Annie Lennox song. So if something makes you feel better, bring it on, baby. I know it works for me, but I don’t care if it's a placebo. I’m into positive talk and manifesting and all that jazz—your thoughts create your reality. If I believe I’m sparkling, I’m sparkling.”
Have you experimented with any other medications [holistic or pharmaceutical] and how does it compare? Are there any negative side effects?
“Because it’s only a microdose, I never really felt that I had a ‘come down.’ I don’t take them during work or anything, but I’ve never been scared that they’d impair me. I've never thought like, ‘Oh no, I'm on mushrooms, I'm ruined.’ I'm like, ‘Oh, yes, I'm on mushrooms. Here we go.’ I am already on SSRIs so I don’t think I could have a really crazy trip, but I’ve never personally had a negative effect. I have tried weed for PMDD, but there’s always a comedown.”
Since it’s not legal medically anywhere but Oregon, what are safe ways for people to access it without getting in trouble?
“If it's legal in your state, talk to your doctor about getting a prescription. If it’s not, I mean, you know the deal. It’s unfortunate that we live in this country where only the big cities have open minds, but you can connect with people online. If you get it from friends make sure you know where it’s coming from. I mean, this is LA, if you want mushrooms, manifest it. Otherwise, maybe find a Grateful Dead concert and hope for the best.”
For people who haven’t experimented with any psychedelics before, what are some basic do’s and don’ts for people that want to try experimenting with psilocybin?
Do’s:
- Start small. “If you’re microdosing, then Vive La France. You don’t need to plan a whole trip or anything, you’ll be fine. You might not even feel anything. That being said, you might not know if you have an allergy. You know how you’re supposed to do a test strip on your skin when you buy hair dye at the store? Start with a really small amount just to make sure you don’t have an allergy before you take a bigger dose.”
- Know the dosage. “If you don’t have the luxury of having a chocolate or a capsule with measured doses, maybe buy a scale to see how much you’re consuming. I would just usually have something that was a gram and eat half of it. Start small and wait a few hours to take more.”
- Know your body. “I’m on Lexapro and Abilify, and meds can affect how much you can feel it. Also, everybody is different. Start small and set a timer. You don’t know how long it will take to kick in.”
- Set the mood. “If you want to do more than micro, get in a good headspace. Try to find a good location or room in your house. I know it’s hard to clean your room when you’re depressed but surroundings matter. Put on some groovy music, turn on some nice lights, or go out in nature. If you believe in that stuff, send the mushrooms good energy. Say, ‘Let these mushrooms I consume do me good.’ I mean, it can't hurt.
Don’ts:
- Don’t have a bad attitude. “Especially if you are doing more than a microdose, don’t be a negative Nancy. Shrooms enhance what you’re feeling, and yes they help with depression but if you’re in a shitty headspace, it might not be for you. Positivity is key with psychedelics.”
- Don’t keep bad company. “Don’t hang out with people that annoy you; negative Nancies and Nellies aren’t allowed. Curate the vibes so you aren’t feeling, ‘I knew I didn’t like you, but now it’s a problem.’ If you’re doing more than a microdose, bring your sober buddy along. Someone to watch out for you.”
- Don’t get impatient. “If you don’t feel it working right away, set that timer and wait a few hours before taking more. If you double down too fast, you just double your trouble.”
- Don’t overwhelm yourself. “Don’t listen to death metal [laughs]. Don’t conjure any demonic forces and get anything freaky attached to you while the veil is thin, my homies. If you know what that means, you know what that means.”