I have a solid transhumanist enthusiasm for performance enhancing drugs; so Iām all for experimentation in the area; and I can easily imagine that there are options better for creativity than the classic psychostimulants; but did relatively low oral doses of pharmaceutical grade amphetamines suddenly get scary enough that LSD is an āextremely healthyā alternative?
They arenāt physically addictive and the bodies energy systems donāt compensate requiring every increasing dependency and dosages so it has both of those over amphetamines. They have studied neuro-reparative properties on brain chemistry balances for another. They increase neuroplasticity, and have been shown to alleviate clinical depression long term after dosing stops in quite a few studies as well as trauma and PTSD.
Amphetamines and many traditional stimulates also tax the adrenals (which are already overtaxed in most people these days) and increase rates of cardiovascular issues. LSD and psilocybin produce energy in a completely different manner.
They are considered a āextremely healthyā alternative because they are a lot better for the body, and at microdosing levels do not induce hallucinations. I canāt think of a single reason why one would choose amphetamines over these.
(i thought given your username youād be an advocate of mushrooms over hard stimulants!?! 
)
Supply reasons, mostly. If your dealer has an MD, you can get amphetamines at your local pharmacy, covered by insurance, without legal exposure. LSD and shrooms, not so much. There are a number of very interesting compounds that, unfortunately, are either very tricky to get someone to use off-label(eg. ketamine for major depression) or simply not available through licit channels.
Given my fairly lousy luck with a broad swath of the approved and standard techniques over an extended period of time, Iād be very interested in exploring other options; but supply, in the absence of useful social contacts, and especially if you are one of those āknown purity and potencyā enthusiasts, is a formidable obstacle.
That makes sense.
it is really too bad that the medical stigma against psychedelics has held back a lot of valuable treatments, the most tragic of which is ibogaine for treating addiction and eliminating withdrawal symptoms.
āNo tissue damageā.
I donāt think this is a new phenomena. My father in law used to do this back in the early 70s. He had access to extremely large amounts of the stuff, and used it to stay awake while he put in crushing amounts of overtime on a factory job.
Well, that makes it clear that there are two questions: 1) why would you take LSD over Adderall, other things being equal (or whatever); and 2) donāt current drug laws tip that balance? My experience with drugs for my condition (whatever the hell it is) is extremely bad - 2 out of 4 tries have had life-threatening side effects. I donāt plan on ever starting another SSRI or mood stabilizer in my life at those odds. Iād be interested in trying something else, but Iām not going to go find a dealer. Hopefully at some time in the not so distant future we can finally win the wars on drugs (weāre on the side of drugs) and we can get a solid scientific answer to (1) instead of worrying about (2).
Yes, I agree, send me a lifetime supply.
Added benefit of daily shroom microdosing: everything Terrence McKenna ever said will start to make perfect sense.
(I met that guy a couple of times. I wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, and yell ādo you believe EVERYTHING the mushrooms tell you?!ā Or at least ask in a polite yet incredulous tone.)
Plus, thereās always the chance those blotters are bromo, not acid these days. Accidental three day trips are annoying at bestā¦
On a general note, Iām excited about the emphasis given to microdosing as an overall idea, taking subperceptible doses of whatever drug in question.
Iām a layman as far as medicine goes, but I get the overall impression that advances in psychiatry are often led by a wish to deal with the very heavy cases first. Understandably.
But it seems to me that more could be done to add to the lives of those of us that are already functioning, but perhaps not functioning to the full extent of what we could.
Sometimes that happens without effort. It can turn out that a friend already has a supply of what you need. Be open to chance.
As a long term sufferer of cluster and tension headaches Iām more interested in their efficacy in treating (ie: curing) headaches.
Iām open too, pick me, pick me! 
It is good advice. If I were a highschool student I donāt think Iād have much problem. I guess I pretty much know who I would go to (other than my former mayor) if I wanted to acquire illicit drugs. I guess Iām really expressing my distaste for the supply chain.
Jesus donāt be buying drugs from Rob Ford! You canāt handle his crank!! Just go down to Queens Park or High Park on a sunny day and find a drum circle!
LSD <> psilocybin
Nature cooks up psilocybin in many many forms.
Once in college I took a full dose of LSD so I could pull an all-nighter for a chemistry test. I did get some studying done, mixed in with listening to music, petting my cat and meditating on what a badass Werner Heisenberg was.
I underestimated how long it would last and was still pretty high taking the test the next morning (the crappy fluorescent lighting in the class didnāt help). My brain kept drifting off, and I struggled to comprehend any of the questions. I would start to write an answer and then my mind would start wandering again and Iād realize I had been writing for several minutes without any idea what I had written. I was sure I had just written a bunch of nonsense or drawn pictures of unicorns or something.
The next class the teacher angrily stormed in, slammed the stack of tests down on the table and said in a low voice āIs [my name] here?ā The whole room fell dead silent. I nearly wet myself. It turned out he was pissed because everyone failed the test except for me - I got a 98. So yeah, I can see where microdosing might have benefits.
