Menopause occurs when a person goes more than 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period. It is a natural process when the ovaries stop producing the hormones associated with reproduction. It happens when a menstruating person is between 45 and 55 on average but can occur earlier or later depending on the individual.

Menopause and its challenges

There are a variety of symptoms, all of which may seriously affect the quality of life of those experiencing them; such as irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, urinary urgency, difficulty sleeping, emotional changes such as irritability, mood swings or depression; dry skin, eyes, or mouth; worsening premenstrual syndrome, or tenderness in the breasts. Others may also experience heart palpitations, headaches, changes in libido, joint and muscle pain, difficulty concentrating and memory lapses, weight gain, or hair loss.

This is before issues associated with the lack of these reproductive hormones, such as the impact on bone density, increase in inflammatory processes, and an increased risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

And the symptoms aren’t short-term, either. The average length that people experience menopausal symptoms is seventeen years, up to ten years before and with an average duration of seven years, however, most people experience lower or no symptoms after menopause.

Managing menopause with microdosing

Currently, the treatments suggested are either hormone therapy, which can come with its own risks, certain medications such as SSRIs, and lifestyle changes.

Medicinal Mushrooms have already been shown to ease symptoms before and during menopause, but now a new study has shown that microdosing psychedelics may also help.

Although there isn’t an agreed medical definition for microdosing – yet – but many experts describe it as being approximately 5% to 20% of a recreational dose. For psilocybin, this is typically around 0.3 grams.

The aim of this microdosing isn’t to induce a full psychedelic experience, or “trip,” but rather to subtly enhance cognitive, emotional, and spiritual functioning over an extended period of time. In fact, microdosing or even full dosing with psychedelics has been shown to help those with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and also those with physical conditions such as chronic pain. They could be used to help with a lot of the menopausal symptoms, both short-term and long-term. Research also shows that microdosing can help fight against inflammatory diseases, which can be a long-term concern with menopause.

Microdosing protocols

There are two major protocols used for microdosing for health reasons, The Fadiman Protocol and The Stamets Stack:

  • The Fadiman Protocol

The Fadiman Protocol is a microdosing protocol that lays out a plan for taking the substance, whatever it may be, including how much to take and when. Experts do recommend that you carefully track the process, noting the specifics of how much you take and when as well as anything else consumed with it, whether it be food, drink, or other substances, as well as any side effects and sensations that you experienced.

  • The Stamets Stack

The Stamets Stack uses a specific combination of two different supplements: Lion’s Mane and Psilocybin. Lion’s Mane is a mushroom believed to have a range of potential health benefits, including improving cognitive function and supporting the immune system. 

But what about specific protocols for those who are experiencing menopause?

Well, to date, there have been no clinical trials explicitly undertaken on those who are currently experiencing or have already gone through menopause. Currently, the choice to microdose using any kind of psychedelic is an extremely personal one. However, it is highly recommended that it be only done under a medical professional’s supervision. Depending on where you live, there may be psychedelic service centers that can do this for you.

Risks and safety

The long-term effects of microdosing have not been studied extensively, although studies are starting to be undertaken. Unfortunately, with the war on drugs forbidding any research into psychedelics, research into them is lacking until the lifting of the ban more recently. 

Psychedelics are seen as relatively safe due to the small doses; with only approximately 6% of people who microdose experiencing any kind of side effects – such as altered thoughts, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. 

There also needs to be further research on the effects of psychedelics with other medications, leading to the increased importance of having medical supervision if you do take any other kind of medication.