Microdosing psychedelics for ADHD | Iva Totomanova, B.Sc.

Microdosing psychedelics for ADHD with Iva Totomanova, B.Sc. @ uniMIND Symposium 2022 - Synergies and Crossroads in Psychedelic Research
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In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in microdosing, both from a research and
a recreational perspective. More people have started using psychedelic microdoses not
only to enhance their everyday functioning, but also as an attempt to self-medicate for various
disorders. Some preliminary anecdotal evidence suggests that a large portion of microdosers are
ADHD patients and some of them report being able to get adequate symptom relief, and even
successfully replace their prescribed ADHD medication with microdoses. Albert Hoffman and James
Fadiman have also been reported to suggest microdoses as a healthier alternative to stimulant
medications for ADHD. The lack of more rigorous research on this topic, however, puts us at a
crossroad of whether we should invest more time and money into this matter. In this presentation
I will argue that it is in fact warranted to focus research efforts on ADHD, and explore microdosing
as a potential alternative option in treating ADHD patients and increasing their quality of life.
To do this, however, requires an interdisciplinary approach and a synergy of efforts from a wide
range of specialists - not only researchers from various disciplines, and psychotherapists and other
clinicians that will advance our knowledge of psychedelics, but also policymakers, politicians and
educators, since these substances are still strictly regulated in many parts of the world, and there
is stigma attached to their use
𝗜𝘃𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮, 𝗕.𝗦𝗰. recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. After a brief interlude to do an internship at Utrecht University, she seeks
to continue her education and is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience at Maastricht University. She is interested in understanding more about the pathological mind and its connection to the brain and behavior, approaching it from a multidisciplinary perspective to gain a deeper level of insight into its functioning. She is also passionate about applying this knowledge to enhance people’s mental health and well-being. Particularly, her interests lie in the study of psychedelic substances and their possible therapeutic applications, as she believes these drugs have a still untapped potential for healing