Latest news with #microdosing
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The growing fad of ‘microdosing' mushrooms is leading to an uptick in poison control center calls and emergency room visits
Imagine you purchase a bag of gummies labeled nootropic – a term used to describe substances that claim to enhance mental ability and function, or 'smart drugs.' However, within hours of consuming them, your heart starts racing, you're nauseated and vomiting. Then you begin convulsing and have a seizure, resulting in a trip to the hospital. You certainly did not expect to have such a severe reaction to an over-the-counter edible product, which is available online and in herbal and vape shops nationwide. What happened? So-called 'microdosing' of mushrooms has been on the rise over the past few years, accompanying a shift in local policy in some areas and increasing research into its potential benefits for mood and mental health. Microdosing involves the ingestion of small quantities of psychoactive mushrooms, less than a regular dose and not in sufficient quantities to induce a 'trip' or psychedelic experience, but to boost mood, creativity, concentration or productivity. Psychedelic mushrooms are illegal at the federal level, restricted as a 'Schedule 1' substance by the Food and Drug Administration, though some states and local municipalities have begun the process of decriminalizing the possession of these mushrooms. This greater acceptance of mushrooms and psychedelics has led to a growing market for edible products containing non-hallucinogenic mushroom species that are appearing on the shelf at grocery stores, vape shops, even gas stations, with claims that these products improve mental function. To meet demand, manufacturers are also turning to other types of mushrooms – including both psychoactive and non-psychedelic – some of which are potentially more toxic. But key pieces of information are often missing for consumers to make informed decisions about which products to consume. I am a natural product scientist at Pennsylvania State University, where my lab specializes in understanding the molecules found in plants, mushrooms and other natural resources and how they can benefit or harm human health. Our team actively researches these small molecules to uncover how they can address infectious and chronic diseases, but also monitors them for toxic or adverse effects on human health. While nootropic products have potential to boost health, there can be little transparency surrounding many commercial mushroom products, which can have dangerous consequences. Chemistry and toxicology of psychoactive mushrooms The main psychoactive components of traditional 'magic' mushrooms, found in the genus Psilocybe, are psilocybin and psilocin. These two small molecules are alkaloids that activate receptors in the brain to trigger the main psychoactive effects of magic mushrooms. Both psilocybin and psilocin have a high therapeutic index – meaning they are generally nontoxic in humans because the amount that must be ingested to be fatal or dangerous is more than 500 times the dose at which it has been shown to be therapeutically effective. Therefore, psilocybin-containing mushrooms are generally considered to have a low potential for acute toxicity in humans, to the point where it is believed to be nearly impossible to achieve a toxic dose from oral consumption. Demand breeds diversification in mushroom sourcing With the growth in popularity of psychedelic mushrooms, companies have been looking for ways to meet consumer demand. And in some cases, this has meant finding mushrooms that do not contain psilocybin and are therefore not restricted by the FDA. The result has been an increase in products that come without legal entanglements, which means there are products that can contain other types of mushrooms, including lions mane, chaga, reishi, maitake and a genus of mushrooms called Amanita, which can be hallucinogenic. Amanita mushrooms are the quintessential white-flecked, red-capped toadstools – the stereotypical image of a mushroom. These fungi contain very different compounds compared to the Psilocybe mushrooms, such as muscarine and ibotenic acid. These compounds function differently in the brain and, while also capable of producing psychedelic experiences, are generally considered to be more toxic. Nootropic and other mushroom products are often found as edibles, including chocolates and gummies. However, there is little enforcement surrounding the ingredient labeling of such dietary supplements; products that have a proprietary blend of ingredients generally do not have to report individual ingredients to the species level. This protects trade secrets regarding unique blends of ingredients, but it can also obscure the actual composition of some edible nootropic and microdosing products. And this can have dangerous consequences. Increasing adverse effects The explosion of nootropic mushroom products has led to a wide variety of products on the market that potentially contain wildly differing levels of mushrooms, many times containing blends of multiple mushroom species. And with little reporting guidelines in effect, it can be hard to know exactly what you're taking. One case study in Virginia involved five people who were hospitalized after they ingested gummies from different nootropic brands that were labeled to contain muscarine, muscimol and ibotenic acid, all compounds found in Amanita mushrooms. A follow-up analysis of locally available gummy brands that contained 'mushroom nootropic' ingredients revealed the presence of psilocybin, but also caffeine, the stimulant ephedrine and mitragynin, a potential painkiller found in Southeast Asian plant products like kratom. None of these ingredients were listed on the product label. Therefore, the cocktail of mushrooms and substances that these people were exposed to was not necessarily reflected on the label at the time of purchase. The increase in use of other, potentially toxic, mushrooms in over-the-counter products has been reflected in reported poisoning cases in the United States. In 2016, out of more than 6,400 mushroom-related poisoning cases in the U.S., only 45 were Amanita mushrooms. In the past few years since certain states began decriminalizing psilocybin, the U.S. has seen an increase in calls and reports to poison control centers of people feeling nauseous and experiencing vomiting, seizures, cardiovascular symptoms and other adverse effects after ingesting edible mushroom products such as chocolates and gummies. This prompted a multistate investigation beginning in 2023 that uncovered over 180 cases in 34 states of people who had ingested a particular brand of mushroom-based edibles, Diamond Shruumz. A 2024 recall required that stores remove these products from their shelves. And in late 2024, the FDA put out a letter to warn consumers and manufacturers of the dangers associated with Amanita mushrooms, saying they 'do not meet the Generally Recognized As Safe, or GRAS, standard and that Amanita mushrooms are unapproved food additives.' Despite this warning, such products are still available from producers. Even when a product is labeled with the relevant ingredients, mushrooms are notoriously easy to misidentify when collected. Numerous mushroom species have similar shapes, colors and habits. But, despite their visual similarities, these different mushrooms can have drastically different chemistry and toxicity. This even plagues foragers of culinary mushrooms, with hundreds of emergency department visits due to fungal misidentification every year in the U.S. There is little current regulation or oversight for species identification in dietary supplements or over-the-counter mushroom edible products, leaving consumers at the mercy of producers to accurately list all raw products and ingredients on the product label. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Joshua Kellogg, Penn State Read more: Calls to US poison centers spiked after 'magic mushrooms' were decriminalized Pennsylvania's mushroom industry faces urgent labor shortage − and latest immigration policies will likely make it worse Beyond flora and fauna: Why it's time to include fungi in global conservation goals Joshua Kellogg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Solve the daily Crossword
The Australian
04-08-2025
- Health
- The Australian
Rachael Dixon mushroom death, new details on health retreat incident
A Melbourne mother was 'very excited' before attending an alternative health retreat at which she ultimately died, a new coroner's report has found. Rachael Lee Dixon, 53, died in the early hours of April 14 after attending a 'healing session' run by wellness guru Deanne Matthews at a rented property just outside Ballarat where she consumed magic mushrooms. Ms Matthews, also known as Diane Mathews, pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence and was fined $3000 in March this year. No charges have been laid over Ms Dixon's death. The new report, by Coroner Audrey Jamieson, has revealed the moments that led to Ms Dixon's death but stopped short of solving the mysterious cause. In the findings, Ms Jamieson noted that Ms Dixon first met Ms Matthews about eight years prior and she had been attending regular sessions with Ms Matthews every three months in the 18 months before her death. In November 2022, Ms Dixon bought a book for $500 from Ms Matthews titled The Deep Self 28 Day Microdosing Experience that contained journaling prompts and information on microdosing using psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Ms Dixon wrote in the book that her goal was to stop 'binge drinking alcohol and food' and made clear that she saw psilocybin as a way to address her childhood trauma. Ms Matthews had provided ongoing advice to Ms Dixon on how to microdose magic mushrooms, the report continued. Leading up to her death, Ms Dixon was having a positive experience with the drug, her son told the coroner. 'I think they were definitely helping her, she seemed to be getting better. I knew she was getting better because she would stop drinking as much, she would always tell me how relaxed and how much better she felt within herself and about life,' he said. This led to her being 'very excited to go to the retreat', telling her husband Richard Mountain that 'she thought this was going to be her big breakthrough moment'. On the night of April 13, 2024, Ms Dixon consumed her first dose of mushroom tea at 6.15pm, then her second at 7.45pm. The event was hosted by Ms Mathews at the Soul Barn in Clunes and attended by nine paying participants. It was not until 11.30pm, with the effects of psilocybin wearing off, that Ms Dixon called out to Ms Matthews and was crying. Ms Matthews tried to lift Ms Dixon, but she could not walk and instead fell about 50cm, the coroner reported. Ms Dixon was then taken to a separate space to lay on a pillow, after which Ms Matthews moved her to the property's kitchen so she could open the back door to give Ms Dixon some 'fresh cold air'. By 11.53pm, Ms Matthews had called emergency services and told triple-0: 'I was holding a ceremony and I don't think someone, she's not responding.' A registered GoodSam responder arrived within 10 minutes and attached a defibrillator to Ms Dixon. Paramedics arrived soon after, and tried to resuscitate her for about 30 minutes, before she was ultimately declared dead at 12.45am. Ms Jamieson's report tried to determine what caused Ms Dixon's death, but despite her death 'occurring in the context of her recent use of illicit drugs', she found that Ms Dixon died from 'unascertained causes'. Ms Jamieson wrote that an investigation of coronial databases found 20 deaths between 2014 and 2025 where psilocin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, was present. She said in seven of those cases, the potential link between magic mushroom consumption and death had been explored – each were unable to determine if the drug had played a role. 'However, I emphasise I have not concluded the mushroom consumption was unrelated to Rachael's death,' Ms Jamieson found. 'Rather, as already discussed, Rachael's case reflects that we do not know enough at present about the chemistry and pharmacology of magic mushrooms to confirm or exclude that mushroom consumption caused or contributed to her death.' Forensic pathologist Joanne Ho found that circumstantially there was a 'temporal relationship between her death and the consumption of the magic mushroom infused tea' but noted that deaths from magic mushrooms were rare due to their low toxicity. One possible explanation was explored by Ms Jamieson, a little-known toxic syndrome called 'wood-lover paralysis'. The syndrome causes sudden muscle weakness, usually to the limbs, sometimes causing an inability to stand or walk, difficulty swallowing, and breathing difficulties. Ms Jamieson found 'the evidence regarding Rachael's symptoms (particularly her being unable to walk and her loss of spontaneous breathing) appears to be consistent with symptoms linked to the wood-lover paralysis toxidrome'. But given there is no known cause of wood-lover paralysis, she was unable to determine if it was the cause of death. The coroner recommended that people who partake in magic mushroom use should be educated about the rare syndrome, but she could not make a formal recommendation as there was no Victorian body that would be able 'reasonably' reach the 'diverse' group that use the drug. 'However, I direct that this finding be published on the Coroners Court of Victoria website so that my insights are available to any organisations or individuals who are in a position to consider and disseminate them to those who might be at risk,' she said. Brendan Kearns Cadet Journalist Brendan Kearns is a cadet journalist with News Corp Australia. He has written for The Australian, the Herald Sun, the Geelong Advertiser, CHOICE, Cosmos, and The Citizen. He won Democracy's Watchdogs' Student Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 and hosted the third season of award-winning podcast Uncurated. He studied as Master of Journalism at The University of Melbourne, before that he worked as a video producer and disability worker. Breaking News Tycoon who brought F1 to Singapore pleads guilty in graft case Breaking News Torrential rain in Taiwan kills five over past week
News.com.au
01-08-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Tragic details reveal moments that led to Rachael Dixon's death at Victorian health retreat
A Melbourne mother was 'very excited' before attending an alternative health retreat at which she ultimately died, a new coroner's report has found. Rachael Lee Dixon, 53, died in the early hours of April 14 after attending a 'healing session' run by wellness guru Deanne Matthews at a rented property just outside Ballarat where she consumed magic mushrooms. Ms Matthews, also known as Diane Mathews, pleaded guilty to trafficking a drug of dependence and was fined $3000 in March this year. No charges have been laid over Ms Dixon's death. The new report, by Coroner Audrey Jamieson, has revealed the moments that led to Ms Dixon's death but stopped short of solving the mysterious cause. In the findings, Ms Jamieson noted that Ms Dixon first met Ms Matthews about eight years prior and she had been attending regular sessions with Ms Matthews every three months in the 18 months before her death. In November 2022, Ms Dixon bought a book for $500 from Ms Matthews titled The Deep Self 28 Day Microdosing Experience that contained journaling prompts and information on microdosing using psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Ms Dixon wrote in the book that her goal was to stop 'binge drinking alcohol and food' and made clear that she saw psilocybin as a way to address her childhood trauma. Ms Matthews had provided ongoing advice to Ms Dixon on how to microdose magic mushrooms, the report continued. Leading up to her death, Ms Dixon was having a positive experience with the drug, her son told the coroner. 'I think they were definitely helping her, she seemed to be getting better. I knew she was getting better because she would stop drinking as much, she would always tell me how relaxed and how much better she felt within herself and about life,' he said. This led to her being 'very excited to go to the retreat', telling her husband Richard Mountain that 'she thought this was going to be her big breakthrough moment'. On the night of April 13, 2024, Ms Dixon consumed her first dose of mushroom tea at 6.15pm, then her second at 7.45pm. The event was hosted by Ms Mathews at the Soul Barn in Clunes and attended by nine paying participants. It was not until 11.30pm, with the effects of psilocybin wearing off, that Ms Dixon called out to Ms Matthews and was crying. Ms Matthews tried to lift Ms Dixon, but she could not walk and instead fell about 50cm, the coroner reported. Ms Dixon was then taken to a separate space to lay on a pillow, after which Ms Matthews moved her to the property's kitchen so she could open the back door to give Ms Dixon some 'fresh cold air'. By 11.53pm, Ms Matthews had called emergency services and told triple-0: 'I was holding a ceremony and I don't think someone, she's not responding.' A registered GoodSam responder arrived within 10 minutes and attached a defibrillator to Ms Dixon. Paramedics arrived soon after, and tried to resuscitate her for about 30 minutes, before she was ultimately declared dead at 12.45am. Ms Jamieson's report tried to determine what caused Ms Dixon's death, but despite her death 'occurring in the context of her recent use of illicit drugs', she found that Ms Dixon died from 'unascertained causes'. Ms Jamieson wrote that an investigation of coronial databases found 20 deaths between 2014 and 2025 where psilocin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, was present. She said in seven of those cases, the potential link between magic mushroom consumption and death had been explored – each were unable to determine if the drug had played a role. 'However, I emphasise I have not concluded the mushroom consumption was unrelated to Rachael's death,' Ms Jamieson found. 'Rather, as already discussed, Rachael's case reflects that we do not know enough at present about the chemistry and pharmacology of magic mushrooms to confirm or exclude that mushroom consumption caused or contributed to her death.' Forensic pathologist Joanne Ho found that circumstantially there was a 'temporal relationship between her death and the consumption of the magic mushroom infused tea' but noted that deaths from magic mushrooms were rare due to their low toxicity. One possible explanation was explored by Ms Jamieson, a little-known toxic syndrome called 'wood-lover paralysis'. The syndrome causes sudden muscle weakness, usually to the limbs, sometimes causing an inability to stand or walk, difficulty swallowing, and breathing difficulties. Ms Jamieson found 'the evidence regarding Rachael's symptoms (particularly her being unable to walk and her loss of spontaneous breathing) appears to be consistent with symptoms linked to the wood-lover paralysis toxidrome'. But given there is no known cause of wood-lover paralysis, she was unable to determine if it was the cause of death. The coroner recommended that people who partake in magic mushroom use should be educated about the rare syndrome, but she could not make a formal recommendation as there was no Victorian body that would be able 'reasonably' reach the 'diverse' group that use the drug. 'However, I direct that this finding be published on the Coroners Court of Victoria website so that my insights are available to any organisations or individuals who are in a position to consider and disseminate them to those who might be at risk,' she said.
The Guardian
13-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Microdosing: how ‘off-label' use of weight loss jabs is spreading from US to UK
A slim woman standing in a kitchen injects herself in the abdomen. Another jogs. A third kneels on a yoga mat drinking water. The shots are intercut with a doctor telling the viewer: 'Usually it's for people who don't actually have that much to lose – it's a bit of a gentler way to get to your target weight.' The promotional video is from a private clinic in Leicester offering 'microdosing', the latest trend in the weight loss jab revolution. The experimental approach involves taking less than the recommended dose of a GLP-1 medication such as Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy in the hope of curbing hunger pangs just enough to sustain weight loss. The use is 'off-label' – doctors can prescribe a medicine in a different way than stipulated in its licence if they follow official guidelines – as there is little scientific research to show that it works and is safe. Nevertheless, the practice is becoming increasingly popular with people who want to shift a few pounds but fall outside the drugs' target market of patients who are obese, overweight or diabetic. Promoted by health influencers on social media, microdosing first became popular in the US, where the costs of the drugs are much higher – Novo Nordisk's Wegovy has a list price of $1,349 (£997) a month while Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is $1,080. Now the trend is catching on in the UK. The Healand clinic in Leicester has been offering a microdose treatment for about a year, priced from £175 a month including support. Healand has 750 patients on it so far, who start on a fifth of the normal dose. Dr Omar Babar, the reassuring figure speaking in its promotional video, tells the Guardian that microdosing benefits perimenopausal women who, because of hormonal changes, gain weight and struggle with fatigue and brain fog. His clinic also attracts men in their 30s as well as older men up to age 70. 'The idea is not to feel so suppressed, not to feel like you can't eat any more,' Babar says. 'The idea is that you just get a bit more gentle suppression of cravings. A lot of people use it to help curb their alcohol consumption as well.' His clients typically lose between 5kg (11lb) and 10kg. Nearly all work out several times a week and a lot are in 'high-functioning jobs' and want 'a bit more control over their health', Babar says. The Aestha clinic, in central London, also offers the treatment as a way to lose a little weight or slim down more gradually – its website describes its 'refined approach to GLP-1 therapy, utilising about a tenth of standard dosing protocols' – as do pharmacies in Hertfordshire and Kent. The trend has been gaining traction since last October, when Dr Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University school of medicine and podcaster, posted an interview on X with the 'performance medicine expert' Dr Craig Koniver, who hailed it as a 'gamechanger'. Koniver says it helps to avoid the loss of lean muscle mass through more gradual weight loss and does away with 'Ozempic face' – a gaunt look that rapid weight loss sometimes causes. Microdosing as a term originally referred to using tiny quantities of psychedelics to treat mental health problems. In the case of GLP-1 jabs, it involves counting clicks on the pre-filled pen to deliver less than the recommended amount. Users hope to limit side-effects, such as vomiting, cut the cost and experience other health benefits, despite the low dose. Over the past 10 weeks, Jade, a 32-year-old from London, has been injecting 1mg of Mounjaro every Monday – less than half the standard starting dose of 2.5mg – to reduce inflammation and pain caused by endometriosis, while losing some weight. 'The inflammation is completely gone,' she says. 'I'm not in any pain, whereas in severe pain I'm crying, lying on the floor in absolute agony. I've not had any side-effects from Mounjaro because I'm using such a small dose.' She is pleased to have also lost just over a stone (6.4kg). 'It took away a bit of the food noise. I wasn't necessarily thinking about food like I normally do.' Jade spends £13 a week on Mounjaro – 'which is nothing, you spend more in Marks & Spencer on lunch'. Demand for what have been hailed as 'miracle drugs' has spawned a wave of online weight management companies that have registered with the Care Quality Commission to sell the medications in the UK. Those companies include Voy, Manual, Juniper, Numan and CheqUp. In May CheqUp struck a partnership with Weight Watchers as part of the brand's shift away from dieting after filing for bankruptcy in the US earlier in the month. However, as of this week online pharmacies are no longer allowed to run adverts for weight-loss injections, after the advertising watchdog cracked down on what has been described as a 'wild west' culture of online selling: in the UK prescription only-medications cannot be promoted to the public. Use of the drugs has soared in recent months: CheqUp estimates 1.25 million people take GLP-1s in the UK; the health data firm IQVIA puts the number at 1.5 million. The vast majority buy them privately because the NHS has restricted treatment to the most obese patients. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion James Hunt, deputy chief executive of CheqUp, talks of a revolution. 'We have never had a category of medication which has tempted 1.25 million people to say, actually, I'm going to forgo the NHS, I'm going to look after myself and self-medicate.' He estimates that 80% of GLP-1 users are women and a fifth are men, even though the obesity split in the population is 50-50. Wegovy and Mounjaro are available to buy through private prescription in the UK at all the big high street pharmacy chains and online pharmacies. Prices for a month's supply for Mounjaro range from £129 to £249, depending on dosage. Prices for Wegovy range from £119 to £299. To be eligible, people must have a BMI of 30 or over, or 27 to 29 with at least one other weight-related health problem, such as diabetes. They need to complete an online form with questions about their weight and medical history. New rules from the General Pharmaceutical Council mean people should also have an in-person or video consultation, or supporting information from their GP or medical records, to be approved. The drugs work by mimicking the gut hormone GLP-1, which regulates blood sugar levels and appetite. Research suggests there are benefits beyond weight loss. A study published in January found the drugs reduced the risk of 42 diseases, including heart disease, cancer, clotting disorders, Alzheimer's, chronic kidney disease, addiction and a range of psychiatric conditions. However, hundreds of people taking the medications have reported pancreas-linked problems, prompting health officials to launch fresh research into the drugs' side-effects. While CheqUp, Voy, Juniper and Numan stick to guidelines from Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and do not promote GLP-1 microdosing, many health influencers on social media advocate it as 'personalised dosing', targeting perimenopausal women aged 35-plus in particular. Some athletes also say they microdose to help with weight loss and performance. The US health influencer Dr Tyna Moore promotes microdosing not just for weight loss but to help with conditions such as high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and brain fog. Her $2,300 online course, GLP-1s Done Right University, includes advice on microdosing, but she advises against self-dosing and urges users to find a 'longevity doc' who prioritises lifestyle. In the UK, Graham Phillips describes himself as 'the pharmacist who gave up drugs' and runs two pharmacies, in Letchworth and Broadstairs, that offer a 'prolongevity' programme that promotes weight loss through natural means, such as cutting out ultra-processed foods and monitoring blood glucose levels. Some of his clients are given the 2.5mg starting dose of Mounjaro less frequently than the standard weekly dosage. 'You may not need one at all, but without doubt, some people, even if they're following all our recommendations, they really struggle with … appetite control and food addiction,'Phillips says. 'Using a microdose, you can often switch that off.' Many doctors and health experts are wary of the practice, however, saying it can lead to unpredictable outcomes. The Lancet said in an article in February: 'The practice of microdosing drugs is not new, but there is no evidence that it works for obesity.' Ann Marie Defnet, a bariatric surgeon at Northwell Health, New York state's largest healthcare provider, says in its health publication the Well: 'Clinical trials are where we figure out whether a treatment is both effective and safe. And none of the big GLP-1 trials studied anything like 'microdosing'. So right away, if you're going off-label, you're stepping into the unknown.'
The Guardian
12-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Microdosing: how ‘off-label' use of weight loss jabs is spreading from US to UK
A slim woman standing in a kitchen injects herself in the abdomen. Another jogs. A third kneels on a yoga mat drinking water. The shots are intercut with a doctor telling the viewer: 'Usually it's for people who don't actually have that much to lose – it's a bit of a gentler way to get to your target weight.' The promotional video is from a private clinic in Leicester offering 'microdosing', the latest trend in the weight loss jab revolution. The experimental approach involves taking less than the recommended dose of a GLP-1 medication such as Ozempic, Mounjaro or Wegovy in the hope of curbing hunger pangs just enough to sustain weight loss. The use is 'off-label' – doctors can prescribe a medicine in a different way than stipulated in its licence if they follow official guidelines – as there is little scientific research to show that it works and is safe. Nevertheless, the practice is becoming increasingly popular with people who want to shift a few pounds but fall outside the drugs' target market of patients who are obese, overweight or diabetic. Promoted by health influencers on social media, microdosing first became popular in the US, where the costs of the drugs are much higher – Novo Nordisk's Wegovy has a list price of $1,349 (£997) a month while Eli Lilly's Mounjaro is $1,080. Now the trend is catching on in the UK. The Healand clinic in Leicester has been offering a microdose treatment for about a year, priced from £175 a month including support. Healand has 750 patients on it so far, who start on a fifth of the normal dose. Dr Omar Babar, the reassuring figure speaking in its promotional video, tells the Guardian that microdosing benefits perimenopausal women who, because of hormonal changes, gain weight and struggle with fatigue and brain fog. His clinic also attracts men in their 30s as well as older men up to age 70. 'The idea is not to feel so suppressed, not to feel like you can't eat any more,' Babar says. 'The idea is that you just get a bit more gentle suppression of cravings. A lot of people use it to help curb their alcohol consumption as well.' His clients typically lose between 5kg (11lb) and 10kg. Nearly all work out several times a week and a lot are in 'high-functioning jobs' and want 'a bit more control over their health', Babar says. The Aestha clinic, in central London, also offers the treatment as a way to lose a little weight or slim down more gradually – its website describes its 'refined approach to GLP-1 therapy, utilising about a tenth of standard dosing protocols' – as do pharmacies in Hertfordshire and Kent. The trend has been gaining traction since last October, when Dr Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford University school of medicine and podcaster, posted an interview on X with the 'performance medicine expert' Dr Craig Koniver, who hailed it as a 'gamechanger'. Koniver says it helps to avoid the loss of lean muscle mass through more gradual weight loss and does away with 'Ozempic face' – a gaunt look that rapid weight loss sometimes causes. Microdosing as a term originally referred to using tiny quantities of psychedelics to treat mental health problems. In the case of GLP-1 jabs, it involves counting clicks on the pre-filled pen to deliver less than the recommended amount. Users hope to limit side-effects, such as vomiting, cut the cost and experience other health benefits, despite the low dose. Over the past 10 weeks, Jade, a 32-year-old from London, has been injecting 1mg of Mounjaro every Monday – less than half the standard starting dose of 2.5mg – to reduce inflammation and pain caused by endometriosis, while losing some weight. 'The inflammation is completely gone,' she says. 'I'm not in any pain, whereas in severe pain I'm crying, lying on the floor in absolute agony. I've not had any side-effects from Mounjaro because I'm using such a small dose.' She is pleased to have also lost just over a stone (6.4kg). 'It took away a bit of the food noise. I wasn't necessarily thinking about food like I normally do.' Jade spends £13 a week on Mounjaro – 'which is nothing, you spend more in Marks & Spencer on lunch'. Demand for what have been hailed as 'miracle drugs' has spawned a wave of online weight management companies that have registered with the Care Quality Commission to sell the medications in the UK. Those companies include Voy, Manual, Juniper, Numan and CheqUp. In May CheqUp struck a partnership with Weight Watchers as part of the brand's shift away from dieting after filing for bankruptcy in the US earlier in the month. However, as of this week online pharmacies are no longer allowed to run adverts for weight-loss injections, after the advertising watchdog cracked down on what has been described as a 'wild west' culture of online selling: in the UK prescription only-medications cannot be promoted to the public. Use of the drugs has soared in recent months: CheqUp estimates 1.25 million people take GLP-1s in the UK; the health data firm IQVIA puts the number at 1.5 million. The vast majority buy them privately because the NHS has restricted treatment to the most obese patients. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion James Hunt, deputy chief executive of CheqUp, talks of a revolution. 'We have never had a category of medication which has tempted 1.25 million people to say, actually, I'm going to forgo the NHS, I'm going to look after myself and self-medicate.' He estimates that 80% of GLP-1 users are women and a fifth are men, even though the obesity split in the population is 50-50. Wegovy and Mounjaro are available to buy through private prescription in the UK at all the big high street pharmacy chains and online pharmacies. Prices for a month's supply for Mounjaro range from £129 to £249, depending on dosage. Prices for Wegovy range from £119 to £299. To be eligible, people must have a BMI of 30 or over, or 27 to 29 with at least one other weight-related health problem, such as diabetes. They need to complete an online form with questions about their weight and medical history. New rules from the General Pharmaceutical Council mean people should also have an in-person or video consultation, or supporting information from their GP or medical records, to be approved. The drugs work by mimicking the gut hormone GLP-1, which regulates blood sugar levels and appetite. Research suggests there are benefits beyond weight loss. A study published in January found the drugs reduced the risk of 42 diseases, including heart disease, cancer, clotting disorders, Alzheimer's, chronic kidney disease, addiction and a range of psychiatric conditions. However, hundreds of people taking the medications have reported pancreas-linked problems, prompting health officials to launch fresh research into the drugs' side-effects. While CheqUp, Voy, Juniper and Numan stick to guidelines from Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and do not promote GLP-1 microdosing, many health influencers on social media advocate it as 'personalised dosing', targeting perimenopausal women aged 35-plus in particular. Some athletes also say they microdose to help with weight loss and performance. The US health influencer Dr Tyna Moore promotes microdosing not just for weight loss but to help with conditions such as high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases and brain fog. Her $2,300 online course, GLP-1s Done Right University, includes advice on microdosing, but she advises against self-dosing and urges users to find a 'longevity doc' who prioritises lifestyle. In the UK, Graham Phillips describes himself as 'the pharmacist who gave up drugs' and runs two pharmacies, in Letchworth and Broadstairs, that offer a 'prolongevity' programme that promotes weight loss through natural means, such as cutting out ultra-processed foods and monitoring blood glucose levels. Some of his clients are given the 2.5mg starting dose of Mounjaro less frequently than the standard weekly dosage. 'You may not need one at all, but without doubt, some people, even if they're following all our recommendations, they really struggle with … appetite control and food addiction,'Phillips says. 'Using a microdose, you can often switch that off.' Many doctors and health experts are wary of the practice, however, saying it can lead to unpredictable outcomes. The Lancet said in an article in February: 'The practice of microdosing drugs is not new, but there is no evidence that it works for obesity.' Ann Marie Defnet, a bariatric surgeon at Northwell Health, New York state's largest healthcare provider, says in its health publication the Well: 'Clinical trials are where we figure out whether a treatment is both effective and safe. And none of the big GLP-1 trials studied anything like 'microdosing'. So right away, if you're going off-label, you're stepping into the unknown.'
