A subtherapeutic dose of a drug is known as a microdose. It has become synonymous with small, regular dosing of psychedelics such as mushrooms or LSD. The practice has been anecdotally popular amongst individuals; though, there’s little research on how effective these tiny doses of psychedelics are.
Researchers from Israeli pharma-tech company Syqe Medical have recently conducted a clinical trial on the efficiency of microdosing THC to treat chronic pain. The results of the experiment indicate that minute doses of THC may reduce pain sensation without inducing psychoactive side effects. The research was published in the European Journal of Pain on May 23.
Syqe Medical developed the first-of-its-kind Syge inhaler, which allows for precise cannabis dosing at low levels. Participants used this inhaler during the trial. The researchers recruited 27 participants with chronic neuropathic pain for the randomized, double-blinded, and placebo-controlled trial.
Each participant received one inhaled dose across three separate test days, containing either 1,000 micrograms (1mg) of THC, 500 micrograms (0.5 mg), or a placebo. “Both doses, but not the placebo, demonstrated a significant reduction in pain intensity compared with baseline and remained stable for 150‐min. The 1‐mg dose showed a significant pain decrease compared to the placebo,” the researchers wrote in the study.
Elon Eisenberg, the study’s lead researcher, said:
We can conclude from the study results that low doses of cannabis may provide desirable effects while avoiding cognitive debilitations, significantly contributing to daily functioning, quality of life, and safety of the patient. The doses given in this study, being so low, mandate very high precision in the treatment modality.
However, the study had a small group, and the trial only investigated the short-term effect of a single THC microdose. Therefore, no official conclusion can be made about the efficacy or safety of long-term THC microdosing.
Perry Davidson, the CEO of Syqe, explained:
The Syqe drug delivery technology is also applicable to opioids and other compounds that, while potentially effective, are notoriously associated with dangerous side effects. The introduction of a tool to prescribe medications at such low doses with such high resolution may allow us to achieve treatment outcomes that previously were not possible.
Regardless, this new trial validates that the Syqe Inhaler is a useful tool for administering precise microgram doses of THC, which previously has been difficult to measure. Davidson suggests the technology can also be applied to compounds other than THC, allowing for accurate microdoses of other medicines.
