When is Microdosing the Best Answer?

Most of us consume cannabis because we enjoy the way it makes us feel – but there are thousands out there who are only looking for the medicinal qualities of the plant. For those patients, the buzz from the THC is not nearly as important as the potential benefits like increased appetite, reduced pain or improved mood. For those who are looking for any of these side effects of THC, without getting yourself buzzed, microdosing is probably the best way to go. In fact, in some cases, microdosing can be the difference between effective medicine, and a recreational activity.

“When you raise the dose sometimes you get diminished benefits, and sometimes you get the opposite of what you are looking for,” says Dustin Sulak, an osteopathic physician based in Maine who treats many of his patients with small doses of cannabis.

One example of a condition where a little THC can go a long way is with anxiety. While a small dose of THC can leave you feeling relaxed and euphoric, higher doses may leave you feeling paranoid and anxious – which if you’re trying to treat anxiety is the exact opposite of what you want. In this case, it would be better to start with a small dose (around 5 milligrams) of THC to start with – it may be all you need to get you through the day.

“If I see someone with multiple sclerosis who is in the middle of a flare-up and having a really hard time, she may need a higher dose to get the symptoms under control,” he says. “But as she gets well and heals, her daily dose will go down and down and down, until the point where microdosing becomes a maintenance plan.”

There have been several studies that suggest microdosing is the best way to treat certain conditions with cannabinoid therapy. A 2012 study on cancer patients who were unresponsive to even opioids were given low, medium and high doses of a THC/CBD compound – and the best results were found in those receiving the lowest dose.

Another study in 2014 found improvement in multiple conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated insomnia, nightmares, general symptoms of PTSD and chronic pain as well. These results show that in some cases, microdosing is better than consuming higher doses that would be more typical of a recreational consumer.

With new studies being published all the time there is sure to be more information about microdosing to come. However, if you’re interested in trying microdosing for yourself, Evergreen Organix CannaCubes are hard candy lozenges with 5 milligrams of THC per lozenge – and they come in cherry, mango, watermelon, blue raspberry, grape and mint, a flavor for every preference.