Psychedelics‍‌‍‍‌ are the talk of the town right now. The conversation about mushrooms and microdosing, mainly for depression or productivity, is going on among yoga instructors and tech bros. What about ADHD and autism, though? That is the hidden secret that nobody is talking about, and it is important for a significant number of ‍‌‍‍‌people. ADHD meds work well for some and make others feel terrible. For autism, there are barely any drugs that help with the core aspects anyway.

So can psychedelics actually do anything here? Let’s figure this out.

What We’re Even Talking About

Psychedelics are substances that make your brain work differently for a while. The main ones: magic mushrooms (psilocybin), LSD, MDMA (Molly/ecstasy), and DMT (in ayahuasca). These mess with serotonin in your brain, changing how you see, feel, and think about things.

Quick Rundown on ADHD and Autism

ADHD is when your brain’s dopamine system is playing on hard mode. You can’t focus on boring stuff, but get yourself started on something interesting, and suddenly it’s 4 am, and you forgot to eat dinner. Time doesn’t work right. Your emotions go from 0 to 100 for no reason.

Autism shows up differently in different people. The grocery store might feel like someone’s stabbing your eardrums. Making eye contact feels wrong. Small talk seems pointless. You notice patterns other people miss. Change throws your whole day off.

Funny thing - these two overlap way more than most people realize. Something like half of autistic folks also have ADHD.

What Do We Actually Know? (Spoiler: Not Much)

The‍‌‍‍‌ frustrating part is that there aren't any real studies on the use of psychedelics for treating ADHD or autism. Instead, researchers have focused these studies mainly on depression, PTSD, and ‍‌‍‍‌addiction.

There was one study in 2021 where they asked autistic adults about using psilocybin. Just “hey, you tried mushrooms, how’d it go?” People said they felt less anxious socially and could handle change better. But that doesn’t prove anything.

MDMA works incredibly well for PTSD in actual trials. Some researchers think that maybe it could help autistic people with social anxiety since it makes you feel connected and safe. But nobody’s tested it yet.

ADHD is where things get really unclear. Go on any ADHD forum, and you’ll see people arguing about microdosing. Half say it’s life-changing. The other half says it made their brain fog worse. Makes sense when you think about it - ADHD is a dopamine thing, psychedelics work on serotonin. How would that even help? Nobody really knows.

What’s Actually Happening With Real People

Tons of people with ADHD and autism have already tried this stuff. Their experiences are completely all over the place.

Some have profound experiences - anxiety drops for the first time in years, and they can handle emotions without falling apart. Autistic people stuck in thought patterns suddenly think more flexibly. ADHD people who can’t sit still find unexpected calm.

There’s this guy on Twitter who posted about how one mushroom trip helped him stop hating his ADHD. He’d spent years trying to force his brain to work “normally.” After the trip, he just accepted his brain works differently and started building his life around that instead. Said it stuck with him for over a year.

But then you’ve got horror stories. People whose sensory issues went from annoying to unbearable. Someone posted about every sound feeling like it was scraping the inside of her skull for six hours. Called it traumatic.

Another person with ADHD said microdosing made him scattered and anxious for weeks. Couldn’t work or focus on anything.

Why Is Everyone’s Experience So Different?

Because brains are complicated, and neurodivergent brains are even more complicated.

Your specific brain chemistry matters. If you’re already sensory sensitive, psychedelics might make that worse. Or dial it down temporarily. There’s no way to predict.

Whatever else is going on matters too - depression, anxiety, trauma, and undiagnosed bipolar. All of that changes what happens.

Where you are when you take them matters a ton. Quiet room with people you trust? Probably fine. Loud party with strangers? Not great.

And obviously, dose matters. Taking a tiny amount is completely different from taking a lot.

The Microdosing Craze

Microdosing is taking such a small amount that you don’t actually trip - no hallucinations, just maybe subtle changes. Usually, like a tenth of a normal dose.

ADHD communities online are obsessed with this. People are ditching prescriptions for tiny doses of mushrooms or LSD. They say focus gets better without the Adderall crash.

Here’s the problem: when researchers test this properly - giving some people real microdoses and others fake pills without telling them which - both groups feel about the same. The real drug doesn’t beat the placebo.

Does that mean it’s useless? Maybe not. If you feel better and your life improves, does it matter whether it’s the drug or your expectations?

You cannot Be Careless About Safety.

When you’ve tried everything else, and nothing works, you’re desperate. But psychedelics can seriously mess you up if you’re not careful.

You need a medical screening first. Bipolar disorder can get triggered or worse. If schizophrenia runs in your family, this is a terrible idea. Heart problems mean physical risk.

Legal stuff varies wildly. Most places, they’re still illegal. Some cities decriminalized them. Oregon and Colorado have legal therapeutic programs.

If you try this, start absurdly low. Neurodivergent brains often react more intensely to everything.

Don’t do this by yourself. Trained guides are ideal but expensive. Bare minimum, have someone you completely trust stay with you.

Be realistic about your sensory stuff. If Target on Saturday afternoon overwhelms you, what do you think psychedelics will feel like?

Never mix with other drugs or medications. Psychedelics plus SSRIs can be dangerous. Psychedelics plus stimulants strain your heart. People die from mixing things.

Where Research Is Going

Psychedelic research stopped for decades because of the War on Drugs. Now it’s coming back fast.

Actual clinical trials for ADHD and autism specifically are starting to happen. Finally. These will give us real data instead of Reddit posts.

Brain scanning technology keeps getting better. Researchers can watch what psychedelics do to different types of brains in real time.

Eventually, we might get personalized approaches - genetic testing or brain scans that predict who’ll benefit and who’s at high risk.

Should You Try This?

Can’t answer that for you. Depends on your situation, what risks you're okay with, and what you’re hoping for.

Possibly‍‌‍‍‌ think about it when: your anxiety or depression needs to get better after you have already tried regular treatments, you can have legal and supervised experiences, a competent doctor has examined you, and you are willing to do therapy in connection with the experience.

Absolutely not when you have mental or physical health issues that increase your risk, you are taking medicines that react badly, you become extremely anxious or paranoid very quickly, or you do not have adequate ‍‌‍‍‌support.

Bottom Line

Do psychedelics connect to ADHD and autism? We’re honestly still figuring it out. Some people clearly get benefits, especially for anxiety and depression that come with neurodivergence. Some get nothing. Some have bad experiences.

There’s no universal solution. Psychedelics might help you. Might do nothing. Might make things worse. You can’t know without trying, and trying has real risks.

If you’re curious, go slow. Be careful. Put safety first. Work with people who know what they’re doing if possible. Don’t believe everything online, including this.

Research is moving fast now. Next few years, we’ll probably know a lot more. Until then, stay curious but cautious. Ask questions. Want evidence. Trust your gut about what's right for your specific brain.

That’s really all anyone can tell you right now.

Do Psychedelic Drugs Have a Connection to ADHD and Autism?