What is the difference between the Fadiman protocol and the Stamets Stack?

The Fadiman protocol is a bare schedule: one day on, two days off, usually with a single substance. The Stamets Stack is a schedule plus a recipe plus a theory: four days on, three days off, combining a microdose with Lion's Mane and niacin, built around a neuroplasticity hypothesis.

Which is better for beginners, Fadiman or Stamets?

Fadiman, for most people. Its wide one-on, two-off spacing gives you plenty of ordinary baseline days, which makes the early weeks much easier to interpret. The Stamets Stack is more involved and tends to suit people who already understand their own response.

Can you switch from Fadiman to the Stamets Stack?

Yes. Many people start with Fadiman to learn their baseline, then try the Stamets Stack later if the stacked approach appeals to them. There is no rule that you must pick one forever.

June 22, 2026· 6 min read

Fadiman Protocol vs Stamets Stack: Which Microdosing Schedule?

The Fadiman protocol and the Stamets Stack are the two schedules almost everyone runs into first, and "which one should I do?" is one of the most common questions in microdosing. This guide puts them side by side plainly. It is educational only and does not give amounts.

The short answer

If you are new, start with Fadiman. It is simpler, and its wide spacing makes the early weeks far easier to read. The Stamets Stack is a more involved, theory-driven approach that tends to suit people who already have a feel for their response. Neither is "better" outright; they are built for different things.

Side by side

	Fadiman protocol	Stamets Stack
Schedule	One day on, two days off	Four days on, three days off
Ingredients	Usually a single substance	A microdose plus Lion's Mane and niacin
Philosophy	A clean schedule to observe a baseline	A combination built on a neuroplasticity hypothesis
Baseline days	Plenty (two off per dose)	Fewer per cycle (three off after four on)
Best suited to	Beginners, simplicity, easy reading	The curious and more experienced

What Fadiman is good at

The Fadiman protocol is the classic for a reason. The one-on, two-off rhythm is easy to remember, and the generous off days give you a clear baseline to compare against. That makes it the easiest schedule to actually learn from, which matters most in the early weeks when you are trying to tell a real shift from a good mood. Its simplicity is the feature: one variable, lots of ordinary days, clean signal.

What the Stamets Stack is good at

The Stamets Stack is more ambitious. It pairs the microdose with Lion's Mane and niacin on the theory that the combination may support neuroplasticity more than a microdose alone. The neurogenesis idea is genuinely interesting, though it is a hypothesis built largely on higher-dose and animal research rather than a proven result at microdose levels, which is worth holding in mind. The Stack appeals to people drawn to a stacked, mechanism-led approach rather than a bare schedule.

The real trade-off: baseline days

The most practical difference is how many ordinary days each schedule gives you. Fadiman's two off days per dose mean lots of baseline, lots of clean comparison. The Stack's four-on, three-off rhythm packs more consecutive dose days and leaves proportionally fewer ordinary days per cycle. Those off days still matter as integration days on either schedule, but Fadiman simply gives you more of them, which is exactly why it reads more cleanly for a beginner.

Which should you choose

New to this? Fadiman. Learn your baseline on the simplest possible schedule first.
Drawn to the stacked, mechanism-led idea, and already know your response? The Stamets Stack is a reasonable next step.
Unsure? Start with Fadiman. You can always move to the Stack later; the reverse (starting complex, then simplifying) is harder to learn from.

Whichever you pick, the thing that actually determines whether you learn anything is not the schedule, it is whether you track it. Both rhythms only reveal a pattern if you log the dose days and the off days consistently over a few weeks. That is what Dose Days is built for: it supports both protocols, lays the rhythm out for you, and surfaces the pattern across the whole cycle. Free to start, and private by default.

A note on safety

Microdosing involves controlled substances and an early research base, and the Stamets Stack adds niacin, whose flush can be uncomfortable. None of this is medical advice. The risks are higher for anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, or anyone on other medication. Understand the law where you live and speak to a qualified professional. There is a fuller safety and legal note in the Fadiman protocol guide.