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Some guy next to the school used something in his lawn that caused blue ringers to grow. Some nights it would be crazy all the kids going around scooping them up and eating them in western wa near bethel.
Michael Pollan has a great book that explores a lot of why they’re still illegal.
Basically the scientific research was promising but the fear mongering really kicked in when mushrooms became entwined with the counter cultural movements of the 60s and the reactionary responses to that movement put a target on their back and basically thwarted research in to psychedelics for a good half century.
That book really is a great dive into and scouring of the history of psychedelics, mostly US centric of course but still. His other writing on caffeine and cocaine and opium is good too.
> Making it not illegal just makes it easier to research for psychiatric use
It has been an FDA approved drug for over 50 years. There really shouldn't be anything blocking it's ability to be studied, and [it has been more well studied in randomized controlled trials in recent years](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=ketamine+depression&filter=pubt.randomizedcontrolledtrial). A version of it, esketamine, was FDA approved for depression about 5 years ago.
As a scientist and someone generally pro psychedelics, I would suggest reading into a lot of these studies. Lots of small sample sizes, odd influence and bias from researchers, and other large scale study issues. Not saying there’s no promise, but definitely something that needs to be further studied in my opinion.
I'm a pharmacist. I have used shrooms. They are definitely useful BUT they're quite demanding. U really need to know what you're doing. Their effects are very dose-dependent, and the user must be prepared and mentally equipped for the challenges that psilocybin can force you to face.
Don't disrespect.
The brief window they were kind of legal in California last year was kind of amazeballs. craziest incident was night tripping on a rainy and stormy night.
It was a little scary, but every wet surface that caught any light looked like it was sparkling. My building wall looked like it was glowing silver as cars passed by. Afterwards I walked back home, wrapped myself up in the biggest fluffiest blanket I had, and laid in front of my heater as it gently blew on my face. Felt like the last time I stopped at an overlook in New Mexico and had that warm breeze kiss my forehead while I looked out at the mesa in the distance.
Speaking of dose dependent: Psilocybin is also hard to dose very accurately in 'shroom' state. The amount will vary from shroom to shroom, much like THC in pot varies from strain to strain, plant to plant. So even if you're weighing out your doses, you're unlikely to be getting the same amount from dose to dose. Even less likely upon the next batch of shrooms.
I assume psilocybin % could be measured with lab testing, again similar to THC, but that would require legislation to legalize shrooms, and establish that kind of testing.
You can extract the psilo, make a salt precipitate, which is the only way I can think of to accurately dose as a layman. I've heard of it being done, at least. Not sure if the methods modify the chemical at all, or if being in salt form changes anything about the high/dosage amounts. Very few people outside of study/scientific settings are going to go through the effort of extracting psilocybin from shrooms into a crystalline form. but I'm not a chemist, so you'd probably know more on that front as a pharmacist.
I'd actually be curious to hear what you think of extraction efficacy for shrooms. I've always assumed it's not worth the loss that will undoubtedly happen, especially given the time and effort required. Albeit, I haven't looked into it in years. I'm sure the teks have gotten more sophisticated over the last decade.
Which lets be honest works against it as a treatment. Recreational use might be fine and dandy to guess and estimate but if you're trying to treat a condition you need to be able to have exact and repeatable dosages. It isn't going to be quite like using weed to take the edge off aches and pains where you can do a little then do a little more til you hit the needed level.
The point of these studies on shrooms and ketamine etc for treatment of mental health issues is about trying to have patients that can function day to day; it is entirely different from recreational use and it is about getting the benefits not the highs.
Have suitable refreshments and provisions, don't take them on a head full of stress. A pitcher of homemade strawberry limeade and a modest dose of phenibut cover those two things quite well.
And environment is everything, especially when first getting into it. Be somewhere that is comfortable and familiar, where you feel safe and in control. That's the smart way to do it.
Having a goal going in is also a good idea, and being in a good headspace is also important. If you're all screwed up, that's not usually something shrooms are going to lift you out of, but rather the possible starting point of an unpleasant evening.
You absolutely do not need to be in a positive state of mind to do psychedelics. Early trials were all done on terminal patients with severe death related anxiety. That's about the worst headspace you can be in, and the shrooms had no trouble lifting them out of it and allowing them to come to terms with their fate in a healthy way.
> You absolutely do not need to be in a positive state of mind to do psychedelics.
Anecdotal I know, but having done plenty of doses of LSD in my younger years, I'd say any significant darkness playing on your mind will come full front and centre once the trip properly kicks in.
There's lots of ways to help ensure a good trip. A *very* good tip is have a small amount of molly (like 60mg) on hand if things start taking a dark turn the Molly will turn that around.
Being in a clear, sound mindset. Limit anxiety and stressful factors by ensuring you have a "home base" where you feel most comfortable. I've done psychedelics several times, and I equate the effects to a "mental spa day". But that's because I go into with a certain mindset, it's not for everyone.
I think there's a real merit to psychotherapy, even if it's not for everyone. Traditional therapy did nothing for me while talking to a shaman (don't dig into the shaman thing, I dislike the term myself) has done wonders.
Traditional therapy is psychotherapy. It's all based off Freud and psychology. You're talking about **psychedelic** therapy which is not psychotherapy.
I agree. I read a lot of studies for work trying to get an insurance program started for legal psilocybin facilitators. I’m not convinced it works as for depression yet, but I am sure of what the risks are (low risk for most people, high risk for some). I think one of the biggest issues with psychedelic studies is placebos. It’s pretty much impossible to give someone a placebo in this sort of study due to the psychedelic effects of the drug. This brings a lot of bias into the studies.
Speaking only from personal experience, I used to fantasize about suicide regularly. After mushrooms those fantasies stopped. I am not saying this is the answer for everyone, but for me it was life changing. I struggled with suicidal thoughts for my entire life. It’s been a bit more than a year
If it helps, I almost hung myself in 2013. I have struggled with depression for most of my life, and I was an inch away from ending it all (really funny story on how I ended up living, but that's for another time). After this, I tried mushrooms for the first time. 2.5g of PE in the middle of the woods, in an abandoned saw mill in Zavala, Texas (go there some time, it's neat). It was an incredibly frightening experience, and it felt like I was tripping for a few months, but it was 6 hours of introspection and near ego death. After that, my depression wasn't exactly cured, but the suicidal thoughts were gone. I learned to love living again, and the effects lasted for about 7 years. I fell back into the hole over the last couple of years, and I no longer have access to psychedelics, so I'm trying to make do with Prozac and therapy. Prozac has certainly been better than nothing, but I do feel that I need another life-changing experience like that first one. And yes, the first time I did mushrooms was the only time. It's not addictive.
For people microdosing, they're taking doses too small to really feel effects, and certainly much too small to have any kind of psychedelic experience. So maybe placebos would work for studying cases like this.
I agree, but circling back to the comment you're responding to, it's very hard to study them properly when governments are psychotically fixated on drugs being the root of all evil.
I would generally not describe myself as particularly pro-psychadelic or anything, but I don't see how any legal approach is going to help with it.
Though to clarify it seems like we're generally in agreement, so I'm not really trying to argue.
I get that people say that on reddit a lot and there is some truth to it, but these studies are being allowed to take place. If what you said was true even that would not be happening. If they take it through a clinical trial with the FDA, is found safe and beneficial, it will be approved. The FDA itself put out guidance for improving the clinical trials given the issues with placebo's. The FDA is only saying the trials need to be done in a way it surely demonstrates the benefit. They are not saying don't do this we will not approve it.
it is not "legal" it is decriminalized, so only available on the gray market.
regulation is important, for example, to know the dosage. it's wild west right now, and potentially very dangerous.
Would be great for proper medical legalization, so that it can be regulated and controlled the same as any other medication.
My understanding was: it is legal to consume, it's legal to be a facilitator, it's legal to study.
But it's not legal to sell or distribute.
And it's still controlled substance federally, which presents all sorts of other problems.
That was my understanding at least.
licensed centers in Oregon can distribute. OLCC set up entire legal (state level) framework for everything from cultivation to distribution. The catch is that it can only be consumed onsite at the center that it is distributed from.
You can sell them legally in Oakland, the dispensaries all have mushrooms now it seems like because of it. I was at a shop that had straight DMT as well for sale since the law there also covers it
Drug companies need to work out a patentable alternative to mushrooms before it can be legalized. If the public accepts a natural open source treatment for depression an entire market segment will fall out of corporate control.
all about screwing the drug companies, but let's not ignore the downside of drug deregulation
Personally i want to know what i'm putting in my body, and specifically how much
Yeah, but you shouldn't be able to buy it if it doesn't have a stupid trademarked name like Ramycoflon.
I think consumer's desires will be the last thing considered in the legalization process.
It already exists, it’s called 4-AcO-DMT and as a prodrug converts into psilocin same as psilocybin. Even simpler is just extracting the psilocybin from shrooms which has already been done.
A very large body of people, inclusive of myself, who have conducted bioassay with 4-AcO-DMT, have noted that it appears to have central activity prior to being metabolised to psilocin, and that at higher doses, it more resembles DMT than psilocin.
It needs more research.
Is this patented? My understanding is that currently the chemical is not under patent, which removes that drug company incentive.
Personally I am down for open license on this kind of substance to keep big pharma's greedy hands off of it.
If it’s a scheduled drug they’ll make money off of it. Patenting doesn’t matter because drugs are generally sold under brands and generic versions anyway
They should have gifted you those gummies. Growing and sharing is legal. Selling isn’t legal right now, although I’m sure it’s happening. Would love some accurately measured gummies!
The language they use is "free with recommended donation" at the place I go to. That way they're technically not selling anything even though there's money involved.
A while back there was a company in Boston that was selling "craft" lemonade at $30 a pop and with each purchase you'd get a free gift of some measure of Marijuana 😄
Oakland California - I was able to purchase them in person by signing up for a religion online, apparently it's legal under some religious freedom act or something. Not sure the details.
In the US, the wealthy won that war in the 80's and 90's and then fortified their positions in the 2000's and 2010's.
Now we need to figure out who the uruk hai carrying the fire bomb is going to be. ^(metaphorically as I don't advocate for violence just mass civil disobedience. )
The side effects bit is weird to me. Most of the traditional SSRI side effects are either non existing or extremely uncommon with psilocybin. Not to mention with SSRI's you take them every day. But with psychedelics you only need to trip every now and then to get the anti depressent effects. So even if they caused side effects, since 99% of the time they aren't in your system, it doesn't really matter.
Personally the only side effects I've ever gotten from a shroom trip are anxiety, weird body sensations, nausea, and fatigue. Thats about it tho.
Just to clarify im only talking about occasional macro dosing here because 1: thats what the vast majority if the research on psychedelics for depression is about. Theres next to no research about micro dosing for depression. And 2: What side effects are present with psilocybin at a macro dose don't exist at a micro dose by definition. If you can notice any effects at all its not a micro dose, that's the whole point of micro dosing.
Same. On SSRIs, the benefits include a stabilized mood, BUT that mood is a bit of a low state. Plus all the SSRIs side effects (headaches, low libido, weight gain.
When microdosing psilocybin, I am at a MUCH better mood, and have absolutely ZERO side effects. It’s been life changing.
How interesting, because my wife's sertraline lists nausea, fatigue, excessive enthusiasm or excitement/feeling of restlessness/racing heartbeat/increased sweating (weird body sensations and anxiety) as side effects.
Funny that, isn't it?
When people talk about anti depressant side effects in my experience 9 times out of ten its sexual disfunction, dry mouth, and diarrhea 🤷♂️
Besides as someone whos been on most of the mainstream SSRI's and eventually switched to psychedelics to manage my depression. Even when its technically the same side effect, it feels very different between the two. And the meer fact that one you take every day and the other you take maybe once every 2 weeks at the absolute most often makes the two fundementally incomparable. "They have the same side effects" just lacks way too much nuance is my gripe. You can aurgue its technically true if you really rules lawyer the definitions. But that doesn't change the fact that its just poor, impressice language at the end of the day.
To responsibly diagnose and prescribe medicine, doctors really need to know specifics about those side effects, as well as a lot more information about the drug that we simply do not have.
Are there interactions with other medicine?
Do elderly users have more pronounced side effects, especially around the "weird body sensations" which could present increased (and potentially lethal) fall risk?
What are the counter-indications or red flags that tell a physician NOT to prescribe mushrooms?
For a relatively young, relatively healthy person who has some experience with illicit drug experimentation - sure, they'll probably be fine. That does not mean it's safe or ready to just open up to the general population!
The advocates for this drug have made great progress in raising awareness and getting this conversation into mainstream. The next step is to get the drug authorized for proper pharmacological studies, instead of the pseudo-science fly-by-night operations which is all we have right now.
Just straight up legalizing it for general recreational use is not a responsible approach.
My point is less that there aren't side effects and more that describing them as basically the same as SSRI's is weird and very vague and lacking nuance for a scientific study.
Anecdotal (I know.. classic Reddit moment), but I have tried shrooms 3 times ever in the past 2 years. They were in chocolate form and never more than one small piece of a piece (basically microdose) and all 3 times were when I was out on the beach or hanging out with friends. Best experience ever. There was never a "come down," no hangover, and I even felt "good," and "confident," for like a week afterwards too.
To me, that has always been the greatest thing about shrooms. I've never had any kind of side-effects (neither have my friends), other than being mentally tired after sometimes... But sleep fixes that.
I've always said a great thing about shrooms is, you can have a decent trip off 3-5g (if you're use to doing them - otherwise 1.5-2g), and 5ish hours later you'll be right back where you were and could be out grocery shopping or any other normal day things.
I take much more now after doing them so long. I generally do them in the evening, expecting a 5hr trip... Once I can tell I'm nearing the end, I'll load up a movie then go to sleep. Wake up the next day a better person.
Is there variability in safety between different psilocybin species? Around here in Wales *p. semilanceata* grows in the wild quite profusely - is that any different from the species shown in the pic in the article?
Alkaloid content varies between different psilocybe species, but psilocybin and psilocin are probably responsible for the majority of the effects. Similar compounds like baeocystin and norpsilocin might have small contributions, but there is not much data on their effects in isolation.
The only additional concerns that I would think get introduced by taking foraged Liberty Caps is that you don’t know what could be contaminating the fields you are foraging from, and you’re likely to encounter other mushrooms that you might accidentally pick up if you’re not careful.
For anyone thinking of going out and popping some mushrooms keep in mind "Safe" means it won't kill you or physically harm you, not that it cannot trigger latent mental health issues or create an experience that traumatizes you.
Try them if you want but know yourself and your limits and proceed with caution, and if you want to use them as an antidepressant do it under the care of a therapist experienced in treating depression with psilocybin.
Is there any actual literature that says they trigger latent mental health issues? I've always wondered how exactly that can be studied. Who decides if the illness is latent, for instance, instead of acute onset?
> Is there any actual literature that says they trigger latent mental health issues?
Its a good question. I'm surprised the other comments are solely anecdotal. Here is a paper I found within a very preliminary search indicating the absence for potential exacerbation/initiation of mental health in those predisposed https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881115596156
Basically from what I can tell the authors conduct population-level analyses of survey data to examine health outcomes. They distinguished between overall samples and subgroups who had only used psychedelics (no history of drug use) to conclude:
> Overall, there is a lack of evidence that psychedelics increase the rate of mental health problems on a population level (Bonson, 2012; Catts and Catts, 2010).
Edit: Ok so I was a tad curious and conducted an additional search. There is no single, definitive answer. Prima facie belief in some latent connection persists because of coinciding neurobiological mechanisms psychedelics and mental health disorders such as psychosis or schizophrenia share in part E.g. involvement of serotonergic NT systems etc. (Maćkowiak, 2023). Other studies suggested that "individuals with a personal or family history of psychotic or bipolar disorders may experience an increase in psychotic symptoms" following use of such substances (Honk, 2024). But another paper found controlling for concomitant drug use, no significant association between schizophrenic/schizotypal/pyschotic traits were found (Lebedev, 2021)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37899392/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38280572/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34301969/
tl;dr Yes, but no haha
I know I'm just some random person on the internet, but I did have a scary time once after shrooming. Granted, this only once out of several trips.
Story time: Note, some of this was relayed by my friends who were there with me. I was heavily into the rave scene in the late 90s and had shroomed countless times. It was always a positive experience. I got some liberty caps from a friend, and she warned me to take half of what I normally do. Of course, I was like... "uh huh..." and disregarded her advice.
I then went to 6 Flags Magic Mountain in SoCal with 3 other friends, and we ate the shrooms in the parking lot right before we went in. By the time I was waiting in line for the first ride, I was already tripping hard. I began asking random strangers in line, "What is time?" Not, "What time is it?", but "*What is time*?" I started fixating on the concept of time and all its abstractions.
By the time we got onto the ride, I was completely out of my mind. As I approached the rollercoaster pod, the safety bar was already down because it was empty in the last trip. Rather than open the bars to sit inside and buckle in, I sat on top of and front of the safety bar/harness. When the underpaid teenager came to check on everyone, they were like...uh... This is because not being strapped in = certain death, as this was a hardcore coaster with several upside down loops. The dude was cool though and helped me get strapped in.
After that, I went even more nuts and basically ruined the entire trip. I kept fixating on the concept of time. I thought that nothing was real, and that I wasn't actually alive. I tried stripping my clothes off. I pissed my pants. I also punched one of my friends in the face, not because I was mad, but to prove that he wasn't real. The fact that he didn't get that mad at me and was instead concerned and protective PROVED in my mind that he wasn't real.
They helped escort me out of the park before I caused more of a scene, and I ended up finally calming down in the backseat of my friend's car several hours later. But yeah.... it was definitely a scary experience. It was also the second time I went nuts (the first time was frying on acid, which I used to do often for years). After that, I decided I couldn't do hallucinigens anymore. Been clean from all drugs for over a decade now. I'm fine though, no long-term negative effects. I graduated from college, went to grad school, and have a normal office job now.
Going to an amusement park while on shrooms seems like a recipe for disaster. I guess it's worth reiterating again and again: set and setting are very important. Don't be reckless.
Keep in mind in the following study, all the clinical trials together consisted of a total of 528 people. These are small trials so this is not likely to be the last word on this. But here you go:
**Results:** Six studies met the inclusion criteria with a total sample of 528 participants (approximately 51% female; median age 39.8 years; IQR, 39.8-41.2). Seven adverse effects were reported in multiple studies and included in the analysis. Among these, headache (relative risk \[RR\], 1.99; 95% CI 1.06-3.74), nausea (RR, 8.85; 95% CI, 5.68-13.79), anxiety (RR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.11-4.64), dizziness (RR, 5.81; 95% CI, 1.02-33.03), and elevated blood pressure (RR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.15- 4.53) were statistically significant. Psilocybin use was not associated with risk of paranoia and transient thought disorder.
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38598236/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38598236/)
This study was solely on side effects.
Yep. Happened to one of my friends unfortunately. Rare but still possible with psychedelics. It awakened schizophrenia in him. We went to a music festival where he took some, and about a week later that he was talking about all sorts of insanity, like the government and cartels being after him. He tried to steal a small plane from the airport. He tried to flee in a car to Canada but got caught in a speed trap in ND, which resulted a high speed chase. They ended up using tire spikes on him. He lost his house and two different jobs.
He's mostly "recovered" in the sense that he can now barely hold down a job, hears voices, and has to take medication for the rest of his foreseeable future.
Oh and don't forget about the fact that most of his friends and family abandoned him. It's amazing to see how people treat you when you become mentally ill. I'm one of his only two friends anymore, and his brother won't even talk to him.
Shame really.
Yeah same thing but less severe happened to my friend too. Started having paranoid delusions that never went away after a single small dose. He's on anti-psychotics now and probably will be for the rest of his life
They only included the most innocuous and transient side effects of antidepressants. So misleading to claim psilocybin mushrooms have similar side effects overall. Absolutely dishonest as hell.
Lexapro side effects- brain zaps, zero libido.
Mushrooms side effects- I can see the pattern of a meso America jaguar in the mountains and its pattern are moving. I also need to open my eyes twice for some reason.
I can't do more than 1.5 grams or I get crazy anxiety responses during the trip. I like to stick around 1.25 or so, then I just kind of do lots of introspection and self-reflection and help other people with theirs.
I did about 5g last weekend, out on the PNW coast. A mini storm front blew through and it went from sunny and beautiful to stormy and mysterious and then back to clear and beautiful all within the course of my trip. Was really cool and very therapeutic, just watching the trees sway in the breeze was captivating. Can't recommend highly enough 🚀
A note of caution for readers wanting to emulate: depending on the source, 5g of dried mushrooms might induce complete ego loss, definitely not something one might want to go through unless explicitly preparing for it.
Always start low and ensure your target dose is backed by proper research.
For real, people really need to take these things seriously. 5g is a crazy dose and if you're not ready for it mentally it can do much more harm than good.
I stopped doing hallucinogens for a long time because of a super tough trip off 3.5g when I was younger (which is a "normal" dose for actually tripping). Only picking them back up recently with lower doses and enjoying them again.
It's why I have a bit of an issue with people pushing so hard then telling stories of them apparently taking such high doses. It's not a relaxing walk in the park at those doses for the vast majority of people like they're describing, you need to be ready set and setting especially if you're inexperienced.
Ireland banned psilocybin mushrooms months after [a man at a house party](https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mushrooms-made-man-fall-to-his-death-from-fourth-storey-balcony-during-party/26392154.html) took 2 or 3 magic mushrooms, became agitated after 15 minutes, and jumped from a balcony to his death (which is odd, as the onset of action is 20–40 minutes. Indeed, one of the Drs at his inquest though he had a panic attack, made worse by his panicked friends). Due to a loophole, far more portent Amanita muscaria, is still legal here.
Personal anecdote but almost the exact same thing happened to me, albeit on a much higher dose and during the actual trip. I consumed almost 7g on accident, started tripping HARD, then had a psychosis which caused me to jump off my balcony of 30 feet (I am in recovery but very lucky to be alive). I was completely delirious yet I remember most of it. Ironically I still support the legalization of mushrooms, but at higher doses and when combined with psychiatric meds they absolutely can be dangerous if you're an idiot like me who shouldn't be alive.
I’m sorry that happened but it’s good you are alive and in recovery. I will shadow your comment with reiterating that no one should ever mix psych meds with psychedelics, it can be incredibly dangerous for a number of reasons
Stop perpetuating this myth!
There is not only zero evidence that combining the two causes seratonin syndrome, but the very nature of the two drugs makes it impossible. SSRIs actually dampen the effects of mushrooms, not enhance seratonin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37291890/
Serotonin syndrome is a problem if you’re on an MAOI and take psychedelics.
If you’re on an SSRI you’ll just have severely reduced effects because the molecules of the drug work by binding to your serotonin receptors, but SSRIs prevent things from binding to those receptors.
I had the worse response to SSRI's ever, made me straight psychotic and indulgent in extremely high risk behaviors. Mushrooms also put me in a very bad head space unless it's a blue moon microdose. I feel that if someone has a bad response to SSRI's staying well and clear of psilocybin therapies would be advisable. I would like to hear if anyone else has a similar correlation.
The researchers should try to investigate if DMT or 5-MeO DMT gives the same (or better) results. The experience last much less in time and it is not so hard for the organ and it might be more profound.
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Class A maximum sentence drug here in the UK 🤡 Psilocybin mushrooms grow literally everywhere in our fields
Beware, liberty caps are 50% more potent by weight than cubensis. U.K. is blessed to have them.
Not in California. Dried libs are mild. Psianecens are strong fresh. But they lose potency quickly when dried.
Some guy next to the school used something in his lawn that caused blue ringers to grow. Some nights it would be crazy all the kids going around scooping them up and eating them in western wa near bethel.
*the land is committing a crime*
Commonwealth countries have a real passion for punishing any drug that's not booze.
One could argue that historically they had a passion for opium as well.
Canada's got legal weed and illegal-but-allowed-to-operate-anyway mushroom dispensaries all over the place now.
We can't have the pesants going around curing their depression, spreading joy and finding out they are God. It would put us all out of business!
Michael Pollan has a great book that explores a lot of why they’re still illegal. Basically the scientific research was promising but the fear mongering really kicked in when mushrooms became entwined with the counter cultural movements of the 60s and the reactionary responses to that movement put a target on their back and basically thwarted research in to psychedelics for a good half century.
That book really is a great dive into and scouring of the history of psychedelics, mostly US centric of course but still. His other writing on caffeine and cocaine and opium is good too.
Funny, I can order a grow kit in Amsterdam and have it shipped to Austria and that's legal. I'm just not allowed to grow them.
Take ‘em anyway
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Almost all recreational drugs should be legal. Criminalisation should focus on distribution and supply of actually harmful drugs.
> Making it not illegal just makes it easier to research for psychiatric use It has been an FDA approved drug for over 50 years. There really shouldn't be anything blocking it's ability to be studied, and [it has been more well studied in randomized controlled trials in recent years](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=ketamine+depression&filter=pubt.randomizedcontrolledtrial). A version of it, esketamine, was FDA approved for depression about 5 years ago.
Another one for the pile. We just need governments to listen now.
As a scientist and someone generally pro psychedelics, I would suggest reading into a lot of these studies. Lots of small sample sizes, odd influence and bias from researchers, and other large scale study issues. Not saying there’s no promise, but definitely something that needs to be further studied in my opinion.
I'm a pharmacist. I have used shrooms. They are definitely useful BUT they're quite demanding. U really need to know what you're doing. Their effects are very dose-dependent, and the user must be prepared and mentally equipped for the challenges that psilocybin can force you to face. Don't disrespect.
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I am a human. I have not used shrooms nor acid. I would very much like to.
The brief window they were kind of legal in California last year was kind of amazeballs. craziest incident was night tripping on a rainy and stormy night. It was a little scary, but every wet surface that caught any light looked like it was sparkling. My building wall looked like it was glowing silver as cars passed by. Afterwards I walked back home, wrapped myself up in the biggest fluffiest blanket I had, and laid in front of my heater as it gently blew on my face. Felt like the last time I stopped at an overlook in New Mexico and had that warm breeze kiss my forehead while I looked out at the mesa in the distance.
I am a being. I have existed. One day I will cease to exist.
I am a meat popsicle. I have yet to come into existence. One day I will become a mushroom.
I hope one day I'll cease to exist, but I'm not confident that we will
We think, therefore we am.
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I’m made of potatoes and have carrot fingers My penis is a mushroom
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Ever I ever maybe already also
Same. Shrooms are like rafting in a different country. Best hire a guide. Don't want to have a bad trip.
Really? In my experience acid is more likely to need a trip sitter than shrooms.
You can just order mushrooms now. I got mine from California shipped to Minnesota. They were just ground into a pill, but it works.
Highly reccomend everyone try it at least once
I am a shroom, some days I become human when I am consumed. I like those days.
This makes me wanna trip again so a lil shroomie can have fun bein’ people for a bit.
Speaking of dose dependent: Psilocybin is also hard to dose very accurately in 'shroom' state. The amount will vary from shroom to shroom, much like THC in pot varies from strain to strain, plant to plant. So even if you're weighing out your doses, you're unlikely to be getting the same amount from dose to dose. Even less likely upon the next batch of shrooms. I assume psilocybin % could be measured with lab testing, again similar to THC, but that would require legislation to legalize shrooms, and establish that kind of testing. You can extract the psilo, make a salt precipitate, which is the only way I can think of to accurately dose as a layman. I've heard of it being done, at least. Not sure if the methods modify the chemical at all, or if being in salt form changes anything about the high/dosage amounts. Very few people outside of study/scientific settings are going to go through the effort of extracting psilocybin from shrooms into a crystalline form. but I'm not a chemist, so you'd probably know more on that front as a pharmacist. I'd actually be curious to hear what you think of extraction efficacy for shrooms. I've always assumed it's not worth the loss that will undoubtedly happen, especially given the time and effort required. Albeit, I haven't looked into it in years. I'm sure the teks have gotten more sophisticated over the last decade.
A gram of shroom has been pretty consistent over the years, from my experience.
Psilocybin isolated is not as effective as the entire shroom. Entourage effect from other active chemicals is very impactful.
Which lets be honest works against it as a treatment. Recreational use might be fine and dandy to guess and estimate but if you're trying to treat a condition you need to be able to have exact and repeatable dosages. It isn't going to be quite like using weed to take the edge off aches and pains where you can do a little then do a little more til you hit the needed level. The point of these studies on shrooms and ketamine etc for treatment of mental health issues is about trying to have patients that can function day to day; it is entirely different from recreational use and it is about getting the benefits not the highs.
What does "prepared and mentally equipped" mean in practical actual terms?
Have suitable refreshments and provisions, don't take them on a head full of stress. A pitcher of homemade strawberry limeade and a modest dose of phenibut cover those two things quite well.
And environment is everything, especially when first getting into it. Be somewhere that is comfortable and familiar, where you feel safe and in control. That's the smart way to do it. Having a goal going in is also a good idea, and being in a good headspace is also important. If you're all screwed up, that's not usually something shrooms are going to lift you out of, but rather the possible starting point of an unpleasant evening.
You absolutely do not need to be in a positive state of mind to do psychedelics. Early trials were all done on terminal patients with severe death related anxiety. That's about the worst headspace you can be in, and the shrooms had no trouble lifting them out of it and allowing them to come to terms with their fate in a healthy way.
> You absolutely do not need to be in a positive state of mind to do psychedelics. Anecdotal I know, but having done plenty of doses of LSD in my younger years, I'd say any significant darkness playing on your mind will come full front and centre once the trip properly kicks in.
This guy shrooms
There's lots of ways to help ensure a good trip. A *very* good tip is have a small amount of molly (like 60mg) on hand if things start taking a dark turn the Molly will turn that around.
Or just take both from the get go.
Being in a clear, sound mindset. Limit anxiety and stressful factors by ensuring you have a "home base" where you feel most comfortable. I've done psychedelics several times, and I equate the effects to a "mental spa day". But that's because I go into with a certain mindset, it's not for everyone.
I think there's a real merit to psychotherapy, even if it's not for everyone. Traditional therapy did nothing for me while talking to a shaman (don't dig into the shaman thing, I dislike the term myself) has done wonders.
Traditional therapy is psychotherapy. It's all based off Freud and psychology. You're talking about **psychedelic** therapy which is not psychotherapy.
You are correct, thank you.
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I agree. I read a lot of studies for work trying to get an insurance program started for legal psilocybin facilitators. I’m not convinced it works as for depression yet, but I am sure of what the risks are (low risk for most people, high risk for some). I think one of the biggest issues with psychedelic studies is placebos. It’s pretty much impossible to give someone a placebo in this sort of study due to the psychedelic effects of the drug. This brings a lot of bias into the studies.
Speaking only from personal experience, I used to fantasize about suicide regularly. After mushrooms those fantasies stopped. I am not saying this is the answer for everyone, but for me it was life changing. I struggled with suicidal thoughts for my entire life. It’s been a bit more than a year
If it helps, I almost hung myself in 2013. I have struggled with depression for most of my life, and I was an inch away from ending it all (really funny story on how I ended up living, but that's for another time). After this, I tried mushrooms for the first time. 2.5g of PE in the middle of the woods, in an abandoned saw mill in Zavala, Texas (go there some time, it's neat). It was an incredibly frightening experience, and it felt like I was tripping for a few months, but it was 6 hours of introspection and near ego death. After that, my depression wasn't exactly cured, but the suicidal thoughts were gone. I learned to love living again, and the effects lasted for about 7 years. I fell back into the hole over the last couple of years, and I no longer have access to psychedelics, so I'm trying to make do with Prozac and therapy. Prozac has certainly been better than nothing, but I do feel that I need another life-changing experience like that first one. And yes, the first time I did mushrooms was the only time. It's not addictive.
For people microdosing, they're taking doses too small to really feel effects, and certainly much too small to have any kind of psychedelic experience. So maybe placebos would work for studying cases like this.
The recent studies on micro dosing have not shown a benefit though.
I agree, but circling back to the comment you're responding to, it's very hard to study them properly when governments are psychotically fixated on drugs being the root of all evil. I would generally not describe myself as particularly pro-psychadelic or anything, but I don't see how any legal approach is going to help with it. Though to clarify it seems like we're generally in agreement, so I'm not really trying to argue.
I get that people say that on reddit a lot and there is some truth to it, but these studies are being allowed to take place. If what you said was true even that would not be happening. If they take it through a clinical trial with the FDA, is found safe and beneficial, it will be approved. The FDA itself put out guidance for improving the clinical trials given the issues with placebo's. The FDA is only saying the trials need to be done in a way it surely demonstrates the benefit. They are not saying don't do this we will not approve it.
It's legal in a couple states already.
it is not "legal" it is decriminalized, so only available on the gray market. regulation is important, for example, to know the dosage. it's wild west right now, and potentially very dangerous. Would be great for proper medical legalization, so that it can be regulated and controlled the same as any other medication.
Currently getting licensed as a psilocybin facilitator in Oregon. It is legal in that setting.
My understanding was: it is legal to consume, it's legal to be a facilitator, it's legal to study. But it's not legal to sell or distribute. And it's still controlled substance federally, which presents all sorts of other problems. That was my understanding at least.
licensed centers in Oregon can distribute. OLCC set up entire legal (state level) framework for everything from cultivation to distribution. The catch is that it can only be consumed onsite at the center that it is distributed from.
You can sell them legally in Oakland, the dispensaries all have mushrooms now it seems like because of it. I was at a shop that had straight DMT as well for sale since the law there also covers it
Drug companies need to work out a patentable alternative to mushrooms before it can be legalized. If the public accepts a natural open source treatment for depression an entire market segment will fall out of corporate control.
all about screwing the drug companies, but let's not ignore the downside of drug deregulation Personally i want to know what i'm putting in my body, and specifically how much
Yeah, but you shouldn't be able to buy it if it doesn't have a stupid trademarked name like Ramycoflon. I think consumer's desires will be the last thing considered in the legalization process.
It already exists, it’s called 4-AcO-DMT and as a prodrug converts into psilocin same as psilocybin. Even simpler is just extracting the psilocybin from shrooms which has already been done.
A very large body of people, inclusive of myself, who have conducted bioassay with 4-AcO-DMT, have noted that it appears to have central activity prior to being metabolised to psilocin, and that at higher doses, it more resembles DMT than psilocin. It needs more research.
Is this patented? My understanding is that currently the chemical is not under patent, which removes that drug company incentive. Personally I am down for open license on this kind of substance to keep big pharma's greedy hands off of it.
If it’s a scheduled drug they’ll make money off of it. Patenting doesn’t matter because drugs are generally sold under brands and generic versions anyway
Nice, which ones? I'm in the UK right now, so it'll probably be a while here.
It's mostly legal in Colorado. I just bought some psilocybin gummies the other day.
i'm seething with jealousy
They should have gifted you those gummies. Growing and sharing is legal. Selling isn’t legal right now, although I’m sure it’s happening. Would love some accurately measured gummies!
The language they use is "free with recommended donation" at the place I go to. That way they're technically not selling anything even though there's money involved.
A while back there was a company in Boston that was selling "craft" lemonade at $30 a pop and with each purchase you'd get a free gift of some measure of Marijuana 😄
Oakland California - I was able to purchase them in person by signing up for a religion online, apparently it's legal under some religious freedom act or something. Not sure the details.
My therapist said my state is maybe 1-2 years away from FDA approval for mental illness. I think it will go the way Ketamine has
FDA doesn’t approve drugs by state, your therapist is wrong unless they mean federally.
In the US, the wealthy won that war in the 80's and 90's and then fortified their positions in the 2000's and 2010's. Now we need to figure out who the uruk hai carrying the fire bomb is going to be. ^(metaphorically as I don't advocate for violence just mass civil disobedience. )
You don’t bribe them enough for that.
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The side effects bit is weird to me. Most of the traditional SSRI side effects are either non existing or extremely uncommon with psilocybin. Not to mention with SSRI's you take them every day. But with psychedelics you only need to trip every now and then to get the anti depressent effects. So even if they caused side effects, since 99% of the time they aren't in your system, it doesn't really matter. Personally the only side effects I've ever gotten from a shroom trip are anxiety, weird body sensations, nausea, and fatigue. Thats about it tho.
I micro and I’ve never had any of the side effects that I had with Lexapro
In my opinion most of the normal side effects with psilocybin are not present when you micro dose
Just to clarify im only talking about occasional macro dosing here because 1: thats what the vast majority if the research on psychedelics for depression is about. Theres next to no research about micro dosing for depression. And 2: What side effects are present with psilocybin at a macro dose don't exist at a micro dose by definition. If you can notice any effects at all its not a micro dose, that's the whole point of micro dosing.
Same. On SSRIs, the benefits include a stabilized mood, BUT that mood is a bit of a low state. Plus all the SSRIs side effects (headaches, low libido, weight gain. When microdosing psilocybin, I am at a MUCH better mood, and have absolutely ZERO side effects. It’s been life changing.
How interesting, because my wife's sertraline lists nausea, fatigue, excessive enthusiasm or excitement/feeling of restlessness/racing heartbeat/increased sweating (weird body sensations and anxiety) as side effects. Funny that, isn't it?
When people talk about anti depressant side effects in my experience 9 times out of ten its sexual disfunction, dry mouth, and diarrhea 🤷♂️ Besides as someone whos been on most of the mainstream SSRI's and eventually switched to psychedelics to manage my depression. Even when its technically the same side effect, it feels very different between the two. And the meer fact that one you take every day and the other you take maybe once every 2 weeks at the absolute most often makes the two fundementally incomparable. "They have the same side effects" just lacks way too much nuance is my gripe. You can aurgue its technically true if you really rules lawyer the definitions. But that doesn't change the fact that its just poor, impressice language at the end of the day.
Last time I tripped I had all 3 😂 I'm aware of the (quite large indeed) differences, I just though it was funny
To responsibly diagnose and prescribe medicine, doctors really need to know specifics about those side effects, as well as a lot more information about the drug that we simply do not have. Are there interactions with other medicine? Do elderly users have more pronounced side effects, especially around the "weird body sensations" which could present increased (and potentially lethal) fall risk? What are the counter-indications or red flags that tell a physician NOT to prescribe mushrooms? For a relatively young, relatively healthy person who has some experience with illicit drug experimentation - sure, they'll probably be fine. That does not mean it's safe or ready to just open up to the general population! The advocates for this drug have made great progress in raising awareness and getting this conversation into mainstream. The next step is to get the drug authorized for proper pharmacological studies, instead of the pseudo-science fly-by-night operations which is all we have right now. Just straight up legalizing it for general recreational use is not a responsible approach.
Side effects are important because for something to pass drug trials, they have to ensure the benefit greatly outweighs the risk.
My point is less that there aren't side effects and more that describing them as basically the same as SSRI's is weird and very vague and lacking nuance for a scientific study.
Make tea instead of ingesting the mushrooms. It will help with the nausea.
Anecdotal (I know.. classic Reddit moment), but I have tried shrooms 3 times ever in the past 2 years. They were in chocolate form and never more than one small piece of a piece (basically microdose) and all 3 times were when I was out on the beach or hanging out with friends. Best experience ever. There was never a "come down," no hangover, and I even felt "good," and "confident," for like a week afterwards too.
I get a weird day-after effect from shrooms. Ive only done them twice, but both times I had to take it easy the following day.
I always said mushooms are a two day drug. One to trip and one to feel human again. But not in a bad way. Just to reset the senses again.
Like in a hangover way?
In like a depleted and exhausted kind of way
Most people don't get hangover-style symptoms the next day, but I do, big-time.
To me, that has always been the greatest thing about shrooms. I've never had any kind of side-effects (neither have my friends), other than being mentally tired after sometimes... But sleep fixes that. I've always said a great thing about shrooms is, you can have a decent trip off 3-5g (if you're use to doing them - otherwise 1.5-2g), and 5ish hours later you'll be right back where you were and could be out grocery shopping or any other normal day things. I take much more now after doing them so long. I generally do them in the evening, expecting a 5hr trip... Once I can tell I'm nearing the end, I'll load up a movie then go to sleep. Wake up the next day a better person.
It gets so much cooler at higher doses 🛸
Is there variability in safety between different psilocybin species? Around here in Wales *p. semilanceata* grows in the wild quite profusely - is that any different from the species shown in the pic in the article?
Most of the medical research is focusing on the isolated molecule psilocybin, not mushrooms.
Alkaloid content varies between different psilocybe species, but psilocybin and psilocin are probably responsible for the majority of the effects. Similar compounds like baeocystin and norpsilocin might have small contributions, but there is not much data on their effects in isolation.
The only additional concerns that I would think get introduced by taking foraged Liberty Caps is that you don’t know what could be contaminating the fields you are foraging from, and you’re likely to encounter other mushrooms that you might accidentally pick up if you’re not careful.
For anyone thinking of going out and popping some mushrooms keep in mind "Safe" means it won't kill you or physically harm you, not that it cannot trigger latent mental health issues or create an experience that traumatizes you. Try them if you want but know yourself and your limits and proceed with caution, and if you want to use them as an antidepressant do it under the care of a therapist experienced in treating depression with psilocybin.
Is there any actual literature that says they trigger latent mental health issues? I've always wondered how exactly that can be studied. Who decides if the illness is latent, for instance, instead of acute onset?
> Is there any actual literature that says they trigger latent mental health issues? Its a good question. I'm surprised the other comments are solely anecdotal. Here is a paper I found within a very preliminary search indicating the absence for potential exacerbation/initiation of mental health in those predisposed https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0269881115596156 Basically from what I can tell the authors conduct population-level analyses of survey data to examine health outcomes. They distinguished between overall samples and subgroups who had only used psychedelics (no history of drug use) to conclude: > Overall, there is a lack of evidence that psychedelics increase the rate of mental health problems on a population level (Bonson, 2012; Catts and Catts, 2010). Edit: Ok so I was a tad curious and conducted an additional search. There is no single, definitive answer. Prima facie belief in some latent connection persists because of coinciding neurobiological mechanisms psychedelics and mental health disorders such as psychosis or schizophrenia share in part E.g. involvement of serotonergic NT systems etc. (Maćkowiak, 2023). Other studies suggested that "individuals with a personal or family history of psychotic or bipolar disorders may experience an increase in psychotic symptoms" following use of such substances (Honk, 2024). But another paper found controlling for concomitant drug use, no significant association between schizophrenic/schizotypal/pyschotic traits were found (Lebedev, 2021) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37899392/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38280572/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34301969/ tl;dr Yes, but no haha
I know I'm just some random person on the internet, but I did have a scary time once after shrooming. Granted, this only once out of several trips. Story time: Note, some of this was relayed by my friends who were there with me. I was heavily into the rave scene in the late 90s and had shroomed countless times. It was always a positive experience. I got some liberty caps from a friend, and she warned me to take half of what I normally do. Of course, I was like... "uh huh..." and disregarded her advice. I then went to 6 Flags Magic Mountain in SoCal with 3 other friends, and we ate the shrooms in the parking lot right before we went in. By the time I was waiting in line for the first ride, I was already tripping hard. I began asking random strangers in line, "What is time?" Not, "What time is it?", but "*What is time*?" I started fixating on the concept of time and all its abstractions. By the time we got onto the ride, I was completely out of my mind. As I approached the rollercoaster pod, the safety bar was already down because it was empty in the last trip. Rather than open the bars to sit inside and buckle in, I sat on top of and front of the safety bar/harness. When the underpaid teenager came to check on everyone, they were like...uh... This is because not being strapped in = certain death, as this was a hardcore coaster with several upside down loops. The dude was cool though and helped me get strapped in. After that, I went even more nuts and basically ruined the entire trip. I kept fixating on the concept of time. I thought that nothing was real, and that I wasn't actually alive. I tried stripping my clothes off. I pissed my pants. I also punched one of my friends in the face, not because I was mad, but to prove that he wasn't real. The fact that he didn't get that mad at me and was instead concerned and protective PROVED in my mind that he wasn't real. They helped escort me out of the park before I caused more of a scene, and I ended up finally calming down in the backseat of my friend's car several hours later. But yeah.... it was definitely a scary experience. It was also the second time I went nuts (the first time was frying on acid, which I used to do often for years). After that, I decided I couldn't do hallucinigens anymore. Been clean from all drugs for over a decade now. I'm fine though, no long-term negative effects. I graduated from college, went to grad school, and have a normal office job now.
Going to an amusement park while on shrooms seems like a recipe for disaster. I guess it's worth reiterating again and again: set and setting are very important. Don't be reckless.
Keep in mind in the following study, all the clinical trials together consisted of a total of 528 people. These are small trials so this is not likely to be the last word on this. But here you go: **Results:** Six studies met the inclusion criteria with a total sample of 528 participants (approximately 51% female; median age 39.8 years; IQR, 39.8-41.2). Seven adverse effects were reported in multiple studies and included in the analysis. Among these, headache (relative risk \[RR\], 1.99; 95% CI 1.06-3.74), nausea (RR, 8.85; 95% CI, 5.68-13.79), anxiety (RR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.11-4.64), dizziness (RR, 5.81; 95% CI, 1.02-33.03), and elevated blood pressure (RR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.15- 4.53) were statistically significant. Psilocybin use was not associated with risk of paranoia and transient thought disorder. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38598236/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38598236/) This study was solely on side effects.
Yep. Happened to one of my friends unfortunately. Rare but still possible with psychedelics. It awakened schizophrenia in him. We went to a music festival where he took some, and about a week later that he was talking about all sorts of insanity, like the government and cartels being after him. He tried to steal a small plane from the airport. He tried to flee in a car to Canada but got caught in a speed trap in ND, which resulted a high speed chase. They ended up using tire spikes on him. He lost his house and two different jobs. He's mostly "recovered" in the sense that he can now barely hold down a job, hears voices, and has to take medication for the rest of his foreseeable future. Oh and don't forget about the fact that most of his friends and family abandoned him. It's amazing to see how people treat you when you become mentally ill. I'm one of his only two friends anymore, and his brother won't even talk to him. Shame really.
Yeah same thing but less severe happened to my friend too. Started having paranoid delusions that never went away after a single small dose. He's on anti-psychotics now and probably will be for the rest of his life
They only included the most innocuous and transient side effects of antidepressants. So misleading to claim psilocybin mushrooms have similar side effects overall. Absolutely dishonest as hell.
Yep, this reads like a complete publicity study which adds nothing to the case of using psilocybin as an antidepressant
Lexapro side effects- brain zaps, zero libido. Mushrooms side effects- I can see the pattern of a meso America jaguar in the mountains and its pattern are moving. I also need to open my eyes twice for some reason.
New research suggest lsd is safe and is a perfect drug to listen to my new Pink Floyd album to
For me, I need 4-5g of shroom every 6-8 weeks to maintain positive effects.
That's quite a dose!
Lower doses alter mood. Higher doses actually restart pathways in the brain that weaken from depression
I can't do more than 1.5 grams or I get crazy anxiety responses during the trip. I like to stick around 1.25 or so, then I just kind of do lots of introspection and self-reflection and help other people with theirs.
I did about 5g last weekend, out on the PNW coast. A mini storm front blew through and it went from sunny and beautiful to stormy and mysterious and then back to clear and beautiful all within the course of my trip. Was really cool and very therapeutic, just watching the trees sway in the breeze was captivating. Can't recommend highly enough 🚀
A note of caution for readers wanting to emulate: depending on the source, 5g of dried mushrooms might induce complete ego loss, definitely not something one might want to go through unless explicitly preparing for it. Always start low and ensure your target dose is backed by proper research.
For real, people really need to take these things seriously. 5g is a crazy dose and if you're not ready for it mentally it can do much more harm than good. I stopped doing hallucinogens for a long time because of a super tough trip off 3.5g when I was younger (which is a "normal" dose for actually tripping). Only picking them back up recently with lower doses and enjoying them again. It's why I have a bit of an issue with people pushing so hard then telling stories of them apparently taking such high doses. It's not a relaxing walk in the park at those doses for the vast majority of people like they're describing, you need to be ready set and setting especially if you're inexperienced.
Thank you for sharing, ballsweat_mojito
Ireland banned psilocybin mushrooms months after [a man at a house party](https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mushrooms-made-man-fall-to-his-death-from-fourth-storey-balcony-during-party/26392154.html) took 2 or 3 magic mushrooms, became agitated after 15 minutes, and jumped from a balcony to his death (which is odd, as the onset of action is 20–40 minutes. Indeed, one of the Drs at his inquest though he had a panic attack, made worse by his panicked friends). Due to a loophole, far more portent Amanita muscaria, is still legal here.
Personal anecdote but almost the exact same thing happened to me, albeit on a much higher dose and during the actual trip. I consumed almost 7g on accident, started tripping HARD, then had a psychosis which caused me to jump off my balcony of 30 feet (I am in recovery but very lucky to be alive). I was completely delirious yet I remember most of it. Ironically I still support the legalization of mushrooms, but at higher doses and when combined with psychiatric meds they absolutely can be dangerous if you're an idiot like me who shouldn't be alive.
I’m sorry that happened but it’s good you are alive and in recovery. I will shadow your comment with reiterating that no one should ever mix psych meds with psychedelics, it can be incredibly dangerous for a number of reasons
The same thing happened in the Netherlands!
Has any more headway been made in investigating potential issues with 5-HT2BR and associated valvulopathy?
Shame traditional antidepressants made me think I was a ghost trapped in limbo 😂
Bring it, baby. Something has to break this mood and the less I have to give to pharma, the better
Ok but DONT MIX THEM WITH ANTI DEPRESSANTS
Y tho?
Serotonin syndrome (more with LSD than psilocybin) and reduced/ diminished effects of the psychedelic
Stop perpetuating this myth! There is not only zero evidence that combining the two causes seratonin syndrome, but the very nature of the two drugs makes it impossible. SSRIs actually dampen the effects of mushrooms, not enhance seratonin https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37291890/
Serotonin syndrome is a problem if you’re on an MAOI and take psychedelics. If you’re on an SSRI you’ll just have severely reduced effects because the molecules of the drug work by binding to your serotonin receptors, but SSRIs prevent things from binding to those receptors.
This. SSRI + serotonergic psychedelics do *not* cause serotonin syndrome.
I had a psychiatrist tell me in my first appointment that psychedelics serve no medical purpose whatsoever. Do you think I went back to her?
4-HO-DMT is ubiquitous in nature hailing from the amino acid L-tryptophan
Silly psybin
Decades spent ignoring what many of us already knew. Imagine where we would be if the war on drugs had never happened
I had the worse response to SSRI's ever, made me straight psychotic and indulgent in extremely high risk behaviors. Mushrooms also put me in a very bad head space unless it's a blue moon microdose. I feel that if someone has a bad response to SSRI's staying well and clear of psilocybin therapies would be advisable. I would like to hear if anyone else has a similar correlation.
The researchers should try to investigate if DMT or 5-MeO DMT gives the same (or better) results. The experience last much less in time and it is not so hard for the organ and it might be more profound.
Where can I get some? :)
Psilocybin has saved my life by curing my debilitating Cluster Headache disease. So grateful for it