Shrooms | sidekicks.berlin

Poppers

28. July 2017

SM

31. July 2017

What is it?
How is it taken?
How does it feel?
Side effects and long-term impact
Overdose
Mixed consumption
Addiction potential and withdrawal
Safer Use
Safer Sex
Interactions with HIV treatment
Counseling

What is it?

The terms shrooms, magic mushrooms or psilos describe various types of mushrooms that have a psychoactive effect. They contain the substances psilocybin or psilocin, which trigger a psychedelic (soul-revealing) and hallucinogenic effect. The average psilocybin content of dried mushrooms is 0.1 to 1% (max. 2%), depending on the mushroom species. Psilocybin is converted in the body to psilocin, which triggers the psychoactive effects in the brain.

How is it taken?

Mushrooms are mostly eaten in fresh or dried form. They can also be drunk as tea or consumed filled in capsules. The effect of mushrooms often occurs after half an hour to two hours and lasts for about 6-8 hours.
Dried mushrooms should be dosed lower than fresh ones, as they usually have 10 times higher active ingredient content.

The active ingredient content of mushrooms depends on variety, location, weather, processing and can vary greatly even between mushrooms of the same species. This means that you can never know exactly how much active ingredient is present in a mushroom or parts of it. This makes accurate dosing difficult and increases the likelihood of unintended effects.

How does it feel?

Every substance has a different effect on different people. The effect of mushrooms depends on personal factors (body mass, habituation, ingested amount, on a full or empty stomach, …). An important role is played by the setting and your mental and physical condition. An important role is played by your environment, and by your mental and physical condition.

Under the influence of mushrooms, the filter function of certain areas of the brain is opened. This allows sensory stimuli to reach the cerebral cortex and thus your consciousness unfiltered. Thus, there is a change in perception and thoughts. The boundary between reality and fantasy becomes blurred, which can lead to you experiencing the trip similar to a dream.

The perceptual changes vary greatly from person to person and are experienced and evaluated differently by people. They can cause both great joy and strong anxiety. When anxiety or unpleasant feelings arise, it can be helpful to direct thoughts to beautiful things or memories. Trips on mushrooms are described by some consumers as drastic experiences, both positive and negative.

How the high feels on mushrooms depends on the dose.

The usual effect of mushrooms is described as:

Perceptual changes (vision, hearing, smelling, tasting)
Change of the sexual experience
Mild to severe hallucinations
Changes in sense of place and time
Warmth and tingling in the body
Increased drive, need to move around
Laughing fits
Feeling connected to other people and nature

Depending on the dose, trips can vary in intensity. You can find a rough classification here:

3 – 4 mg psilocybin: weak physical and psychological effect
5 – 10 mg psilocybin: [Pseudo]hallucinations with eyes closed, e.g., in the form of rapidly changing geometric patterns.
10 – 20 mg psilocybin: : [Pseudo]open-eye hallucinations.
20 mg psilocybin: severe alterations of consciousness, disturbances of balance and orientation (dancing is hardly possible at this dosage)
60 – 100 mg psilocybin: very high dose, used (in the past) in certain forms of psychotherapy.

Side effects and long-term impact

Mushrooms can cause physical symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, balance disorders, increased heartbeat and blood pressure. Physical symptoms and/or altered perception of the environment can trigger anxiety, which is amplified due to the hallucinogenic effect. If you take mushrooms regularly and for a long period of time, side effects will become more prominent.

Consuming mushrooms can bring up repressed thoughts or experiences.

Paranoid thoughts and panic attacks may occur (so-called “horror trip”). After consumption, it may be difficult to return to reality. You may develop a long-term mental disorder after using mushrooms. The use of mushrooms can also activate psychoses that already exist subliminally.

Persistent perceptual disorders following the use of hallucinogens (HPPD; Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder) can last for months to years and severely affect people’s lives.

After repeated consumption over a few days, a habituation effect forms. This means that the effect becomes weaker or disappears completely. The habituation effect is usually reversed if you do not use for a week.

Overdose

The active ingredient content of mushrooms depends on variety, location, weather, processing and can vary greatly even between mushrooms of the same species. This means that you can never know how much active ingredient is present in a mushroom or parts of it. This makes accurate dosing difficult and increases the likelihood of unintended effects.

A high dose makes the occurrence of unpleasant side effects, especially psychological, more likely. It is possible that a permanent mental disorder may develop as a result of the mushroom trip.

If you feel an ongoing state of discomfort, get medical help. If you find a passed out person, check if they’re breathing, provide first aid and call an ambulance (112).

You can find more information about drug emergencies here. You can also contact these hotlines:

Drug emergency hotline: 01806 313031 (24h)
Drug crisis hotline: 030 19237 (24h)

Drug combinations

Generally speaking: consuming more than one substance at a time puts your body and your mental state under more pressure. Certain effects may be intensified, weakened or delayed by the interactions. The risk of overdose or side effects becomes unpredictable.

Mushrooms + alcohol: increases the likelihood of nausea, vomiting, circulatory problems, fainting.
Mushrooms + cannabis: increases hallucinogenic effect. May cause circulatory problems and fainting.
Mushrooms + MDMA, Speed or Crystal: strong increase in body temperature. The nerve-damaging property of amphetamines is increased.

Addiction potential and withdrawal

The active ingredients of mushrooms do not cause physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms. The chance of developing psychological dependence is also low.

Safer Use

The high begins about 30-60 minutes after ingestion. In some cases, e.g. if you have eaten something before, it can take up to 2 hours before you notice the effect. Wait for the effect and do not refill to avoid overdose.
Dose low. Mushrooms have natural variations in active ingredient. It is impossible to determine how much active ingredient is contained.
Always measure out your dose yourself. Do not transfer the responsibility for this to others. That way, you’re guaranteed to stay on top of things.
It is never okay to administer substances to other people without their knowledge and consent! You endanger the life of a person and are liable to prosecution. If you witness such a situation, get help and protect the person being spiked.
Mushrooms are not party drugs. The psilocybin/psilocin allows a deep and emotional exploration of your own inner spaces. It is possible that you will be confronted with unpleasant experiences or thoughts. You can try to counteract with positive thoughts or ask another person to calm you down.
Prepare to consume. Be sure to choose a quiet environment. Maybe you need some time after the trip to process what you experienced. This will be easier for you if the day after your consumption is free of busy schedules.
Shrooms should not be taken alone. Consume together with people you trust and feel comfortable with. Ideally you’re with a person who stays sober and can help, if needed.
Do not consume mushrooms on a full stomach (nausea) and only when you are well-rested and in good mental condition.
Fresh mushrooms have a short shelf life. Decomposition may have already begun after one day and lead to poisoning.
Be careful when picking mushrooms. There may be confusion with other varieties. The risk of life-threatening poisoning is high.
Do not use shrooms when under mental stress, known schizophrenic psychosis, epilepsy, bipolar or borderline disorders.

Safer Sex

Mushrooms can change one’s view of reality, loosen boundaries, and lead one to view situations differently – making unsafe sex and thus transmission of HIV or other STIs more likely.
Sex and mushrooms only work when there is mutual agreement and great trust. Especially with mushrooms there is always the danger of a bad trip.
You should only experience sex on mushrooms together if you know each other and the effect well. Clarify in advance which sex practices you both want and which you don’t want.
Consume only so much that you can defend yourself or still recognize your partner’s defensive signals.
Only sleep with people who can communicate boundaries and consent! If a person is so high that he or she is no longer able to converse, he or she is also incapable of giving consent. Under no circumstances may sexual acts be (further) performed on them. This is true even if mutual intentions were previously discussed while conscious. It may be a criminal offense.
Before getting down to business, get sufficient amounts of sex utensils (gloves, condoms, lubricant) ready.
Pay attention to your body! If you notice any abnormalities, you should consult a doctor.
Get tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year and check your hepatitis A/B vaccination status.

Interactions with HIV treatment

The combination of mushrooms and HIV medications efavirenz (Sustiva® and its genercia, also included in Atripla®), ritonavir (Norvir® and its genercia, also included in Kaletra and Paxlovid), cobicistat (Tybost® and its genercia, also included in Evotaz, Rezolsta/Prezcobix, Genvoya, Stribild, and Symtuza ) may increase hallucinations as well as psychotic states and flashbacks.
Take drugs and HIV medications at different times. This might decrease the chance of side-effects. Always dose drugs lowwhen taking medications at the same time
Since it may be a long night, bring enough medication with you and stick to your medication schedule.
Talk to your doctor about the interaction of your HIV medications with intoxicants.
Information on interactions between substances and HIV medications . can be found here

Counseling

Would you like to talk about your use, have questions, or are looking for support about substance use?
Do you want to share and/or reflect on your substance experiences with someone?
Feeling that you are using too much?
Are you worried about friends or acquaintances and want advice or tips on how to cope as a friend*?
Do you feel that you might be using too much? The drug advice services in your area will be happy to help you!

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