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Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by QualityReboot on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:18PM (#17239841)
Yes, but one thing that I think is often missed is that you want to have 1-2mg of Xanax (or equivalent) laying around just in case things go wrong.

A lot of people into the hippie side of psychedelic culture don't like pharmaceuticals because they're unnatural or whatever, but in practice, there's a chance that your psychedelics are going to trigger hours and hours of rolling panic attacks that feel like you're dying, to the point where you may convince yourself that you've certainly died, or perhaps that you've never been alive.

You're considering ingesting some very weird chemicals. Have Xanax on hand just in case, so you can essentially put yourself down. If you have to take it, you'll still be tripping but you simply won't care, you'll not remember much, and you'll have turned one of the possible worst PTSD-triggering experiences of your life into a "meh, that sucked" experience.

That said, you might have a great trip that opens your mind and changes your perspective on life. I'd say it's 100% worth it if you're in the right set/setting, but not worth the risk of having a terrible time without an benzodiazepine escape hatch, because things can get seriously uncomfortably weird.

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by Liquix on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:32PM (#17240011)
Great advice. Those magical little rectangles are absolutely essential to have on hand.

However I would add that working through a 'bad' trip or 'seriously uncomfortably weird' experience can be the exact opposite of bad. More often than not, the inability to let go or a fixation on something negative happens for a reason. (Not to say this is the case every time - sometimes hitting the panic button is the right reaction).

These drugs amplify and reveal what's happening in deep parts of the psyche - subconscious, unconscious, habits, 'ruts' we have been stuck in so long we forget they're ruts. In my experience, the most profound growth and change comes from diving headfirst into the discomfort and following it all the way down to its origin.

Source: 50+ psychedelic experiences

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by pmoriarty on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:38PM (#17240094)
I've learned far more from my bad trips than from my good ones.

It's important to look at whatever happens as a learning opportunity rather than trying to push it away.

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by QualityReboot on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:37PM (#17240084)
This is correct and that's what I would recommend as well.

It is 100% better to be able to work through a bad trip than to take the escape hatch, but I sure wouldn't go into the experience knowing that my only option is to work through whatever happens. Knowing there's no way out might make it impossible to work through things where I would otherwise say "ok, I can go a bit further, I can always bail if I have to".

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by OhHeyItsE on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:57PM (#17240289)
Agree 100% in principle, but just want to PSA that 1-2mg of Xanax is a fairly hefty dose.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by ddoolin on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @10:05PM (#17243834)
I second this, but I might also suggest swapping Xanax for some weed. I've had those hours of rolling panic attacks that ultimately led me to believe I was dead and it was utterly terrifying. In retrospect, the experience was amazing in its own right, but I still needed to be calmed and the weed helped me come to again. I'm glad the roller coaster ended when it did.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by andai on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @10:33PM (#17243950)
I must add to this, mixing a psychedelic (LSA) with weed was the most terrifying experience of my life, and I have heard others recommend against it many times.

CBD oil however, is probably a good alternative. I will report back in the future with results.

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by akvadrako on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:29PM (#17239982)
You don't need Xanax and that might just make your trip a lot weirder.

You can kill a mushroom high quickly with lots of caffeine and sugar - say one red bull.

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by OhHeyItsE on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:55PM (#17240275)
Urban legend. Not true at all. Nothing can kill a trip except time. Not even Xanax - it will just help you relax and kill the panic and anxiety.

The caffeine part is particularly bad advice, as a stimulant is the last thing you want to ingest when you are already highly agitated.

Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by convolvatron on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @03:20PM (#17241077)
enough lorazepam and you're done
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by QualityReboot on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:30PM (#17239998)
YMMV, and there's not a ton of research on this stuff, but I personally wouldn't go near any stimulant while being on any psychedelic.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by Liquix on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:32PM (#17240021)
This is pretty awful advice...
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by Synaesthesia on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:41PM (#17240120)
Xanax will be good for LSD, but really unnecessary for mushrooms.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by Liquix on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @03:44PM (#17241346)
I agree that LSD is more prone to producing 'freak outs' or acute psychedelic emergencies than mushrooms are, but disagree that having a benzo on hand is 'unnecessary' for mushroom trips - I have seen a couple mushroom experiences spiral out of control which could have been aborted by Xanax.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by Synaesthesia on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @05:25PM (#17242232)
Ive had a freak out on shrooms myself. I just am very careful about Xanax/Benzos because they’re highly addictive. Xanax is kinda like alcohol, it's a gaba-ergic drug - it will help, but the primary way to stop freaking out is to calm down and breathe properly, and be assured that things are ok. But I’m sure in an emergency it can be useful.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by throwaway823851 on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @01:41PM (#17240119)
Are you sure about Xanax? it's the first time I read that using Xanax can stop the psychoactive effects of mushrooms.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by QualityReboot on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @02:02PM (#17240342)
It definitely won't stop the effects, but you simply won't care anymore, everything will seem like it's not that big of a deal, and you might fall asleep.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by itomato on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @03:35PM (#17241257)
The sacred experience is utterly derailed when you involve a synthetic compound.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by jhpankow on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @06:59PM (#17242855)
Better than ending up in the ER.
Re:Michael Pollan on Psilocybe Azurescens by itomato on Tuesday June 05, 2018 @07:06PM (#17242896)
For mushrooms? Far more likely to have a Xanax accident.