Re:Is the psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst?
by fritztastic on Saturday September 03, 2022 @02:39PM
(#32704758)
Thank you for sharing that.
That's a valid concern- people trying psychedelics on their own also run into the risk that what they're getting is altered, not what they wanted at all, or unintentionally taking a dose that will bring them bad outcomes.
Even with cannabis, back when it was completely illegal, I knew people who would sometimesb unknowingly get their hands on batches that had been laced with something else and end up having wildly unpredictable (and sometimes frightening) experiences.
Re:Is the psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst?
by ncmncm on Saturday September 03, 2022 @03:02PM
(#32704967)
Yes. Anyone borderline schizophrenic should be very, very careful around psychedelics.
But I have seen good results (treatment-seeking, successful) in borderline schizophrenics after exposure to MDMA.
Re:Is the psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst?
by kirel33 on Saturday September 03, 2022 @11:53AM
(#32703052)
Lamotrigine has been a wonder drug for me, I'm still early days on my treatment but can already notice the massive improvements!
just adding my comment so people see that getting help is perfectly fine (if you get the right treatment/diagnosis, it's a life changer for the best!) - mental health is still a bit taboo in some circles and I remember reading about the good experiences of people online made me finally jump into treatment :)
Re:Is the psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst?
by huetius on Saturday September 03, 2022 @04:20PM
(#32705685)
A friend of mine has a similar story. Still searching for his good ending. I’m glad you’re better.
I feel like we’re at the beginning of the opioid wave again, and the obvious and foreseeable negative consequences are just being shunted aside. We never learn anything.
I am bipolar but was diagnosed incorrectly with depression and OCD, taking an SSRI. I was a regular marijuana smoker and took DMT which resulted in acute psychosis that lasted months. I'd had what I now recognized as hypomanic episodes before, but nothing this bad.
I will not get into details for privacy reasons but had to take months off of work or school. I alternately thought I was famous, being followed, could control cameras that were following me at all times - the works. I had visual and auditory hallucinations days after the DMT experience, auditory weeks to months later. I told friends strange things about my mental health history that were misperceived. It is a bit of a blur.
About a week after taking DMT, I was involuntarily hospitalized and only sent home with family supervision. They put me on strong antipsychotics with nasty side effects. They didn't help at all. I only got better months later, after I got off of all psychiatric drugs, and realized when talking with a friend that I was not famous. I then entered into a nearly year long depression and perceived that I had lost almost all my friends, although I now think that was not the case.
Now, I've been stable for almost 10 years, and am married with a great career. We have a dog, a house, and are looking to have kids soon. I'm incredibly happy and only recovered with the support of family, friends, and great doctors. I've been taking lamotrigine daily for bipolar. For me, it is a wonder drug. Bipolar is incredibly hard for psychiatrists to diagnose. It took them years to identify it.
Another friend of mine had acute psychosis due to another psychedelic drug and had a similar experience to mine with a hospitalization.
If you have any family history of schizophrenia or bipolar or are on psychiatric drugs, please really carefully consider the possible consequences of using psychedelics.