The dangers of magic mushrooms are small, but they are surely there!
Physically
The risks attached to the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms in a physic way of matter, are very limited. An overdose of mushrooms which contain psilocybine and/or psilocine is practically impossible. Nevertheless, too much consumption can cause nausea, abdomen pain and diarrhea.
Many people go in the autumn in the wild in search of hallucinogenic mushrooms. But not everyone knows how to distinguish the good ones from the toxic ones. This can lead to (life) endangering situations! Some look-a-likes are extremely toxic. The cases of consumption of magic mushrooms with deadly result are, as far as we know, always the consequence of eating a deadly look-a-like. In such a case, the magic mushrooms proved themselves thus not to be no magic mushrooms…
Mentally
The use of psychedelic mushrooms has mentally seen quite a number of risk’s. Hallucinogenic mushrooms can cause an unpleasant mental experience. When that happens you are having a so-called “Bad Trip”. The feelings, ideas and hallucinations which are caused by the mushrooms then become very annoying to experience. A Bad Trip can lead to (enormous) panic – and fear attacks. At a low dosage, the Bad Trip can become understandable for the person who’s having the trip. The trip is not nice, but the notion that the feeling is caused by the mushrooms, and therefore but temporary is, makes it a whole lot less terrible. At a higher dosage, this notion is often not there, which can lead to real panic.
And thereby said, mushrooms may reveal possible psychological problems and bring them to the surface… People who are not feeling mentally well (cranky, stressed or sad) or have a tendency for mental are at strongest dissuaded to consume magic mushrooms!
What to do when having a Bad Trip?
Do not panic… Easier said than done of course, but this is in fact the most important thing you must think of. The trip is only temporarily. Psilocybine and psilocine are substances who are reinforcing your mood. When having a Bad Trip you can become depressive and/or become panicky. That means therefore that if the impact of the mushrooms is annoying you and you are going to lay the emphasis on this, that the impact only becomes more awful. Realize at such a moment that you are under influence is that you no longer see certain things in the correct context.
The role of a sober person can be very important in this. In many cases it is sufficient if you can tie up a chat with a sober and familiar person with who you feel yourself comfortable with.
Thereby it can help to eat some vitamins or sugar. Vitamins and sugars do not reduce the functioning of psilocybine and psilocine, but give more input to the brain and as a result of that you might come to see things more clearly in perspective.
To occur/limit of a Bad Trip
You can prevent or limit a Bad Trip by looking after:
– quiet and trusted surroundings
– that you are physically and mentally in order
– a sober someone who ‘sits’
– not to take part in traffic
– not taking the mushrooms in combination with other drugs, such as alcohol for example
Addictive?
Almost everyone agrees that hallucinogenic mushrooms are not addictive. Very rapidly the body builds a tolerance against psilocybine and psilocine. This means that, if you take mushrooms again within a very short period, you must eat more to accomplish the same effect with them as the time before. And next to that, the psychoactive properties of the magic mushrooms do not lend themselves for every day tripping; it is simply not nice to trip each day on magic mushrooms. We know no people (nor have we heard from someone) that became mentally addicted to magic mushrooms.