Recovering from LSD

[Foreigner]

I apologize if this is posted in the wrong place. I'm new here and after reading the FAQ I'm still not sure.

I am here to tell a story and to seek some advice. I'll preface this by saying I'm a very experienced LSD user, been doing it for years in healthy recreational amounts with no problems. Last week, with a friend, I took the usual two tabs which is usually sufficient for me; but on this night, after over an hour and a half of waiting, there was barely any effect. My friend had already started tripping so I was worried that it wasn't going to happen for me. I got impatient and took another tab. It was one too many.

This trip was combined with oxytocin (bio-identical kind, sublingually) and cannabis. I also took a couple of choline tablets and a shot of grapefruit juice hours prior to the trip, as I find the former provides brain sustenance during the catabolic processes of the trip, and the latter prolongs things. The oxytocin creates a nurturing, mothering, "Goddessy" vibe to the trip so that it isn't so harsh, and that you feel safe and secure. It's only the second time I've combined it with LSD and the previous two times were very harmonious and loving. This time, however, the extra tab just did me in.

It was so strong that I couldn't move, couldn't speak, didn't know who I was, where I was, or how to relate to my friend. It felt like everything I said to her came out wrong. I had to completely surrender myself to the sheer catabolic nature of the drug, and just lay there helplessly. We had music playing the whole time so that definitely took the edge off, but I felt completely out of control. I took some vitamin C because I read somewhere that this can purge it from your system faster, but after this experience I highly doubt that. I was hungry throughout the night but when I dragged myself to the kitchen to get food, nothing made sense. Normally my instincts can guide me through the nourishment process, but I was so exhausted (and with so many hours yet to go) that I couldn't even put a meal together. I couldn't stay grounded long enough to even know what the food meant or how to use it, and when my friend put food in front of my face I actually didn't understand what to do with it. So as a result I went hungry the whole night, including lack of water and electrolytes, which made matters much worse.

By morning I was completely spent. I don't know if others here have experienced the sheer nose-diving spiral that can occur with an LSD trip gone bad, but I was in a very negative place come morning. All I could think about was how I wanted to end my life. I was ashamed of my anti-social behavior toward my friend, even though she understood that I had exceeded my dose and kept reassuring me that guilt or shame were unnecessary. Nonetheless, I feel that the intensity of the trip has done psychological damage. Even admitting to myself that I made an impatient error in going for the third tab and that I should have waited, ended up spiralling into self-hatred. The strength and flaw of LSD is the ability to craft your own trip/reality based on your intention. Any slight negative intention can easily transform your trip into hell, and in my position of being overdosed, malnourished, and disconnected from my sources of grounding it was easy to do. So even though I logically understand what happened and know there's no point in beating myself up about it, I am psycho-emotionally traumatized from the whole thing and keep reverting back to this self-hatred loop.

After dragging myself home in the morning, I was able to eat a lot of food in the following hours, and get a bit of sleep. However, it is now almost a week later and I still feel completely and utterly mentally exhausted. At the same time, I have full on insomnia and it feels like my biological rhythms are completely out of whack. My mental thought processes seem eradic at this time. I have been having anxiety and panic attacks at random moments that are never very lasting, but they are making it hard to rest. I don't normally have anxiety/panic in my world so this is new to me. The main thing is that I just feel so tired, and my nervous system feels shot. Fortunately this all happened toward the weekend, so I have had the freedom to sleep whenever I feel like it - but it has not helped. As I have been writing this, I have been making stupid spelling and grammar errors that don't make any sense, and I'm usually a prolific writer who notices such things. (I know that could sound like paranoia, but I want you to trust me on that one.) My memory is also kind of shot, and in my daily interactions with people I feel such a disconnect. I am wondering if it's possible for an excessive dose of LSD to do brain damage? It feels like it deconstructed me to the bare bones, beyond the limits of what I could normally withstand (which is a lot). There is so much conflicting literature out there, not to mention insidious propaganda. I don't want to delve through it all in this state of mind, which is why I have come to Bluelight.

Does anyone have advice on recovery? My mind just feels so scrambled right now. I'm not tripping anymore obviously, and I'm not even having any flashbacks. I'm just feeling incredibly sensitive and depleted. A friend suggested nootropics like vinpocetine and hydergine, but I'm not sure if I want to add more chemistry to my brain right now. My nutrition has been excellent the past weekend but something doesn't feel right in my head.

Thanks for reading. And just as a forewarning, please spare me any harsh criticism - I'm in a bit of a delicate space right now and just need helpful advice because I'm feeling rather lost. I know what I did wrong and it's never going to happen again.

 

[i against i]

you haven't done any physical damage to your brain, my advice would be to keep to a good sleep schedule and keep eating healthily, try and exercise as well. maybe start keeping a journal to record/sort through your thoughts, i'm sure you will feel better in time, but don't beat yourself up, be kind to yourself.

 

[Escapedysphoria]

you haven't done any physical damage to your brain, my advice would be to keep to a good sleep schedule and keep eating healthily, try and exercise as well. maybe start keeping a journal to record/sort through your thoughts, i'm sure you will feel better in time, but don't beat yourself up, be kind to yourself.

That ^ and you may have just formed some anxiety because of the previous intense altered perceptions of LSD. Maybe a low dosage of clonazepam or another anxiolytic would help out. If it makes you dysfunctional then you should probably see a doctor though.

 

[Foreigner]

That ^ and you may have just formed some anxiety because of the previous intense altered perceptions of LSD. Maybe a low dosage of clonazepam or another anxiolytic would help out. If it makes you dysfunctional then you should probably see a doctor though.

If the LSD makes me dysfunctional, or your recommended drugs?

 

[6apbhmm]

Both..

 

[Escapedysphoria]

Well the LSD, but anxiolytics have the potential to make one dysfunctional.

 

[Foreigner]

I'm not sure why the LSD experience itself is a sign I should see a doctor since I'm not predisposed to mental illness, or are we just talking about coping with the after effects?

Thanks for the advice on the anxiolytics.

 

[qwe]

my 9th lsd trip gave me a big mental butt kicking, it unsurfaced everything in me. choose love over fear wherever possible and you'll come out of it a whole new (better) person. notice paranoid or intrusive thoughts, and just accept them and let them float away. reduce all stresses and obligations and other things you find might trigger your paranoia. you'll need a lot of time and privacy (but some socializing) to sort through it all. stay friendly, even if you feel like the word is unfriendly.

it may take a month or three. after a trip like that, you only have a few options: keep learning (walk through the fire), fall into anxiety, or fall on the floor.

 

[Foreigner]

my 9th lsd trip gave me a big mental butt kicking, it unsurfaced everything in me. choose love over fear wherever possible and you'll come out of it a whole new (better) person. notice paranoid or intrusive thoughts, and just accept them and let them float away. reduce all stresses and obligations and other things you find might trigger your paranoia. you'll need a lot of time and privacy (but some socializing) to sort through it all. stay friendly, even if you feel like the word is unfriendly.

it may take a month or three. after a trip like that, you only have a few options: keep learning (walk through the fire), fall into anxiety, or fall on the floor.

Great advice, thank you...!

 

[Busty St Clare]

People may argue that LSD will not physically harm the brain but when you look at a web of mushy neurons and realise that memories and emotions and a soul somehow exist within its mist then you have accept some form of damage from high dose trips. Like being bitten by a dog, you will experience some post traumatic stress until such time you mind resets itself. There is no set length of time, but the fact you recognize your fog and you aren't experiencing delusions or (much) paranoia bodes well.

Taking an enforced break is a given. So is increasing exercise and eating well. Some reflective meditation for ten minutes at the beginning and end of the day might also help. Use this experience to learn about your limits and perhaps motivate you to get through your days. You might feel like you are walking in a fog for a while but as long as things don't regress into anxiety and fear then you will push through it. It is tricky because sometimes paranoia feeds itself so positive thoughts are essential . Personally I would avoid self medicating benzo's, but if you feel things are not improving then a check up with your doctor will not be a bad idea.

 

[Foreigner]

Just an update. Last Thursday I hit a wall and thought for sure I would have to go to the hospital, but I had a friend come stay with me and talked me down. The next morning I felt like something had been reset and I was closer to normal again. Each day has gotten incrementally better since then. I've started exercising again, continuing to eat well, and I'm going to avoid all mind altering for as long as possible (aiming for 6 months but who knows). I need to give my mind some regeneration time. It's actually been years since I've abstained from everything, including weed. It'll be interesting to see how my mind and body adapt.

 

[J.Wallace]

The fact that you said it took over and hour and a half to feel anything, is a sure sign of it being an RC, and not real LSD. In my experience, RC's can drain the mind and body, often leaving a hung over feeling the next morning. Again, my experience, real LSD has no such negative effects. It's clean, like water. And leaves you feel almost refreshed the morning after. Fear not, you will be absolutely fine. The human body, mind and spirit have a marvelous and miraculous way of healing itself through time and rest. Take it easy, don't do any other drugs for at least a week, and drink plenty of water. Give it some time and you will feel as good as before. I assure you.

 

[SpinOutOfControl]

Don't let your mind take hold. Seriously. Don't stress stay relaxed. Your nervous system is probably a little damaged now from the intensity and stress of the trip. It is going to take probably about 6 months to really get better. I went through several months of tripping out after one dose where i took too much. During that time i didn't smoke weed or drink because it would intensify the tripping. I was young though and i worried and stressed way to much and thats why it took so long to get past it. Anxiety comes with being in this state though but your have to not let it get the best of you.

 

[J.Wallace]

Don't let your mind take hold. Seriously. Don't stress stay relaxed. Your nervous system is probably a little damaged now from the intensity and stress of the trip. It is going to take probably about 6 months to really get better. I went through several months of tripping out after one dose where i took too much. During that time i didn't smoke weed or drink because it would intensify the tripping. I was young though and i worried and stressed way to much and thats why it took so long to get past it. Anxiety comes with being in this state though but your have to not let it get the best of you.

6 months seems a little extreme, honestly. About this time last year I was doing the same, indulging in psychedelics once a week for a bunch of weeks, one after the other. And it wasn't real LSD either. I felt very disconnected for a few months, but certainly not that long. Considering he only did one dose, he should be fine in a week or two. But OP, please do take it easy. Know what you are taking. Let this be a lesson that you must be careful with what you take nowadays, RC's are extremely easy to obtain, and people often sell them as LSD simply to make a profit. Karma will get them, however.

 

[SpinOutOfControl]

6 months seems a little extreme, honestly. About this time last year I was doing the same, indulging in psychedelics once a week for a bunch of weeks, one after the other. And it wasn't real LSD either. I felt very disconnected for a few months, but certainly not that long. Considering he only did one dose, he should be fine in a week or two. But OP, please do take it easy. Know what you are taking. Let this be a lesson that you must be careful with what you take nowadays, RC's are extremely easy to obtain, and people often sell them as LSD simply to make a profit. Karma will get them, however.

I have a feeling if he was posting this it is causing some real issues for him beyond feeling weird after a trip. Obviously he should see what happens upcoming no one can really tell him how long it will take. That is how long it was for me though, 6 months just to start to feel like i was part of reality again. That was from one hit that felt like i ate the whole sheet. Took 15 minutes after putting it on my tounge for me to not be able to see in front of my face, then eventually blacked out. It didn't really set in until about a week after the experience, thats when i started to notice shit was totally not right. I had flashbacks and was basically still tripping, hard. I didn't get better the anxiety went away and i was able to stop worrying about it. I think it started to turn into a bit of PTSD from me. Probably because i was young and didn't understand what was happening.

And who cares what it might have been. Even LSD itself at large doses will literally rock your nervous system and not it a good way. I Believe the stress of the intensity of the experience more than the drug itself.

You will be ok. just dont worry and let the anxiety take hold because it will take much longer for your stressed out body to recover. I couldn't sleep at all! and if i did slip off for a second i would wake up with the room spinning and changing colors rapidly. That makes it so much worse when you can't sleep. I experienced a lot of similar stuff you describe in your post. It was scary. I dont want to scare you though, i'm just sharing what i went through. I am perfectly fine now, and still do psychedelics. In the end after that time of my life, i dont think think much can phase me. It definitely made me a much stronger person having gone through that. I am not afraid of anything while before that time i was afraid of a lot. Eat, sleep, exersise. Do something other than sitting there wondering whats going on. I would stay away from nootropics, if anything try to get some Xanax.

 

[Futurist]

Staying off of psychedelics and other drugs for some time would probably be a smart choice.
A couple years back I started taking too much acid too often, and both my trips & mental health started going in a bad direction. After a certain dramatic experience I examined my use of psychedelics and decided it was time to quit or take a break. I was somewhat depressed and anxious for about 3 months, and still remember clearly how one day all of a sudden, without any clear reason, I got this feeling "Hey, everythings okay again.".
After that day things started getting better again, and nowadays I enjoy tripping maybe even more than I used to, but I don't do it as often. Time heals all wounds, and the worst experiences can sometimes provide us with the most important lessons.
Stick to a healthy lifestyle and enjoy quality time with friends & family, I'm sure you'll get better!

 

[perceive]

my 9th lsd trip gave me a big mental butt kicking, it unsurfaced everything in me. choose love over fear wherever possible and you'll come out of it a whole new (better) person. notice paranoid or intrusive thoughts, and just accept them and let them float away. reduce all stresses and obligations and other things you find might trigger your paranoia. you'll need a lot of time and privacy (but some socializing) to sort through it all. stay friendly, even if you feel like the word is unfriendly.

it may take a month or three. after a trip like that, you only have a few options: keep learning (walk through the fire), fall into anxiety, or fall on the floor.

Good advice. That is what I figured out too recently. I'm sure in time you'll feel much better. even better than before you had the trip

 

[StarDustandBust]

I have a feeling if he was posting this it is causing some real issues for him beyond feeling weird after a trip. Obviously he should see what happens upcoming no one can really tell him how long it will take. That is how long it was for me though, 6 months just to start to feel like i was part of reality again. That was from one hit that felt like i ate the whole sheet. Took 15 minutes after putting it on my tounge for me to not be able to see in front of my face, then eventually blacked out. It didn't really set in until about a week after the experience, thats when i started to notice shit was totally not right. I had flashbacks and was basically still tripping, hard. I didn't get better the anxiety went away and i was able to stop worrying about it. I think it started to turn into a bit of PTSD from me. Probably because i was young and didn't understand what was happening.

And who cares what it might have been. Even LSD itself at large doses will literally rock your nervous system and not it a good way. I Believe the stress of the intensity of the experience more than the drug itself.

You will be ok. just dont worry and let the anxiety take hold because it will take much longer for your stressed out body to recover. I couldn't sleep at all! and if i did slip off for a second i would wake up with the room spinning and changing colors rapidly. That makes it so much worse when you can't sleep. I experienced a lot of similar stuff you describe in your post. It was scary. I dont want to scare you though, i'm just sharing what i went through. I am perfectly fine now, and still do psychedelics. In the end after that time of my life, i dont think think much can phase me. It definitely made me a much stronger person having gone through that. I am not afraid of anything while before that time i was afraid of a lot. Eat, sleep, exersise. Do something other than sitting there wondering whats going on. I would stay away from nootropics, if anything try to get some Xanax.

Hello I don't even know how long ago this was posted. I had PRETTY tramatic childhood experiences and I started tripping at a young age. I took just 2 hits of LSD about 8 months ago and it was probably my 10th time or so, anyways I had the most terrifying tramatic experience on the damn drug. I ran from my friends and ex boyfriend, screaming at the top of my lungs barefoot down a dirt road, I had so many senerios playing in my head that I litterally couldn't even see what was in front of me. I believed everything that was going on in my head and punched my boyfriend in the face.. almost got hit by a car, cops got called and I beat them up as well! Got sedated pissed myself and woke up in the ER will NO memory of what ACTUALLY happened, just of the HELLISH senerios from it. I still am suffering from that experience. I still to this day have "flash backs" and "triggers" I still am in a very fearful state. Though I have came to many realizations and become a more spiritual person in general I am looking for ANYONE who has experienced such a tramatic experience and how they have coped with it. I am trying to choose love over fear , but I have SO much parinoia from that experience. My mind likes to create this senerio that almost everyone is out to get me, or I'm in some kind of movie like "the Truman show". I get carried away and just want to escape my own mind. My parinoid thoughts leak out into my reality, little coincidences and things people say fuck with my head and trigger these memories of this experience. I am trying to get past this but I feel chained to it. Anything helps. Much love.

 

[sekio]

Healthy people don't take 2 hits of acid and end up in a fufue state, screaming and yelling and fighting with cops. I think you perhaps need to stop taking drugs for a little while, detoxify your system, and then try to take stock of your mental state. You shouldn't attempt to set up a bouncy castle on a quicksand patch. Pre-existing emotional trauma and high stress levels, combined with poor coping skills or few emotional "outlets" and no sense of closure, is an awful set to bring to a trip, regardless of the drug. It sounds to me that you also may have mild schizophrenic symptoms - feeling as if you are being constantly watched and that there is a conspiracy against you is NOT normal and is something you should discuss with a mental health professional before it becomes a major problem. Mental health issues do not, in general, get better all on their own. You need to make changes before your mind will change. It could be as simple as having someone to talk to about sress in your life and ways to resolve that. It could mean you need to get on a mild antipsychotic drug to dampen the paranoia. However, taking euphoriant drugs in an attempt to "self medicate" (anby "fun" drugs, from THC to opioids to amphetamines to cocaine to LSD...), or just holding your breath and waiting for a miracle to happen will NOT fix anything.

The best thing you can do is take the events as they are, learn from them as a negative experience that shapes your personality, and figure out what that means for your life going forward. A trip like that is a serious sign that you need to evaluate your life and figure out why you acted as you did, and what to change to prevent that in future. I've had the same sort of experience, going fugue-state then waking up in the hospital chained to the bed with restraints. It's not something I'll easily forget, but it also taught me some valuable limits. I made some major life changes and now I'm much less stressed and way more "with it".

 

[frankfurt]

I need your advice