Some Psychedelic Issues

[RhythmSpring]

My situation is kind of complex.

A little background: I have rheumatoid arthritis, and I have found that tripping on mushrooms is helping get rid of it. The more I do, the less inflammation I have in my joints for up to a week after a trip. I'd like to think that the effect can be cumulative.

I also have a hunch that a purge is in store. I have a lot of feelings of energetic build-up in my chest, and I think that stuff needs to come out. I came close to purging on one or two recent trips, but nothing ever came out.

Lately, I've been experiencing lots of energy. So much energy that my heart is pounding throughout my body most of the day. My resting heart rate is pretty high (though I haven't measured it). I've even had a couple SVT episodes recently (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supraventricular_tachycardia). My body wants to be active, but often the pain in my joints limits my activity.

I'm not sure whether I should trip alone or not. If I'm alone, I feel like I can go deeper within myself. But whenever I take mushrooms, I have this urge to connect with people in my life. I want to communicate with them, often while I'm tripping. Tripping with a friend has been lovely, but they are also a distraction from what's inside, and I notice myself transferring my psychological content onto them. Usually positive content, but still.

I'm a little afraid to dose big, although, I think that's what I need to do to break through some molds. The last time I dosed big, I had some scary chest sensations (fullness, lots and lots of energy that wasn't finding its way out) and I thought I was going to die... of ecstasy, but also inner tension. I wasn't sure if I needed to barf. Perhaps if I had a more omniverous diet, barfing would come more naturally. Right now it's pretty darn limited (fish, chicken liver, tahini, almond butter, sweet potato, rice, some beans, green vegetables... that's all I'm eating right now.) Oh, and I eat lots of salt. Hmm, maybe that's part of why my cardiac(?) system goes a little crazy. Maybe I need to cut down on salt before a trip. I notice that my salt cravings go down after a trip, and I believe that is connected to my joint inflammation going down, so, I think the mushrooms are helping in that regard.

If you think it's silly to be using mushrooms to address my health issues, please do not respond. I know I am onto something--it has helped me walk again, helped me play music again, etc. It really has been helping. I just have been hitting this point where I'm not sure how to safely continue. Also, I have tried almost everything else out there in terms of treating the RA. So please don't suggest something--I guarantee I've tried it. Short of helminithic therapy.

There are undoubtedly more details, but I though I'd throw this out there for now. Maybe there is something that I'm not seeing. Why do I have a ridiculous amount of energy? Is it the salt electrolytes in my nervous system? Is it my super clean/wholesome diet? Is it the fact that I haven't been truly physically active in such a long time? Is too much energy a problem in psychedelic trips? I tend to experience this energy on lower doses, though. Maybe if I dose higher, I'll have a more sedating trip? Agh, there are so many thoughts and possibilities of answers floating around that I'm not sure if there's a right one.

I'm open to any and all ideas, but I will also take everything with a grain of salt, as I usually do.

 

[Si Dread]

If you think it's silly to be using mushrooms to address my health issues, please do not respond.

I doubt anyone will suggest tripping on shrooms to alleviate illness is silly. I am not aware of Psilocybin being trialled for Rhuematism or Arthritis but I'd consider that more a gap in my knowldge than yours.

Is there anything in particular you need help with? Is it the energy level whilst tripping on shrooms that you can't handle? have you tried smoking good herb while you're on shrooms? You might be able to dose lower & achieve the same results with less side-effects if you smoke good Indica when you're tripping... I'll be surprised if you havent tried this, though.

Best of luck!

 

[sekio]

Having a high sodium diet can cause your resting blood pressure to be higher than it should probably be. I wouldn't be surprised if it also made you tense during the trip. It could also be indicative that you need to do more physical activity in your life, if you're not very active.

"Scary chest sensations" are not necessarily indicative of damage. Especially if you're on a solid dose of 'shrooms. It's too easy to have an anxiety response potentiate itself to the point where you feel wierd.

 

[RhythmSpring]

Thanks for your input guys. My blood *pressure* is actually consistently on the low side. My heart *rate*, on the other hand, is high. Pounding, bam bam bam. And I've stopped using cannabis because it seemed like it was exacerbating the heart pounding. I was eating it, not smoking it.

 

[phuckingnutz]

If you think it's silly to be using mushrooms to address my health issues, please do not respond. I know I am onto something--it has helped me walk again, helped me play music again, etc. It really has been helping. I just have been hitting this point where I'm not sure how to safely continue. Also, I have tried almost everything else out there in terms of treating the RA. So please don't suggest something--I guarantee I've tried it. Short of helminithic therapy.

I don't think curing yourself with shrooms or any type of herbal or entheogenic methods is silly.
What you might try and see is if there are other mushrooms out there which are more available than psilocybin would also be effective for your RA...maybe it's the something else besides the trippy part that's doing you good???

 

[RhythmSpring]

Other mushrooms such as? Reishi? Chaga? Lion's Mane? Doing that. They steer me in the right direction, but I think it's the psilocybin that actually gets the energy moving.

 

[phuckingnutz]

Other mushrooms such as? Reishi? Chaga? Lion's Mane? Doing that. They steer me in the right direction, but I think it's the psilocybin that actually gets the energy moving.

Only you will be able to tell, if you think it's the Psilocybin then by all means keep going in that direction, but I do think that the whole shroom will still be superior to synthetic 4-PO-DMT...synergistic effects and all that. Just as, IMO, Ayahuasca is far superior to extracted DMT when it comes to curing an ailment, whether psychological or physical
I hope this ends up with a full remission for your RA, but any improvement will be a good thing.
Keep us posted.

 

[RhythmSpring]

Yes, I agree, it's the full mushroom that does the magic. When I said "psilocybin" I really meant "Psilocybe."

 

[DrGreenthumb]

I think it is the psilocybin & related compounds causing the effect, it can happen on other psychedelics too. I love edible mushrooms, but non-psilocybes never had that effect & other psychedelic drugs do, some stronger.

Nausea is a common side effect of psychedelics.

Mushrooms & psychedelics in general can be stimulating. The tachycardia is probably just anxiety & the cannabis/mushroom combo, but doing any psychedelic too often is risking heart problems, that would usually mean years of very regular use afaik. It's not something you can use daily for pain for extended periods without problems. I don't like recommending benzos because they're so horribly addictive, but they might help with trip-induced anxiety if you're careful, or just a little alcohol.

The increase in energy might just be because you've been inactive for so long, a rebound effect.

I was suffering from auto-immune inflammation & arthritis type symptoms from coeliac. Bk-2C-B seems to have cured it, it seemed to have stronger body effects & less mental effects than mushrooms for me. No doubt the pain would come back if I ate some gluten, but so far so good. I also had a lot of energy at first, almost felt manic compared to my previously depressed state, but I seem to be levelling out now.

I really think psychedelics should be researched more for these type of conditions, I had some amazing effects & still feel totally cured weeks after my last dose. I found out it was gluten causing my pain, tiredness & inflammation, but it still hadn't cleared up after 4 months gluten free, now it has after bk-2c-b & it shouldn't come back if i stay away from gluten.

I notice you seem to have restricted your diet too, do you think something in your diet might be making your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms worse, is that why you restricted it? I notice you seem to be avoiding grains. Had any gastro problems before you restricted your diet (when not on psychedelics)? It might be worth eating a load of gluten for a few weeks to see if it makes it worse & then get yourself tested (you need to have eaten gluten daily for ~2 months for the test). It's not good to restrict your diet without a good medical reason, even a gluten free diet isn't as restricted as you seem to be on now. If there is something in your diet not agreeing with you then you need to find out what it is & stop cutting other things out needlessly. Maybe the lack of carbs has made you ketogenic.

If you recognise any other symptoms that may be caused by coeliac, it'll be worth testing it out, often the gastro symptoms are mild, mine were, joint pain, brain fog & lack of energy were my main symptoms, but I was having some gastro problems in the last year. Often it's misdiagnosed as other illnesses. My dad is severely disabled from it, before we found out the cause, he can't walk now & he's too far gone to consider psychedelics. It's taken 4 & a half years of hospital visits to specialists before they finally diagnosed him. He thought it was just colitis for 25 years before he started getting dizzy & other neurological problems. It'll be great news for you if you find out you are coeliac, that means you can make a full (slow) recovery without any drugs & you'd actually be restricting your diet less than currently.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-...isease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/symptoms/

 

[RhythmSpring]

Yeah, I read in another thread about your use of Bk-2C-B. That's wonderful! I am cautious of research chemicals and probably will stick to the mushrooms, though.

I am working towards a state in which I can eat farily omniverously (barring processed foods) and still be healthy. In the past, I have mitigated my symptoms by restricting my diet, but in my experience that is unsustainable. Ultimately I will eat only what makes me feel good, but it seems as though the mushrooms are expanding the list of foods I am tolerant of. Fortunately, nothing seriously upsets my stomach. The main problem is the inflammatory cascade a "bad" food initiates.