Xorkoth said:
Yeah, I find DXM to feel horribly toxic...
Interesting that you should mention this, as it is something I have been considering lately. First, I should say that I find DXM to be an interesting and useful chemical and I do not find it horribly toxic. Second, I think feeling braindead, and using DXM to some extent go hand in hand. It, or more specifically, its metabolite, is a pretty strong NMDA antagonist, as you well know. No one is going to be developing the next theory of relativity under the influence of this sort of drug.
Not that I find DXM to be thought abolishing. On the contrary, I find its effect on thinking to be fascinating. I do however find that, for me, it renders the ability to translate thought into language pretty much non-existant. This can make me feel braindead sometimes. Especially, if I am trying to hold an intellingent conversation (impossible).
Back to the topic though, it seems the question of the toxicity of this chemical (at high doses) remains kind of unresolved. I have personally used it many times without any obvuous detriment. But, I have noticed that as time goes on, the crash following the DXM high gets worse and worse and worse. What once was a pleasant afterglow, is now, for me at least, a totally debilitating hangover. This progressive worsening of after-effects reminds me of something... So, could this be evidence of some sort of toxicity? Could this be related to some direct effect of DXM, or some secondary effect like dehydration? I could theorize, but my knowledge about this sort of thing is just too incomplete.
Also, I should add that I used DXM regularly for years. However, over the past 12 months or so I have only used it three times. Even though I have drastically reduced my consumption of this chemical, these day after hangovers have not been lessened. Maybe I am just getting old.