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The Big & Dandy Tripping & Anxiety Thread

psychoblast

psychoblast

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Joined
Oct 11, 2000
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Welcome to the Main Tripping & Anxiety Thread

The subject includes having anxiety or panicky symptoms while tripping on psychedelics as well as
having an anxiety disorder and using psychedelics or planning on it. The topic also includes ways to
decide whether it is a good idea for you to be tripping and what you can do to minimize the anxiety.

[original post:]

I did a search and found some general threads on irregular heartbeats with drug use, mostly speedy drugs or weed. I was curious to get a general survey of this issue with psychedelics.

My interest is based on a bad experience.

A few days ago I did 4-ho-dipt (I've done it before). A friend who does not use drugs was with me, sort of as a sitter. So sometime during my trip (which was fine) she had her head on my chest and said worriedly, "Hey, you know your heart is beating irregularly."

Well, no, I didn't know that, had never noticed it when using anything. I felt my pulse and sure enough, there seemed to be some missing beats. But I figured I'd never heard of a death related to this substance, and so I didn't let it worry me.

So last night I did 2ce for the second time. I didn't recall the heart beat comment from a few days earlier. But then after a couple hours on the 2ce, I then remembered what that friend had said. So I felt my pulse to try to comfort myself that 2ce was not screwing with my heart beat. But then I noticed missing beats. Like 2 beats, then silence, then 6 beats, then silence, then 10 beats, then silence.

It really started freaking me out. I started thinking I might have a heart condition, perhaps from my past drug use, and this could be the night it gets to me and kills me. I started being very aware of my breathing too, like it was a real effort to just keep breathing. I was trying to do as little physical movement as possible to save my strength for my heart and lungs. Sometimes I felt like my extremities were tingly, which made me think my blood pressure might be getting too low.

Anyway, I would sometimes be able to distract myself from these thoughts. I tried telling myself how no one had ever died on this stuff (to my knowledge) and it was incredibly unlikely I'd be the first. I live a pretty healthy lifestyle, exercise and stuff. But no matter how I used the usual common sense arguments, I still kept coming back to being worried. I couldn't talk to the other people around because speaking used energy I felt I needed to keep breathing.

Sometimes I tried a different approach to calming down, telling myself if I was to die, so be it. Might as well enjoy my last moments. Stuff like that. But that only temporarily eased my mind.

I wound up spending a pretty weird and disturbing night bouncing between seeing some beautiful visuals and being intimate with my g/f, and thinking I'd be lucky to survive the night.

The worst moment came after about 5 hours. I was laying down in bed and wanted to just stay there and ride out the rest of the trip, hopefully fall asleep as soon as possible. But I had to pee. I didn't feel like I had the strength to sit up and walk over there, but I figured I had to do it. I gave myself a pep talk on how this was all in my head, and then pushed myself up and walked to the bathroom.

I made it okay and sat down on the toilet and then got a really weird feeling. Sort of like a head rush, but different. I started sweating and was lightheaded. I started thinking that was it, I was going to die. My extremities were tingling like they were not gettting enough oxygen. I started to feel a pain in my right arm like I thought might be a precursor to a stroke or heart attack or something. My chest felt very tight.

I rode that out for a minute or two, and then the symptoms faded. I managed to get back up and stumbled to bed. The next few hours were a blur of trying to clear my mind and not think about anything, and not worry I might die.

So this morning, now sober, I still feel weak. I still feel a tightness in the left side of my chest. I still find myself becoming aware of my breathing like it is an effort to keep it up.

I've now done some internet research and I think it is likely I was just having anxiety attacks. (Tip: If you trip with a sober person, tell them in advance NOT to say shit to you like, "Your heart isn't beating right.") I also smoked weed with the 2ce (and previously with the 4-ho-dipt) and I've found threads on anxiety attacks with weed. I also found references to the fact that everyone has skipped heartbeats, usually a few a minute. Apparently that is normal. So at this piont I don't know if I had more skipped beats than normal, or just had the normal amount and let my paranoia screw me up. I also don't know if the 2ce and 4-ho-dipt have effects on the heart like speeding it up or making it beat irregularly, or if my heart irregularities (if they existed) were caused by the weed.

Which leads me to this post. Basically, I'm looking for any info specifically on heart irregularities, heart attacks, anxiety attacks, etc. linked to phenylmines (sp?) and tryptamines. I'd like to get more info. to reassure me I'm okay and to avoid a similar incident in the future. Or if I am in danger, I'd like to know that to.

~psychoblast~
 
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I would say you are worrying about it way too much. Worrying about stuff like that while on psychedelics will not help you, it will only propell you into a horrible trip (man, I've been there...I thought my brain was going to overheat from thinking too much and I was going to die...I'm not joking, either).

But I dunno too much about what the heart is supposed to sound like, mine seems alright from what I can tell, so if you are really concerned, I'd see a doctor.

Does this just happen when you trip, though, or does your heart always skip beats?
I would say if it only happens when you trip, you're fine...
But if you notice it happening when you're sober, I would get that checked out.
 
Heart arrythmia, pulse, palpitations can all be symptoms of anxiety/panic attacks but not dangerous in and of themself. I think there was a study about how a healthy heart could maintain a heart rate of 200+ bpm for days, weeks or something.

I dunno, use Google or something.
 
Sounds like anxiety. I had the same problem as you(smoking pot, not with psychedelics - although I have had similar problems) with noticing my skipped beats, accompanied by a fluttering afterwards.

I also notice they happen a hell of alot more often if you pay attention.
 
Yeah it sounds like this is just in your head. All the symptoms you listed can be caused by an anxiety or panic attack. It's a feedback loop, you get worried, so your body reacts, then you notice your body reacting and get more worried. Naturally psychedelics can only accelerate the anxiety, although I doubt they are the direct cause of it. Weed also seems to not help very much. If your only having these symptoms on drugs I think it would be wise to stop using them for a while. Until you get your shit together. Just take a deep breath and chill, when you get the symptoms, keep in mind that anxiety is a mental thing, therefore you have all the power to stop it. The only reason your heart is beating irregularly is because you are thinking about it beating that way. You just need to cut off the feedback loop and the anxiety will stop. Panic and anxiety attacks are probably the most common mental condition and the most easy to cure.

Chill out and don’t worry about it.
 
altered state anxiety

about 8 months ago i took some mushrooms and had a very bad trip. reality was so distorted, everything was strange and just seemd different. now i feel very unsure of my normal perception of things, which leaves me in a constant state of anxiety.i wish i could just write it off as being high on drugs, but then i read peoples post's of how these drugs are so insightful and how you learn so much. i just feel so unsure of reality now, ifr someone could help me out, maybe offer some advice, i would greatly appreciate it.
 
Difficult as it is, try not to question all the intricate implications on your perception; try to limit it to it's immediate use (is this the train I need to get etc). The doubts are a 'what if' reaction, and given free reign, that's the basis of most anxiety.

As long as you're not going to be killed, injured or made destitute, just accept your initial perceptions and go with them. Yes sometimes you'll be wrong, but nobody is correct all of the time. If you can manage to keep that thought in your head, the doubts will eventually subside into the beckground
 
Maybe you should just come to terms with the idea that our perception may be unreliable, and that "reality" isn't necessarily explainable, especially using words.
I've been there, it's nasty. Good luck.
 
fastandbulbous, thanks for the kind words. the problem seems to be my own beliefs regarding psychedelic drugs. in your experiences, is the general altered perception the drug gives just being " fucked up", or are the perceptions usually valid ? i often hear people say things like " i couldn't handle that while tripping", and i wonder if there is really something going on that would be hard to handle, or are they just high.

for instance, a buddy of mine was tripping and we suggested going out tothe mall or something, and he said he couldn't handle being around all the people while tripping. now i start thiinking , is his mind just messed up from the drug, or is he having some insightful revelation? this causes a very negative feeling of uncertainty and anxiety.

hopefully now you can see where im coming from better, because i'm really bad off at the moment. it seems kind of rediculous, but this all started after i had the trip, and i need to move on.
 
Hi there wheelchair, i think what your mate meant when he wanted to avoid people is that when tripping, too many people can overlaid the brain with stimulii, causing a fir dgree of anxiety. He probably normally wouldn't be 'afraid' of crowds, but his mind (which would already have been bursting with input) would have 'suggested' that this big influx of information that one would receive at a sopping mall would be too intense for the hallucinating brain.

Many perceptions one gets while tripping are invalid, as they are only relevant for the duration of the drugs effects ie. altered perception of time, whereby it feels unimportant or even nonsensical is obviously not valid when you come back down to a reality which runs on time.

Because the effects of the drug happen in YOUR brain, well there is a degree of truth and personal resonance in thge effects of the trip. That is why it is important to be prepared for a trip, I've though negative shit opn trips before to discover that, even when sober again, these thoughts were now truly issues I had. The only cure, that I know, is to have another trip and basically explore these feelings and attempt to conquer them again. I always feel that halluciogens makes my mind feel like a highly malleable putty, with which I could both become extremely afraid (bad trip) or free and enlightened (good trip). Its a question of where YOU take your mind. Some people just cannot or will not handle pyschedelics; if you think your one of these, well thats fine, just don't take anything like that again. But remeber, if you do you must make an attempt to resolve these things, and NOT make them worse.

You'll get better if you really adress your mind and question why you feel anxious. If you cann't answer this question then there is no point in worrying about it, as you'll likely never solve it . . . if you can answer then the problem is solved. I hope you feel better, I know in time you will :) :)
 
...
if you want those pesky post-trip feelings of unreality to fade away more quickly, consider ingesting 250 milligrams of niacinamide 3x/day (with meals) until things are a lot closer to ummmmm "normal" (whatever that means ;) ...)


(oh, and i betcha if you used the little "search" thingie you could find a dozen posts asking the same Q...)
 
Alchemists would recommend some sort of relaxing substance, typically opium or the like, to help ease into the trip and allow one to maintain one's confidence.

The third eye definately poses many truths and views that tend to contradict what many people in society have been taught. Some may get extremely uneasy if they try to deny this.. so try to keep an open mind so there's room for debate in your mind. I personally would never disregard something I've experienced as merely "fucked up". If you want "fucked up", try alcohol or opiates, because those lag your motor skills and make things childishly stupid, whereas psychedelics intensely widen the awareness in a moment.
 
i suggest doing shrooms again, and beating them. The bad trip beat u last time, now its your turn to have a go at the mushroom again.
 
i suggest doing shrooms again, and beating them.
Click to expand...

That can also be the way to turn troublesome anxiety into socially crippling fear. Give any thoughts of psychedelics a rest for the foreseeable future, then when things seem OK in your everyday life, then consider returning and looking at why that occurred
 
Anxiety is a vicious circle..
the more you think about the symptoms (psy&phy) the more you feed the beast !
it's merely a physical reaction, so the best thing to do is to learn your body, learn to relax and enjoy your feelings.
When you're in a comfortable 'state of body', try to focus on your bad thoughts about reality and ask why you are so anxious. You'll find there's no reason to be afraid of what you are and what you feel. It has always been this way since you were born !
Shrooms and psychedelics in general let us see a piece of the background of reality..but life is the same for all.
A train is a train ;)
Reality is so beautiful and marvelous, no reason to be afraid of..just contemplate it and try to understand it (sounds like a perma fried isn't it? sorry) ...

I don't think taking psychedelics soon is the solution!
Before eat some more, it's important to feel comfortable and know his own sober state.
 
I'd suggest you look into meditation, stress management, excersise, talk therapy and other more natural approaches for confronting and coming to terms with your anxiety. Then when your ready and you think you understand this problem approach the mushrooms again.
 
continually anxious state on psychedelics

i've taken acid three times... the first time it was wonderful, the second time was anxious but i still got good fun visuals, and the third time was just purely anxious... like i was holding something back... no visuals either, just an anxious energy going through my body like i need to get it out... and my stomach was uncomfortable too. at the end of the night i finally got the signature psychedelic alien patterns i get whenever i trip on anything. that's it.

and then, on mushrooms, whenever i do them now i just feel anxious.. about something, i don't know what. just an anxious tight feeling.

i suppose i could combat it with some valium but i'd rather just figure it out. i want to get that first acid trip back. does anyone have any input?
 
another thing is, i can't seem to let go of my shortcomings... i read people's trip reports and i know these people aren't perfect... but they set everything aside to enjoy themselves on mushrooms. i end up feeling like i shouldn't be enjoying myself because this is a time when i need to bring my shortcomings to light and do what i need to do. but whenever i think about them i just get anxious about it. nothing productive happens.
 
Psychedelic experience is extremely haphazard.

Remember also that people tend to write about their best or most interesting experiences. Memory is selective.
 
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