Misc Took Lions Mane for two weeks then had marijuana one night. Severe insomnia for 3 months + other serious issues

[Hallow]

Two weeks prior to November 25 I started taking 2-4g of lions mane mushroom each morning and then one night I smoked marijuana ( .5g 22% Indica) that I purchased from the local government store here. The night of I had a panic attack / strange feeling that caused me to be awake all night. The next day I started experiencing depersonalization. The following nights to this day I've been continuing to have severe insomnia to the point that I've been to the hospital and doctors many times, and all they've done is give me Mirtazapine to help me sleep. It feels like I've lost my ability to sleep. I get maximum 2-3 hours per night WITH the medication. If I don't take the medication I don't sleep. Beforehand I could sleep with no issues whatsoever. I know that sounds crazy, but I really do not feel sleepy anymore and my brain feels like it's "expanded in my head". In some way I could have done brain damage to myself. My doctor says it's anxiety, but there is no way it's just anxiety when I'm experiencing the crazy amount of issues I'll list below. I'm a 31 year old male btw.

The first month it was just severe insomnia and migraines on the left side. Then the second month I started to experience internal tremors, body twitching, and other crazy things.

Here are the systems to this day I've had. I know the list is long and it seems like I'm a hypochondriac, but I hate to say that I really am experiencing these things and it's scaring the shit out of me. It's made me so depressed because now I'm thinking it's possible I've started to develop a neurogenerative disease somehow. I feel like I'm in horror movie with what's going on to me.

• Constant agony from: not sleeping, back of head vibrating, internal vibrations, restlessness, feet/hands going numb in bed, body twitches when trying to sleep, migraines, fatigue, weakness in legs
  • I lay in bed at night experiencing all this until the sleeping pill starts to work, but then I awake in 2-3 hours
• Sleep deprivation: Can’t physically sleep (not from overthinking, but physically the brain feels overloaded/wired - damage to Hypothalamus?)
  • Haven’t woken feeling like I really slept since Nov 25
• Numb hands and feet when in bed
• Tremor in head and back of neck
• Migraines on left side of head
• Jerky/Sore neck muscles
• Quivers in muscles
• Myoclonus jerks in arms, legs, fingers, head typically in bed
• Hand and knees twitching
• Can’t stop moving. Restless. Especially in the morning (Akinisia from Mirtazapine?)
• Loss of emotions
• Internal vibrating that varies through body parts
• Throwing up a lot the first month
• Fatigued
• Loss of libido
• Weak legs
• Sensitive to light, sounds, temperature
• Tight muscles
• Heart palpitations at random times
• Lost 20lbs and don’t stop losing
• Stool color/consistency changed after Nov 25
• Loss of appetite
• Balance slightly off
• Short-term memory loss
• Ringing in ears at night

I believe the two substances had an adverse reaction somehow. I'm not sure exactly if it was the mushroom or the weed, or both. I didn't take them together at the same time, but one in the morning and the other at night. Lions Mane has some research behind it that it does stuff with the central nervous system of mice and promotes NGF which there doesn't seem to much that much research on whether it's good or bad (I really regret not researching it beforehand). The marijuana was purchased from the local gov't store so I'm not sure if it could have been tainted somehow or not.

I've seen a psychiatrist who doesn't really give me an answer on my situation and who says just keep taking the Mirtazapine. I've done blood tests that showed up clear. So it seems that I've done brain damage somehow. I'm waiting to see a neurologist in April.

I'm really at a loss for words as to what to do to help my situation.

Does anyone have any insight into the science behind how the hell this all started happening to me after the night of Nov 25? Believe me when I say I know how crazy this all sounds and how badly I wish these things weren't happening to me.

 

[polarthedog]

Damn dude, I wish I had an answer for you, good luck I guess? I’m sure someone will post with something more useful. Sorry your going through all of that

 

[JackARoe]

Yeah man feel better. The first thing you need to do is put some effort into getting sleep. The body rests when you lay down but the mind needs to blink out. Sleep is healing. When people don’t feel well the body naturally wants to sleep. Severe insomnia can be dealt with. Maybe not with that medication.

One thing you have to remember is that you will heal. And your first mission is to get more than two or three hours sleep. You’re not the first person to have such insomnia. But eventually you will sleep. Then I suspect a lot of the other symptoms will just naturally go away. That’s what I think and I probably would not listen to a doctor, I have more faith in my body’s ability to heal. But brother you need to sleep and there are ways to do it. And eventually you’ll sleep without medication. A lot of the symptoms I have at times so I bet a lot of us can relate to that list.

No idea on why it started that particular night but things like that to happen. It’s the hand you were dealt and you’ll get through it. Sometimes you can’t look back or get exact answers. But I do know you’ll look back a few years from now and have come through it. Sleep and long walks in nature.

 

[polarthedog]

Two weeks prior to November 25 I started taking 2-4g of lions mane mushroom each morning and then one night I smoked marijuana ( .5g 22% Indica) that I purchased from the local government store here. The night of I had a panic attack / strange feeling that caused me to be awake all night. The next day I started experiencing depersonalization. The following nights to this day I've been continuing to have severe insomnia to the point that I've been to the hospital and doctors many times, and all they've done is give me Mirtazapine to help me sleep. It feels like I've lost my ability to sleep. I get maximum 2-3 hours per night WITH the medication. If I don't take the medication I don't sleep. Beforehand I could sleep with no issues whatsoever. I know that sounds crazy, but I really do not feel sleepy anymore and my brain feels like it's "expanded in my head". In some way I could have done brain damage to myself. My doctor says it's anxiety, but there is no way it's just anxiety when I'm experiencing the crazy amount of issues I'll list below. I'm a 31 year old male btw.

The first month it was just severe insomnia and migraines on the left side. Then the second month I started to experience internal tremors, body twitching, and other crazy things.

Here are the systems to this day I've had. I know the list is long and it seems like I'm a hypochondriac, but I hate to say that I really am experiencing these things and it's scaring the shit out of me. It's made me so depressed because now I'm thinking it's possible I've started to develop a neurogenerative disease somehow. I feel like I'm in horror movie with what's going on to me.

• Constant agony from: not sleeping, back of head vibrating, internal vibrations, restlessness, feet/hands going numb in bed, body twitches when trying to sleep, migraines, fatigue, weakness in legs
  • I lay in bed at night experiencing all this until the sleeping pill starts to work, but then I awake in 2-3 hours
• Sleep deprivation: Can’t physically sleep (not from overthinking, but physically the brain feels overloaded/wired - damage to Hypothalamus?)
  • Haven’t woken feeling like I really slept since Nov 25
• Numb hands and feet when in bed
• Tremor in head and back of neck
• Migraines on left side of head
• Jerky/Sore neck muscles
• Quivers in muscles
• Myoclonus jerks in arms, legs, fingers, head typically in bed
• Hand and knees twitching
• Can’t stop moving. Restless. Especially in the morning (Akinisia from Mirtazapine?)
• Loss of emotions
• Internal vibrating that varies through body parts
• Throwing up a lot the first month
• Fatigued
• Loss of libido
• Weak legs
• Sensitive to light, sounds, temperature
• Tight muscles
• Heart palpitations at random times
• Lost 20lbs and don’t stop losing
• Stool color/consistency changed after Nov 25
• Loss of appetite
• Balance slightly off
• Short-term memory loss
• Ringing in ears at night

I believe the two substances had an adverse reaction somehow. I'm not sure exactly if it was the mushroom or the weed, or both. I didn't take them together at the same time, but one in the morning and the other at night. Lions Mane has some research behind it that it does stuff with the central nervous system of mice and promotes NGF which there doesn't seem to much that much research on whether it's good or bad (I really regret not researching it beforehand). The marijuana was purchased from the local gov't store so I'm not sure if it could have been tainted somehow or not.

I've seen a psychiatrist who doesn't really give me an answer on my situation and who says just keep taking the Mirtazapine. I've done blood tests that showed up clear. So it seems that I've done brain damage somehow. I'm waiting to see a neurologist in April.

I'm really at a loss for words as to what to do to help my situation.

Does anyone have any insight into the science behind how the hell this all started happening to me after the night of Nov 25? Believe me when I say I know how crazy this all sounds and how badly I wish these things weren't happening to me.

Do you exercise regularly? If not, I think that could definitely help

 

[Snafu in the Void]

@Hallow this sounds very unusual, did the doctor do anything other than a blood panel? Urinalysis?

To me this sounds like something other than a simple drug interaction, a drug interaction should not last 3 months, there is probably something else going on.

This all sounds fairly serious. I would press your doctor further if you can get another appointment before the neurologist.

I can only speculate here, but it sounds neurological or maybe something like a parasite/bacteria. I don't want to scare you or give wild speculation, though.

Its possible the lions mane was somehow contaminated, was it raw or processed?

I have been called a hypochondriac before for much less of an issue, BY a doctor to my face simply because I have a lot of anxiety. I know how bad that feels.

I agree with the above posts that exercise, at the very least, may help some of the symptoms but it should specifically help you sleep. Aerobic exercise like jogging would be best. It should help to some degree with some of your symptoms.

 

[JackARoe]

I agree with the full medical assessment. But if they find nothing it is up to you to turn this train around. My wife has had a lot of issues, in fact one day she looked like she was having a stroke but the hospital said it was nothing. So at that point all you can do is change your own personal habits. I wish I had more faith in doctors.

I looked at that list of symptoms again and I can tell you as you age some of those just come and go. And aches and pains come and go.

So be both a hypochondriac in one aspect and somebody who’s gonna take the bull by the horns without the medical field in another aspect.

 

[Hallow]

Yeah man feel better. The first thing you need to do is put some effort into getting sleep. The body rests when you lay down but the mind needs to blink out. Sleep is healing. When people don’t feel well the body naturally wants to sleep. Severe insomnia can be dealt with. Maybe not with that medication.

One thing you have to remember is that you will heal. And your first mission is to get more than two or three hours sleep. You’re not the first person to have such insomnia. But eventually you will sleep. Then I suspect a lot of the other symptoms will just naturally go away. That’s what I think and I probably would not listen to a doctor, I have more faith in my body’s ability to heal. But brother you need to sleep and there are ways to do it. And eventually you’ll sleep without medication. A lot of the symptoms I have at times so I bet a lot of us can relate to that list.

No idea on why it started that particular night but things like that to happen. It’s the hand you were dealt and you’ll get through it. Sometimes you can’t look back or get exact answers. But I do know you’ll look back a few years from now and have come through it. Sleep and long walks in nature.

Thank you for saying that brother. I hope I do get my sleep back. It feels like no matter what I try I can't get to sleep. I really hope I didn't do brain damage to myself somehow.

 

[Hallow]

@Hallow this sounds very unusual, did the doctor do anything other than a blood panel? Urinalysis?

To me this sounds like something other than a simple drug interaction, a drug interaction should not last 3 months, there is probably something else going on.

This all sounds fairly serious. I would press your doctor further if you can get another appointment before the neurologist.

I can only speculate here, but it sounds neurological or maybe something like a parasite/bacteria. I don't want to scare you or give wild speculation, though.

Its possible the lions mane was somehow contaminated, was it raw or processed?

I have been called a hypochondriac before for much less of an issue, BY a doctor to my face simply because I have a lot of anxiety. I know how bad that feels.

I agree with the above posts that exercise, at the very least, may help some of the symptoms but it should specifically help you sleep. Aerobic exercise like jogging would be best. It should help to some degree with some of your symptoms.

It's a strange situation. The doctor did a urine test, blood test, stool test, and I got a CT scan at the hospital which didn't show anything (hoping the MRI I'm going to do soon will show something).

I had an argument with my doctor for 40 minutes on the phone telling him how my symptoms aren't all anxiety. He didn't even want to listen to me. It's crazy how much agony I'm in and I'm surrounded by doctors that think it's just anxiety. Today for example I can't stop moving my legs, and I can't stop moving my body otherwise my hands/feet go number. It's the most messed up situation. I have thought a lot about whether this could be a situation where damage was done to the brain in an area that controls sleep.

The Lions Mane was the only thing I added to what I was taking in those two weeks so I'm thinking it's likely somehow it was contaminated or possibly containing pesticides which could start to explain the strange symptoms I'm getting.

I'm at a point now that I can't even sit still or nap on the bed, and I'm so weak to even go outside or do much. Thank goodness my family is helping me out during this situation. The next appointment I have is a psychiatrist March 2. Then a neurologist appointment April 8.

I saw a neurologist a couple days ago and he was the biggest asshole. He looked at me and in 5 minutes said there's nothing wrong because I'm 31 years old, then didn't want to listen to a word I had to say. He wrote a letter to my doctor saying I'm just under a lot of stress. I can't believe how negligent he is considering how serious this situation is to me.

I'm going to exercise today and push myself even though my muscles are so stiff.

 

[Hallow]

I agree with the full medical assessment. But if they find nothing it is up to you to turn this train around. My wife has had a lot of issues, in fact one day she looked like she was having a stroke but the hospital said it was nothing. So at that point all you can do is change your own personal habits. I wish I had more faith in doctors.

I looked at that list of symptoms again and I can tell you as you age some of those just come and go. And aches and pains come and go.

So be both a hypochondriac in one aspect and somebody who’s gonna take the bull by the horns without the medical field in another aspect.

Thank you man. The first month I was really pushing myself to get stuff done, but now I'm so sleep deprived it's hard each day to much. I'm going to keep pushing though even though my body wants to torture me whenever I sit still or lay down. It's crazy.

 

[Hallow]

With regards to sleep, does anyone know of any medications I can ask my doctor to try to help get sleep?

I’ve tried Mirtazapine, Zoplicone, and SEROquel. But they only put me out for 2-3 hours and nothing more.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

With regards to sleep, does anyone know of any medications I can ask my doctor to try to help get sleep?

I’ve tried Mirtazapine, Zoplicone, and SEROquel. But they only put me out for 2-3 hours and nothing more.

none of those help??

the last two should help anyone sleep, I don't know so much about mirtrazapine

this is why I recommend aerobic exercise, it does a lot of things drugs do not do for me... no matter how much abuse I give my brain jogging a few miles per day has done wonders for my ability to sleep

I'm not saying you abused your brain, I'm simply saying exercise has done things for me that no drug ever could, especially sleep quality

 

[Hallow]

none of those help??

the last two should help anyone sleep, I don't know so much about mirtrazapine

this is why I recommend aerobic exercise, it does a lot of things drugs do not do for me... no matter how much abuse I give my brain jogging a few miles per day has done wonders for my ability to sleep

I'm not saying you abused your brain, I'm simply saying exercise has done things for me that no drug ever could, especially sleep quality

Surprisingly they didn’t do much. I wake up with my heart pounding and my shirt drenched each time like clock work after 2-3 hours even after taking those.

That’s great advice. The first month this all started I was doing a lot of exercise but then got discouraged. But I’m going to go out and start today.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

Surprisingly they didn’t do much. I wake up with my heart pounding and my shirt drenched each time like clock work after 2-3 hours even after taking those.

That’s great advice. The first month this all started I was doing a lot of exercise but then got discouraged. But I’m going to go out and start today.

I wake up covered in sweat every day, even sober, sucks I hate it

I'm not saying exercise can fix this, but it surely can help mitigate it

it definitely helps me quite a bit

 

[Hallow]

I read on Reddit the other night where a guy did cocaine one night and after that basically stopped sleeping.

Has anyone heard of situations like this that damaged the brain like that?

 

[Snafu in the Void]

I read on Reddit the other night where a guy did cocaine one night and after that basically stopped sleeping.

Has anyone heard of situations like this that damaged the brain like that?

in such situation it's much more likely that someone had unlocked previous brain disruption through the drug, something they already had, it's incredibly rare to have such a reaction from a single drug use

cocaine is much more likely to cause a sudden heart attack compared to sudden permanent insomnia

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just suggesting it is likely something else which is the problem that a drug may have exacerbated and brought out

even in such situations... 3 months is plenty of recovery time and weird you still suffer

have you ever been on previous or current other medications?

 

[Hallow]

in such situation it's much more likely that someone had unlocked previous brain disruption through the drug, something they already had, it's incredibly rare to have such a reaction from a single drug use

cocaine is much more likely to cause a sudden heart attack compared to sudden permanent insomnia

I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm just suggesting it is likely something else which is the problem that a drug may have exacerbated and brought out

even in such situations... 3 months is plenty of recovery time and weird you still suffer

have you ever been on previous or current other medications?

That makes a lot of sense. I keep thinking I’m that rare case, but it’s very possible I did unlock something.

Before this I wasn’t on any medications. I was perfectly healthy, working and going to see friends.

No other previous medications or current other meds.

This whole situation has dumbfounded me.

The only thing I can think of is I was doing the keto diet, under a lot of stress, not eating very well and taking that mushroom. These things probably decreased my dopamine levels and then the marijuana which I smoked too quickly maybe fried my brain somehow. I might be that rare case because of what lions mane mushroom does to the nervous system and with little research behind the side effects who knows.

 

[TripSitterNZ]

sounds like a extremely rare genetic prion dieaese. This is one of the few dieases where no medications can put you to sleep.

Fatal insomnia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Hallow]

sounds like a extremely rare genetic prion dieaese. This is one of the few dieases where no medications can put you to sleep.

Fatal insomnia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I had been thinking about that. It feels like it could be.

 

[Snafu in the Void]

This whole situation has dumbfounded me.

I consider myself a "drug nerd", and recently have run into several major situations which dumbfounded me at first, until I knew the truth

just today, I find something new about me and drugs/medications

something I thought I would have known before... until I experienced it myself

The only thing I can think of is I was doing the keto diet, under a lot of stress, not eating very well

do not underestimate the biological power of such things!

human bodies were designed to work one specific way over billions of years

stress, specifically has caused me a lot of issues, do not underestimate it's destruction and lethality

 

[Hallow]

I consider myself a "drug nerd", and recently have run into several major situations which dumbfounded me at first, until I knew the truth

just today, I find something new about me and drugs/medications

something I thought I would have known before... until I experienced it myself


do not underestimate the biological power of such things!

human bodies were designed to work one specific way over billions of years

stress, specifically has caused me a lot of issues, do not underestimate it's destruction and lethality

I was thinking of getting the lions mane and weed tested just in case they were tainted.

Looking back a lot of things weren’t well in my life at the time. I really hope I come back from this. I’m exhausted yet not sleepy as I type this and my vision is a little blurry.

I think the hardest thing I’m dealing with is thinking that I caused all this stress to me and my family because of my own doing. I regret taking that mushroom and marijuana, and keep thinking I wouldn’t be in this situation if I hadn’t. If I am developing a neurological issue it’s going to be hard knowing I did this to myself. I’ll see what the future holds.