TLDR: I've had several drug induced psychosis's and I've found the number one factor was a lack of sleep. Second was taking too much (and too many different drugs) for too long and not giving myself a break. Thirdly was doing this too often i.e. I was taking drugs every week, which moved to every couple of days. Fourthly i stopped eating and exercising properly and I didn't take any vitamins (pre/post loading). Finally I was working in an intense job, i had a bunch of family problems and I was under a lot of stress.
So combine that all together and the worse psychosis i got was when thousands of spiders were trying to eat me. I was so freaked out. They were in my hair, all over me. I was so desperate and freaked out that I went to the beach. Just walked out of work in the middle of the day, found myself at a random beach and began washing myself in the sea water with sand. I don't know how the fuck i got home and why no one noticed this fucked up guy in wet clothing but hey that's Sydney for you.
Long version: Sounds like it was just MDMA, Meth, THC, and a bunch of chemicals that your body produced (from a lack of sleep and other things) that caused the drug psychosis. It doesn't have to be tainted or "dirty" drugs to cause it.
Soooo 9 months ago now I had a bad experience. I took one (what I thought) MDMA cap on a. Friday night. Took another the Saturday night. Friday night I was flying off this thing, did feel different to usual so I suspect it may have been cut with ice or something. Saturday night took one of the same thing and really didn't feel it at all. Went home early and friend gave me some weed-note I do not usually smoke weed. I immediately felt strange after the weed. How I imagine I would feel on meth or speed- really tweaky, alert and paranoid. Friend encouraged me to sleep, but I couldn't. I then fucked up-took another one of these caps as I had some left. I didn't sleep this night at all, and went to a different friends to be looked after. Wasn't feeling great of course but no symptoms yet. Sunday I took another couple pills of unknown purity and content.
This weekend also was very vey hard mentally, issues with ex, close friend being suicidal, terrible night at work. I was also using pills at this point most if not every weekend.
Monday night I did not sleep. Was up all night worrying about stuff. come Tuesday, I was not right at all. Went to mental health care centre, then got admitted to hospital. Was diagnosed with drug induced psychosis. they found MDMA, methamphetamine (from pills or tainted caps I'm guessing) and THC in my system. of course they can't pinpoint what exactly in my system caused this.
Now, every time I had used before this, I had never experienced psychotic symptoms. Nor have I experienced symptoms when I have used since. I have significantly reduced the amount and frequency of use. Just wondering, has anyone else been through a similar experience? I do worry it will happen again, and it was of course very unpleasant. I just enjoy the occasional use of MDMA. I know drug use is never "safe"- I'd just like to reduce the chance of something like this happening again whilst still being able to enjoy the occasional session on MDMA.
First of all you have to understand the neurological cause of anxiety. People think its just strange thoughts but there are actually chemicals causing it. As far as my research has shown
proinflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-1, IL-12, and IL-18 either bind, downregulate and or inhibit GABA(A) receptors from working properly. This translate into anxiety and a whole host of other problems because these chemicals bind to the Mu, Ku receptors in your brain. These cytokines cause depression, anxiety and a whole host of problems. Tissue damage, joint pain, stomach issues.....
How do these cytokines get produced? Drugs passing through the blood brain barrier have been found to cause them to be produced - any drug. Meth activates and suppresses some of the key receptors that produce them (and anti-inflammatory versions). Strangely though MDMA has
anti-inflammatory properties but i suspect that it depends on the isomer, quantity, and other systems working properly for this to be true, and even then its effects aren't enough to stop the proinflammatories from fucking you up (if they build up to a high enough level).
There is also
evidence that the brain's waste products are removed during sleep. If you don't sleep these waste products, or shit if we've being crude, build up and cause more problems. This cause all sorts of problems with signalling, memory and i believe there maybe some relationship again back to those cytokines i mentioned. Finally on top of all that there is a heap of evidence that stress causes stress hormones which in turn causes those proinflammatory cytokines again.
So yeah its not hard with the right drugs and the wrong head space to get into a psychosis.
So what is the solution:
- get a reagent tester kit!
- avoid taking powerful psychedelic drugs during stressful events. Be in the right mind space when you take drugs. Or else don't go raving if your having a hard time with home/family/life
- Take less. People love to dick size in the drug world. "oh man the other day I had 10 pills, dropped 15 tabs of acid and shoved a ferret up my ass". Don't take hero doses. Don't think dealers are putting the right doses in their drugs either. If you get a tablet take a small amount to test before you go off to a rave. I personally found in the good ole days when Sydney's MDMA scene was beautiful and pure that I could take a quarter of a pill. I can tell you the times I didn't follow my rules it was fucking messy. One night all i remember was just raving like fuck, taking random pills from people off the floor. I don't know how much I had but I was gone for several days
- Avoid poly drug combinations or reduce your dose if you insist on taking multiple drugs at the sametime. I find that cannabis can cause really bad anxiety when i'm in a bad headspace. Combine that with meth and MDMA and its not pretty. When i candy flip with MDMA and LSD I take about 1/4 of what I would normally take.
- Time of day. Your circadian rhythm regulate when certain chemicals are produced or suppressed. Take alcohol. If I drink a single beer at 2pm I'll pass out without fail. That same beer at 7pm will have a very different effect. Same with MDMA, Cannabis etc
- The environment that you take your drugs in can change how your body reacts to them. For example a heroin user can take 1 point of smack at home and the very same amount in alley behind a pub and get a different result.
- eat a good and balanced diet (this is a hard one but trust me, better to do it when your younger then when your older). It will help your mental and physical health in a big way.
- ensure you've caught up to your sleep before you take anything.
- do not spend more then one night awake.
- do not take drugs for several days straight i.e. MDMA Thursday. Friday, Saturday and then expect all you'll need is a Sunday to recover
- consider obtaining some Valium or other benzodiazepines, almost as a placebo. Sure they'll reduce your anxiety but it'll help a whole heap to think your reducing your anxiety by taking the pill. Consider this your emergency kit. Do not take these drugs habitually
- pre and post load with vitamins (there is a heap of stuff on Bluelight and the net re taking the right types of vitamins)
- exercise is hugely important.
I know some of this is bleeding obvious stuff but trust me, the number of overdoses, withdrawals and psychosis's I've had has taught me terribly painful and awful lessons. I wish I had known what I know today 25 years ago.
