Phenethylamines How dangerous is 2C-B for a tired nervous system?

[currentsanna]

Hi all,

I've had an exhausting 5 days, with my subconscious reacting to perceived threat, which wasn't actually there (due to cultural differences and my role in my work).

Now I understand it conceptually, but even after 2 days and 2 nights at home, I still feel like I've ran a mental marathon.

I've got some 2C-B, have had a number of only good acid trips (even one recently, before the events), and use stimulants quite regularly. Weed is perfectly fine for me in this state.

Would 2C-B more likely soothe my recovery or push me over the edge?

 

[iom]

I think you should try to rest first. Do you have any time for some peace and solitude? You want to calm down and re-center yourself, and then when you are calm, using 2C-B can maybe help you to build resilience for future trials. It's definitely NOT something you want to try to cram into your busy schedule.

Funny enough, the first person (Alexander Shulgin) to ever trip on 2C-B took it on a red eye flight and had a miserable experience. He felt really stupid afterwards because he should have known better, but he was very enthusiastic about his research and eager to try to fit in as many trials as possible. He enjoyed 2C-B immensely upon re-evaluation in better circumstances, and it went on to become one of his favorite psychedelics.

 

[currentsanna]

Thanks. I do have time. I'm back home with nothing scheduled for the next 5 days, so no busy schedule. I'm wondering if I can try a low dose to see my reaction.

Haha, that Shulgin story resembles Hoffman (lsd discoverer) so closely it's uncanny!

 

[iom]

Shulgin already knew 2C-B was psychedelic. He was just over-enthusiastic about his research at the time and suffered a stern reminder about the importance of good set and setting.

Nothing scheduled for 5 days? That gives you two days to prepare, one day for an experience, and two days to recover. Look, trips are special. They aren't meant to be taken every day or even necessarily every week. For a special occasion like tripping, you want to make a good showing. You don't want to be tired and grouchy. Anything you can do for a day or two to relax, unwind, and catch up on sleep will go a long way toward having a better experience. Centering would also be helpful, and by that I mean engaging in activities that are meaningful to you and help you feel more like your own person.

Really 2C-B is quite forgiving, and there's a good chance you'll have a good time either way. However, I think it will almost certainly better if you are more rested and prepared.

 

[currentsanna]

That is exactly the type of response I needed, thank you!
Informative, honest, kind. God bless bluelight.

 

[currentsanna]

Oh, but I do have to clarify one thing. I'm not looking to really trip. I'd never do it with such a set. I want some relief and enjoyment after all that stress. May he trying a light dose isn't that dangerous.

 

[Didgital]

Oh, but I do have to clarify one thing. I'm not looking to really trip. I'd never do it with such a set. I want some relief and enjoyment after all that stress. May he trying a light dose isn't that dangerous.

Dangerous, no. Will it set you over the edge? Very unlikely. But youve got the time to rest and @iom is 100% right. Youre going to enjoy the effects better when you're rested with minimal stress. Another suggestion is rest tonight and take a mini dose tomorrow to see how it affects you. If you enjoy it, you could redose with a bit more, or you could even wait a day to try again higher and use the next few days to recover. Personally, i dont need much recovery time with 2C-B as long as I keep dose reasonable. In 5 days, i could trip twice and still be good for work. Its your first time though and substances affect people differently.

I find 2c-B both relaxing and slightly stimulating. If you took it tonight, it might keep you up and then you might be even more exhausted/stressed tomorrow.

Just give it a day i say. Its a beautiful substance but as with most psychedelics its best enjoyed when you are in the best mood possible, not stretched out and tired.

 

[currentsanna]

Ok, I've never understood why forums like this don't have a simple reply function like reddit. Without quoting anything. Bah! What unsophisticated perversionSORRY got carried away....anyways,

I guess my question is less "is this ideal time to take it" and more "what is the chance of positive experience if I do take it now".

(and it's 2pm tho) ;-)

 

[Freeotrope]

Oh, but I do have to clarify one thing. I'm not looking to really trip. I'd never do it with such a set. I want some relief and enjoyment after all that stress. May he trying a light dose isn't that dangerous.

Ok, I've never understood why forums like this don't have a simple reply function like reddit. Without quoting anything. Bah! What unsophisticated perversionSORRY got carried away....anyways,

I guess my question is less "is this ideal time to take it" and more "what is the chance of positive experience if I do take it now".

(and it's 2pm tho) ;-)

if it was me I wouldsay the chance is 95% that it would be positive.

but im not you.


It can be good to reflect on times like that with a psychedelic. I find they feel good for my nervous system, calming and grounding

 

[blig-blug]

IME 2C-B is very inconsistent in how psychedelic its effects are. If you are tired, stressed, or in a bad setting, it likely will be much less psychedelic, at least for me. I may get strong visuals, but there will be no depth. When I'm well rested, with proper set&setting, and I focus and relax into the experience, it can get surprisingly deep.

In a way, it seems as if it had a "safety mechanism" that (except perhaps for very large doses) will prevent it from giving you much more than you can handle. On the other hand, if the conditions aren't right or you don't focus properly, it may be kind of a wasted experience.

This assumes you're looking for psychedelic depth. For other effects it may not matter as much. I would still try to be rested before.

 

[xdrc]

While I have noticed in myself that 2C-B has never handed me out more than I could handle in the current situation, I frequently hear about experienced people that noticed the same, got too careless/disrespectful and then got into an overwhelming trip. It can bite back! So I always make sure to respect myself and the substance and only take it when appropriate, of course with some more leeway than some stronger, less accomodating materials.

 

[brokedownpalace10]

I learned long ago to never, ever, ever, take psychedelics for escape. You keep saying for "relief" and that worries me.
Set and setting. I've tripped when I was tired and it was OK although not quite as good. Never good when stressed

 

[blig-blug]

While I have noticed in myself that 2C-B has never handed me out more than I could handle in the current situation, I frequently hear about experienced people that noticed the same, got too careless/disrespectful and then got into an overwhelming trip. It can bite back! So I always make sure to respect myself and the substance and only take it when appropriate, of course with some more leeway than some stronger, less accomodating materials.

Oh absolutely. My intention was not to suggest that set and setting don't matter with 2C-B but the opposite: they seem to matter more if one wants an experience with some depth. It is of course always possible than with a poor enough set and setting (or bad luck) one will get more than they bargained for.

 

[xdrc]

Yes, I did not mean to imply you said anything wrong. I was just trying to emphasise that while 2C-B may have something which feels like a safety mechanism (and it proves time and time again it is quite safe both physiologically and psychologically) its patience and grace is not to be disrespected infinitely. Over the years it seems like I've seen the dosages reported in online communities steadily increasing and the compound used with decreasing intention, and it worries me that eventually we may see the first major accident with it tainting its good track record and reputation and thus perhaps potential utilisation in therapy and/or wellness applications in a post-prohibition world. So I was just trying to speak against too much reliance on "safety mechanisms", despite there being some truth to it. I have much to owe it and its "safety mechanism": its good nature allowed me to use 2C-B even when my mental health wasn't exactly the best (although I made damn sure to be careful with intention, dosage, set/setting) and it never felt like an escape, but a graceful way of showing the joys in life to take back into sober life. Even though in recent years 2C-B reliably leads to a bad post-trip migraine for me, I regardless feel refreshed and rejuvenated after the experience and question why I do it so seldomly.

As we younglings (I believe in BL standards I'm still young ) say: Shulgin really cooked with that one

 

[Didgital]

Yes, I did not mean to imply you said anything wrong. I was just trying to emphasise that while 2C-B may have something which feels like a safety mechanism (and it proves time and time again it is quite safe both physiologically and psychologically) its patience and grace is not to be disrespected infinitely. Over the years it seems like I've seen the dosages reported in online communities steadily increasing and the compound used with decreasing intention, and it worries me that eventually we may see the first major accident with it tainting its good track record and reputation and thus perhaps potential utilisation in therapy and/or wellness applications in a post-prohibition world. So I was just trying to speak against too much reliance on "safety mechanisms", despite there being some truth to it. I have much to owe it and its "safety mechanism": its good nature allowed me to use 2C-B even when my mental health wasn't exactly the best (although I made damn sure to be careful with intention, dosage, set/setting) and it never felt like an escape, but a graceful way of showing the joys in life to take back into sober life. Even though in recent years 2C-B reliably leads to a bad post-trip migraine for me, I regardless feel refreshed and rejuvenated after the experience and question why I do it so seldomly.

As we younglings (I believe in BL standards I'm still young ) say: Shulgin really cooked with that one

there was one incident in new zealand ages ago. A chronic methamphetamine user basically had an aneurysm from taking unverified 2c-b. They fully recovered.

 

[iom]

Over the years it seems like I've seen the dosages reported in online communities steadily increasing and the compound used with decreasing intention, and it worries me that eventually we may see the first major accident with it tainting its good track record and reputation and thus perhaps potential utilisation in therapy and/or wellness applications in a post-prohibition world.

I know how you feel. I remember when (in the States) 2C-B was the only scheduled 2C-X, and then as distribution increased, more people started abusing them and getting into trouble. A few people died, and before long almost all of them became scheduled.

On the flip side however, the fact that 2C-B still has a good track record despite being widely distributed and being so grossly abused gives me confidence that it is safe if used responsibly. There is every indication that it is physically much safer than MDMA and mentally/psychologically safer than LSD, psilocybin, DMT, or 5-Meo-DMT. It may even be physically and mentally safer than mescaline, but we don't have good data on that yet.

there was one incident in new zealand ages ago. A chronic methamphetamine user basically had an aneurysm from taking unverified 2c-b. They fully recovered.

Lol, reminds me of those rhesus monkeys whose brains were imaged showing large "holes" (dopaminergic neuron death) after heavy chronic MDMA treatment---except the lab had fucked up and had to retract the paper because the "MDMA" they gave the monkeys was actually methamphetamine.

Obviously people need to try a lot harder to fuck themselves up on 2C-B so that we can get better data on its toxicity. (/sarcasm)

 

[blig-blug]

I don't think commonly reported doses getting higher (unless we're talking about very high, considerably above 40mg) is necessarily a problem if used with respect and intention. What is considered a high dose seems to be based on the dosing range offered at PiHKAL (12-24mg), and it's not a range that intends to be authoritative. See for example the range offered for LSD in TiHKAL, 60-200ug.

2C-B is very often used for fun or enhancement of the senses, and it makes sense to keep doses below 25mg (and probably under 20mg too) for most people, depending on sensitivity. However I think the dosing range for proper entheogenic experiences starts at about 25mg, at least for someone not that sensitive to phenethylamines. Maybe for someone sensitive it could be from 20mg onwards. And just being a bit tired has consistently prevented me from getting much depth even from higher dose experiences.

It is true that, as 2C-B is not usually as forceful in commanding respect as other psychedelics are, there's a risk people will play around with higher doses and end up getting slapped by them. As Shulgin said, "there is no casual experiment", and one should always account for the possibility of things going wrong when dealing with psychedelics.