DXM effects still felt after 3 1/2 days, from a low dose

[snax112]

A little over 72 hours ago I took 177 mg of DXM, which with my weight would be slightly under a 1st plateau trip. I was basically just doing an enzyme/allergy test. I didn't expect to feel anything but I did feel some effects, such as mild dizziness, mild surrealism or fogginess, slightly worse coordination, but mainly tiredness. The only thing is that those effects never really went away. I still feel derealization most of the time, and my coordination and ability to think quickly have become worse. I'm also less emotional and more apathetic, although I laugh at things a lot more now. I think some of this stuff stems from being extremely tired, which is the most pronounced symptom. Even though I've slept <10 hours every night since this, I wake up exhausted and stay very fatigued throughout the day. Physically, my vision is worse, I'm getting hot flashes and sweating a lot more, and my joints strain easier. This doesn't cover everything that's changed but that's the basic idea.

By the way the product only contained DXM HBr and I'm not on any SSRIs or MAOIs. I didn't combine it with any other drugs.

At first, I thought I might be getting better as time went on, but I don't actually think there's been a change since I first took it. I know I'm not supposed to still be feeling any 'afterglow' from such a small dose. Has anyone experienced anything like this? I'm starting to get concerned because everything is so strange, so I'd appreciate any advice.

 

[snax112]

Well it's been 8 days now, and I'm still not really better. There's definitely been some improvement though. I feel like myself a lot more than I did before. A lot of my emotion has returned and a few physical symptoms have gone away, such as the hot flashes. I still feel dissociated sometimes, but it's not 24/7 like before. The main thing that hasn't improved is the mental fogginess. I'm so slow now when doing anything. Thinking of words is more difficult, I slur my words, get tongue twisted a lot, i have trouble focusing on something I'm thinking about, and I zone out of whatever I'm doing extremely easily.

It looks like this won't be getting better naturally. I'll probably end up trying to repair myself using other drugs. Nootropics or SSRIs look like the best options right now. A lot of my symptoms seem to indicate an imbalance of serotonin, but I'm not sure whether it's too high or too low. Any advice would really help.

 

[CrypticArc]

Sorry I don't have more advice to offer, but you should try to meditate every night, for at least 10 minutes and also make sure you're getting exercise daily if possible. A good diet may also help you on the road to recovery.

 

[jammin83]

If you had that poor of a reaction to DXM on such a low dose, I'd hate to see what SSRI's would do to you. You should take a break from drugs for a while man including prescriptions and give yourself some considerable amount of time to really heal. Negative drug experiences and reactions can usually be healed with a little bit of time and a little bit of searching inward. It can be a battle sometimes but knowing that you are going to get through it and that you will get better should be motivation.

I don't do too many supplements but magnesium citrate, sub-lingual b12, and a b complex really do wonders for me. Eating right, and exercise play a much larger role in feeling good than people give them credit for. Take care of your physical body before reaching for more or different drugs first. Hang in there buddy you will get better.

 

[snax112]

If you had that poor of a reaction to DXM on such a low dose, I'd hate to see what SSRI's would do to you.

I'm not sure why I said SSRIs specifically. I suspect some kind of serotonin imbalance so I figure that taking something that affects it might knock something back into place so to speak. I use opioids pretty often but haven't had a chance to since this happened. I'll see how that affects it when I can.

It can be a battle sometimes but knowing that you are going to get through it and that you will get better should be motivation.

I'd like to believe that but I honestly don't have much of a reason to. I've seen lots of testimony from people who've permanently affected themselves with DXM (by permanently I mean a year or more). With the amount of time since I took it, all the DXM has left my system now, and enough time has passed for my body to readjust itself I would think. It seems like my brain has been chemically modified somehow, and unless I know what exactly has changed I have no idea how to change it back. So I honestly don't know if I'll ever get better or not.

Thanks for the supplements, I'll keep them in mind if I have to take this further. For now, I think I'll just wait a couple more weeks I guess and see if I improve naturally. I know serotonin syndrome can last for up to a month. I'm not saying that's what I have, but if it's a serotonin problem it may take more time to return to normal. I'll also keep diet and exercise in mind for my general health.

 

[jammin83]

I get where you are coming from brother/sister. I am giving you a general word of caution though. For over 9 months now, I have in the process of stopping the AP zyprexa. I didn't have much advice on how to properly taper it and I found out too late I was going too fast for my individual biochemistry. I was one of the unlucky ones and got withdrawal syndrome. I have totally destabilized my nervous system in the process. It has warped my mind in ways that I didn't know were possible. Almost a year later, I am still in withdrawal and still have a quite a few issues that I am dealing with that are pretty serious. I understand where you are coming from when you say you don't feel like you are getting better but things do improve it just can take a considerable amount of time.

I am not going through what you are per se, but it is a battle for me and has been for a long time. A year of withdrawal is an insanely long time to be in withdrawal but I know that I will eventually get through this. When your brain is out of whack very few drugs can correct that type of imbalance except for time. Going to some psychiatrist won't help you much and could make your situation worse and you could be in a predicament like myself, if you are sensitive to certain drugs. The amount of time it takes for the drug to leave your system is irrelevant. It takes your brain time to heal damage that has been done. Some receptors repair themselves faster than others but your brain is an amazing organism that does heal itself.

Taking the supplements I told you about does provide me with some considerable relief. Magnesium is crucial to various biochemical reactions that are crucial to nervous health; many people are deficient in it and you can have a host of neurological symptoms as a result. I know supplements can sound like a joke but they do help provide my body with some of the extra nutrients it needs and help to lift my mood and ease some tension. I am not physically able to do strenuous exercise still but taking walks and doing a few push ups and sit ups help me feel better some days.

Opioids will most likely provide you with relief, they usually do regardless of circumstances, but is that really a road you want to go down? I know you are looking for relief of some kind but you really need to take it easy for a while so that you can heal. If you do must use an opioid, stick to kratom or something mild that won't get you as nasty of a habit as h or pills or whatever. I know at this point, drugs won't fix what I have. Some can help, many can hurt, but none will correct what's wrong with my brain atm. Your life and your call man, do what you want to do, I just am offering up a bit of my own experience. Be patient, I know it can sound trivial, but it's really the only thing we can do.

Hope you feel better soon, let me know if you need anything.

 

[snax112]

Thanks a lot for your advice and for sharing your experience with me. I'll start taking magnesium for starters and see what happens.

I agree about going to a psychiatrist, but a neurologist might be able to help if I get the right one.

As for opioids, I normally use them anyway, but just haven't had any recently (before someone asks if this is opioid withdrawal, I had stopped taking them weeks before taking the DXM, and everything was fine until then). I won't be using them for treatment per se, but if they do offer any treatment for this that would be great.

Like I said, I'll wait another few weeks before I do anything else. I'll update this if I get better or when more time has passed. The important thing with waiting it out like this is not to forget what I was like before. I don't want to focus on the problem, but I still have to take note when something doesn't feel right. I don't want to fall into "accepting" this as my new normal. It's liveable like this, but I can't see myself being an overall happy person knowing that I'm not really myself. On the other hand though, it's easier to appreciate basic things now that I might overlook otherwise. There's always a bright side.

I hope you feel better too man. Thanks again.

 

[snax112]

It's been about 2 1/2 months now. I'm updating this in case someone else has a similar problem. A lot of these lasting issues have subsided, particularly the ones involving my mind, which is great. I pretty much feel like myself and I no longer feel like I'm in the twilight zone. Three symptoms remain though.

The first is poor vision. This definitely changed the day I took the DXM and has stayed with me ever since. It's a lot like your vision when you're drunk. It feels kind of delayed or something. Focusing on objects is harder and my eyes tend to dart around the thing I'm looking at instead of focusing directly on the part I want. I feel like my eyes are always tending towards being cross-eyed. It's quite horrible. The other two effects are mild. I get occasional muscle twitches and jerky movements, and I think I still have a tendency to drop things more than before, but I'm not certain. My ability to not drop things definitely was affected, but the ability has been largely recovered if it's not totally back to normal.

I haven't taken any psychedelic drugs since this, so I don't know how they would affect me. Some people with this problem report alcohol bringing back dissociation. It didn't do that to me, but I think it might have made my vision problem worse. I've also taken opioids without any negative effect.

I guess that's really all I have to report now. I'll probably never fix some of this stuff but at least I'm myself again. I won't bother bumping this again, but I'd still be interested in any theories or suggestions.

 

[solistus]

Glad to hear that you're (mostly) better. Some people lack one of the key enzymes involved in metabolizing DXM, which can cause the effects to be much more intense, long-lasting, and unpleasant, but residual symptoms for that long off that small a dose sounds like it might be the enzyme issue in addition to something else. I'm sure it goes without saying that you should probably avoid dissociatives from now on.

FWIW, I had very similar eyesight issues over the summer while I was detoxing from fentanyl and meth addiction. Freaked me the fuck out, lasted for weeks (off and on), but eventually went away on its own. Hopefully the same will happen to you, eventually. Sending positive healing vibes your way, and all that hippie bullshit