Shrooms and their effects on mental cognition

[galactic gal]

From what I've read so far on the internet, it seems that shrooms are pretty benign in terms of neurotoxicity and brain damage - especially in comparison to MDMA. Although not against rolling very sparingly, I am pretty turned off by its negative effects (no matter how small/unnoticeable at low dosages) on memory, learning / knowledge retention, and overall cognitive abilities. I would prefer to keep my wits about me... at least until I am done with all my schooling 8)

In that regard, I was wondering if any of you have done research (either through personal experience or through research articles, which I'd love to read) on the after-effects of shrooms on any cognitive abilities. I am considering taking a low dosage (<1g) at an outdoor music festival and don't want to worry about "getting dumber" like I would if taking ecstasy/MDMA. If you guys have any evidence that shrooms will negatively affect cognitive abilities longer than the high itself, I think I'll just go sober.

Sorry if I sound super paranoid - hopefully y'all understand. Just want to be careful with experimenting.

Also, I know trying shrooms for the first time at a concert isn't ideal, but I'd be going with a very low dosage (just enough to make things more interesting) and have my very trusted friend with me. I'm also really excited for the event, so I'll be in a good mood. If things do go awry, there will be plenty of open areas to chill out a bit and calm down.

Thanks!

 

[Darkstorn]

From what I've read so far on the internet, it seems that shrooms are pretty benign in terms of neurotoxicity and brain damage - especially in comparison to MDMA. Although not against rolling very sparingly, I am pretty turned off by its negative effects (no matter how small/unnoticeable at low dosages) on memory, learning / knowledge retention, and overall cognitive abilities. I would prefer to keep my wits about me... at least until I am done with all my schooling 8)

I think you'll need some more information here:

Shrooms aren't neurotoxic and don't cause brain damage: Not at normal doses. We have to remember this: Anything is toxic in sufficient qualities. For example: Water is more toxic than Cannabis. But shrooms are in fact more toxic than water. But that still means you have to eat a ridiculously massive dose to be in any physical danger: Over a hundred grams perhaps?

So, effectively, recreational doses of shrooms are never going to be neurotoxic nor will they cause brain damage.

That being said: Shrooms have a MUCH larger impact on memory, learning / knowledge retention and overall congnitive abilities than MDMA. By far. This is why the setting is so important: Take enough and you have NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER about what it's doing to you. There's a saying: With LSD you're the driver, with 'Shrooms you're the passenger. Mushrooms are by far one of the "trippiest" psychedelics there are. Thought loops are very common.

I don't mean to scare you: I really like mushrooms. But i understand their nature: They are neither good nor evil. But they are extremely intensive, introspective and reality-altering. MDMA is a childrens' toy in comparison. It is only barely psychoactive. And very neurotoxic.

I think the absolute best setting for shrooms is a pitch black, silent room.

 

[bees_knees]

Methamphetamines work in a completely different manner to mushrooms, and is a whole different chemical and situation. Never heard anything about neurotoxicity from mushrooms, but methamphetamines for sure... mostly if you abuse them. Don't ever do more than one pill in a sitting, you will immediately be able to tell what has happened to your brain in the comedown. All my old pillhead friends are depressed now.

 

[bees_knees]

btw

http://higherperspective.com/2013/1...-magic-mushrooms-growing-new-brain-cells.html

"New studies from The University of South Florida indicate that psilocybin found in “shrooms”, triggers new brain cell growth, and erases frightening memories from mice."

 

[pupnik]

achh,
please do not say cannabis is less toxic than water.

shrooms and lsd have extremely low toxicity - probably the lowest in the psychoactive genre of medicines.

Water is a basic requirement of life, and is only dangerous if you are drinking gallons of it which is difficult and painful. Distilled water can be harmful as it will extract solute from tissues; so distilled water should only be used for industrial processes or as a solvent for some medicines.

Cannabis at occasional sessions helps solve problems including problems of engineering, science and mathematics (esp. music), but used habitually produces a kind of mind fog, or daze that interferes with learning, and solving problems (learning is just memory, solving problems is shifting perspective but staying applied to a matter at hand)

In my opinion, shrooms and lsd will not harm your cognitive abilities used occasionally and will not produce the same kind of daze as cannabis if used frequently, and the tolerance issues make them self limiting. Poly drug users get mental process disabilities, because while they can't use their favorite they substitute, and I think in this type of usage brain function is overstressed and parts of the system can be harmed significantly. ergo avoid polydrug usage. (personally I would not even mix lsd and cannabis on a regular basis, and even alcohol should be reserved for special occasions)

MDMA, MDA and amphetamine products also used occasionally will not harm cognition and this class of medicines will even make problem solving better by aiding attention and sticktoitiveness. People are very dose sensitive to this family of medicines, but society has demonized them badly associating them with neurological damage, but at the same time prescribing small doses for ADHD.

Anyway, if you have your priorities straight and you keep referring back to them, you will not err badly. Clearly you believe in the value of study, so you are unlikely to suddenly believe that it is better to be a drug addict.

 

[Darkstorn]

achh,
please do not say cannabis is less toxic than water.

I'm sorry i can't be bothered to provide accurate statistics but provided you were ingesting both cannabis and water for the purpose of killing yourself, you would die first with water: It's only a few liters/gallons in a relatively short amount of time that can cause a water poisoning. For Cannabis, i think the amount is closer to 80 pounds.

I.E They both have a relatively low toxicity. But it is far easier to ingest a dangerous amount of water than a dangerous amount of cannabis. For one, the psychoactive effects would likely prevent such a situation long before it even approaches dangerous levels.

My point was simply that everything is toxic in sufficient quantities, and that there is no such thing as truly non-toxic: But for practical purposes, mushrooms and some other substances are non-toxic. I'd say normal water is borderline: It is relatively easy to ingest a dangerous amount but it's not going to be pleasant.

 

[:DNA]

I'm sorry i can't be bothered to provide accurate statistics but provided you were ingesting both cannabis and water for the purpose of killing yourself, you would die first with water: It's only a few liters/gallons in a relatively short amount of time that can cause a water poisoning. For Cannabis, i think the amount is closer to 80 pounds.

I.E They both have a relatively low toxicity. But it is far easier to ingest a dangerous amount of water than a dangerous amount of cannabis. For one, the psychoactive effects would likely prevent such a situation long before it even approaches dangerous levels.

My point was simply that everything is toxic in sufficient quantities, and that there is no such thing as truly non-toxic: But for practical purposes, mushrooms and some other substances are non-toxic. I'd say normal water is borderline: It is relatively easy to ingest a dangerous amount but it's not going to be pleasant.

In strictly physiological terms you may be right. But in that we are arguably more than the sum of our physiological processes alone, behavioral/psychological toxicity is a very real and important factor that you totally fail to consider in your assessment of a substance's toxicity. With respect to your claim that mushrooms and other substances can be considered to be practically non-toxic, I have to disagree. Rather, I think it's the other way around -- it's only from a purely removed, theoretical perspective that mushrooms can be argued to be objectively safer and less toxic to humans than water. In actual practice, however, it's clear that there are a host of intangible, indeterminate subjective risk factors unique to mushrooms and other drugs that serve to vastly complicate the neat little picture that can be inferred from a list of LD50s alone. It's not nearly as black and white as you make it out to be.

DNA

 

[Ismene]

achh,
please do not say cannabis is less toxic than water.

shrooms and lsd have extremely low toxicity - probably the lowest in the psychoactive genre of medicines.

Water is a basic requirement of life, and is only dangerous if you are drinking gallons of it which is difficult and painful..

Sorry pup but that's complete horseshit. Leah Betts - a famous "MDMA" death in the UK wasn't killed by the MDMA - the cause of death was found to be "water intoxication". She'd drank a few litres quickly which resulted in her brain exploding. It's nowhere near "gallons" and can be very easily done.

 

[Darkstorn]

In strictly physiological terms you may be right.

I wasn't trying to imply anythig else. People are too different mentally so any argument regarding safety to one's mind is purely subjective. Which is also why i didn't say a word about safety: Just toxicity. Which as a term refers to physiological symptoms. Any other context and it is purely metaphoric.

My post was meant to be taken 100% literally with no alternative meanings. There was only one meaning: That all things are toxic in physical terms given a sufficient amount: And it's not because the amount is so large you will physically burst. But rather, enough of any substance will throw your body off-balance regarding its chemical composition: Water is notorious for causing an electrolyte imbalance which is very dangerous. It is much worse when you've vomited / expended your electrolytes otherwise prior to consupmtion.

After vomiting, an amount of water as small as two liters in an hour can kill.

That being said: I make no claims regarding the safety of mushrooms.

/E: As with the above post: Water poisoning / water intoxication is a real physical emergency: Most MDMA deaths are caused by ingestion of too much water: While the drug itself is neurotoxic, overdosing is overall rare.