What do you do if you panic on LSD?

[Inditium]

I haven't taken LSD in a while because during my last trip, I experienced intense heart palpitations and had a high heart rate of 140-190 while laying down. I remember feeling my heart drop down so heavily that I dropped to my knees and almost fainted, so I called an ambulance and went to the ER. The doctors said it was likely just anxiety. It was not fake LSD, and it wasn’t my first trip either. It was my first bad trip, though.

I'm not sure what would happen if I were to take LSD again. Even now, I experience daily heart palpitations from anxiety (likely due to flashbacks). I do have beta blockers and benzos on hand, but I’m not sure if dosing LSD again would even be worth it at that point. I’m thinking of just waiting a year or so until I’m back to myself. Does anyone have any similar experiences or advice for me?

Thanks.

 

[pupnik]

I go into the center of the tension with my mind and keep on beginning to release while paying attention to breathing slowly. It seems difficult but is actually less exhausting than racing in loops.
I let the writhing happen if it must.
all this is if I can remember.
if it is too strong all I can say is let go and keep on letting go.

 

[EntheoDjinn]

I had my first "difficult trip" at the age of 57 after almost 40years of tripping. Totally self inflicted (added Viagra to the experience and the sudden change in blood pressure and other side-effects caused me to think I was having a serious abreaction to the V). I was in a mild panic but still able to reason with myself - not pleasant at all. The concern for me was that if this was a serious health threat then calling an ambulance would be the sensible thing. However I sat it out and with support from my partner, who was out of her head but incredibly calm, it passed. Next trip was fine and the subsequent ones were also.

Just build up slowly and remind yourself that panic attacks are essentially harmless - despite the feeling of terror that can materialise.

 

[ShroomySatori]

Obviously, you should never take psychedelics again - especially acid. You are experiencing possible long term side effects from a drug yet still want to use it again for some unknown reason. If that stuff enlightened your mind at all you would know that it isn't good for your body and to never use it again.
Or go ahead and potentially fuck yourself up worse with anxiety and have another bad trip... it's just not worth it at all for what you would get out of it even if you had a great experience. There are so many safer and healthier ways to enlighten your mind. LSD can really fuck your head up, that just goes without saying for anyone with common sense. Besides, you've already experienced it. Just let it go!

 

[Toltec]

If you are listening to music...
Change it to something with out lyrics.. Or a tune you resonate positively too.
That may be enough to distract you back to a comfort zone.

Always know, the trip alway ends, and you always come out fine..

 

[Inditium]

Obviously, you should never take psychedelics again - especially acid.

Well, I wouldn't want to never take psychedelics again, especially after having taken them at least 50 times with 0 problems, but I do agree that I shouldn't take them while I'm experiencing side effects.

If you are listening to music...
Change it to something with out lyrics.. Or a tune you resonate positively too.
That may be enough to distract you back to a comfort zone.

Always know, the trip alway ends, and you always come out fine..

It was easy to control "bad trips" before because I was ignorant to my heart rate/rhythm (ignorance is bliss.) Even though I know it's just anxiety, it doesn't make it go away. The more I try to ignore it, the more it bothers me. And while something may distract me from it for a bit, I'll suddenly and unexpectedly experience an adrenaline rush/sudden change in heart rhythm which just freaks me out and then I have an everlasting panic attack. My blood pressure jumps up to 200, my heart rate jumps up and down sporadically, and it would be silly not to seek treatment for it (I think.) I could always try to just "fight through it" and maybe the anxiety will go away, or it'll last for 10 hours, but if nothing bad happens, I'll likely be fine from then on, but it's still a risk which I'm not sure is worth taking.

Unlike before, I do have beta blockers, magnesium, and benzos on hand. (Which is basically everything they gave me at the ER.) And I could just treat myself/kill the trip myself if things went bad again. I could also take a smaller LSD dose and work my way up again. I think it's worth it, after giving it some more time (until I'm not worried at all anymore.)

 

[mr peabody]

I'm not sure what would happen if I were to take LSD again... I’m thinking of just waiting a year or so until I’m back to myself. Does anyone have any similar experiences or advice for me?

It's all dose. Do less, be happy. Or wait. It's up to you. In any case, save the following information so you'll have it to hand when you do feel ready.

Bad trip always equals too much substance for the situation. Some people have a MUCH lower tolerance to psychedelics than others. By much lower I mean the people you're with are taking 2-3 tabs (or grams of mushrooms) and having a great time, and you can only safely handle 1/4 of that. This is PERFECTLY NORMAL. You can avoid ever having another bad trip. Here's how.

Never listen to ANYONE concerning dose. Only you can establish your own tolerance. You do this by trial and error. Start with 1/4 tab, and if that goes well, next time try 1/2. Follow this procedure for every substance. Mind that 1/2 tab of one substance can be MUCH stronger than 1/2 of another, so even if you did well with 1/2 tab of one, you can easily find yourself in over your head if you take 1/2 tab of something else. Always test each batch of each substance yourself, first.

Steer clear of mushrooms, they are high anxiety for a lot of people. Instead, look into ALD-52, which is readily available online. Start with 1/4 blotter (30 mics). You should notice very mild psychedelic effects. I suggest you do this same amount several times (with at least a week's break in between sessions) to re-establish comfortable psychedelic equilibrium, and add no more than 1/4 blotter at a time after that. I advise you not to dose more than once during any session, and never smoke pot when your tripping - that can easily cause a bad trip. I would also avoid tripping in public; choose a calm, familiar environment. And pick a nice sunny day.

Best wishes now and always.

Seen this? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTehpkc1PNY

 

[PotatoMan]

deep breaths and relaxing music.

it's also really easy for me to replace a thought whilst tripping by sort of breaking the loop and silencing my thoughts.

deep breathing is always a must though.

 

[cyberius]

Throw yourself into the fire and don't just allow the pain and panic to take hold, embrace it. The minute you think "I don't like this" or "I'm not in control" the drug will get insidious.

Is the drug making your mind do this to you or is your mind trying to tell you something? Acid isn't going to kill you no matter how big and scary it likes to make itself look to you, if you go with the drug you're never going to get hurt.

 

[theMerovingian]

Throw yourself into the fire and don't just allow the pain and panic to take hold, embrace it. The minute you think "I don't like this" or "I'm not in control" the drug will get insidious.

Is the drug making your mind do this to you or is your mind trying to tell you something? Acid isn't going to kill you no matter how big and scary it likes to make itself look to you, if you go with the drug you're never going to get hurt.

Agree.

 

[Crashing]

Panic on LSD, just drink beer or take a benzo. I prefer beer because it doesn't dampen the trip as much as just quell the anxiety. Unless you're trying to be super spiritual, then you may want to do some mantra chanting or hand drumming. Sometimes you can also embrace the anxiety and it just vanishes, kind of hard to conceptualize though. Depends on the style of trip you're going for.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Throw yourself into the fire and don't just allow the pain and panic to take hold, embrace it. The minute you think "I don't like this" or "I'm not in control" the drug will get insidious.

Is the drug making your mind do this to you or is your mind trying to tell you something? Acid isn't going to kill you no matter how big and scary it likes to make itself look to you, if you go with the drug you're never going to get hurt.

This. Every time I have a "bad trip" first I panic (happens more on psilocybin mashrooms, but sometimes on acid also) but then i remember that is not going to kill me and i try to focus on the actual feeling. I remember one time I was panicking an worrying ( 10 minutes maybe... but who knows how long :D ), but then went into the "feeling and thoughts" and said to myself: "OK, now lets see how much worse can it get. Lets worry." Almost immediately just from the permission that I can worry all worrying became laughable. It just dropped in vacuum and I was left floating in ether.

Every time we have a "bad trip" its actually our unconscious realm trying to break to the surface. The more you fight it the more you suffer.

One smart guy said: "Of course, you cant force your mind to be silent. That would be like trying to smooth ripples in water with a flatiron. Water becomes clear and calm only when left alone."

...and yes - Seroquel, Zyprexa...basically all antypschotics will stop the trip. If you have benzos aside, you can have one Seroquel for emergency evacuation

 

[Research Professor]

Ativan. Definitely have benzos on hand if this is a serious concern for you.

Nothing quite takes the fear away like Lorazepam. Nothing.

First benzo that they would give you in a professional setting too for such an issue. When someone goes into the hospital and is having mental trauma related to a psychedelic it is STANDARD PROCEDURE TO INJECT NOTHING OTHER THAN ATIVAN ITSELF.

I suppose other benzos can work just as well but if you have access why not use what the pros do?

Of course it's probably more likely you'd be popping a lorazepam tablet. If so, take it sublingual. Let that sucker dissolve under your tongue for at least 10 to 15 minutes before swallowing at the first sign of things going South. Or just pop whatever benzo you are able to get your paws on if you cannot acquire heaven's blanket aka Ativan/Lorazepam.

 

[Research Professor]

Agree.

Takes a Warrior to handle a bad trip like this.

I've ridden out nightmares without a benzo. Some people can ride out the storm, others might damn well lose their shit and never come back.

 

[Research Professor]

My advice is make sure you are firstly taking LSD and not something else, like a NBOMe.

After you are 100% positive what you are taking is clean as a whistle LSD, fear not, there is no physical risk at your standard dosages. It's all in your mind.

Maybe fill your consciousness with nature videos and imagery and take up a vegetarian diet and meditation practice for some months/years before your next trip. It will undoubtedly change your mind before you even trip and will surely set your sights on how to take LSD in the best way possible in the future if you still feel compelled after beginning a meditation practice of any kind.

 

[growit&smokeit]

I always have benzos on hand when I trip. Quite often just the thought of having them around will help, I have said to myself in the past when tripping that if things don't improve in ten minutes I will take one and that thought has got me through. A lot of panic attacks can be averted by taking a few really long deep breaths and physically smiling to yourself, you sort of have to breath out the panic as it were.

If you are having heart palpitations and panic attacks every day I would definitely wait there is no rush. Would definitely recommend a mild trip first to test the waters. A mind is a terrible thing to break

 

[Inditium]

Acid isn't going to kill you no matter how big and scary it likes to make itself look to you, if you go with the drug you're never going to get hurt.

My advice is make sure you are firstly taking LSD and not something else, like a NBOMe.

After you are 100% positive what you are taking is clean as a whistle LSD, fear not, there is no physical risk at your standard dosages. It's all in your mind.

While LSD itself is a harmless drug, it can still contribute to terrible panic attacks which I believe could do real physical damage. I had such a bad trip that my heart rate was reaching the barrier and the paramedics didn't know what to do. It was well over 150 for hours while also beating irregularly, and I remember 4-5 nurses walking to me, pulling my arm up, and injecting me with something and then asking me if I felt any pain because they were preparing to stop me from a heart attack if one occurred. Intense arrhythmias can cause heart attacks, and my blood pressure was around 200+ for hours which could also contribute to physical damage. Intense adrenaline rushes can kill you (people have died of fright before.) And even though the experience is entirely psychotropic, LSD still can unfortunately naturally raise your blood pressure and heart rate.

That's why I'm worried. I'm not sure what the nurses gave me to calm down my anxiety, but it felt very, very smooth and mellow afterward, and it was one of the best feelings. It was like an intense acid trip with amazing visuals but with no bad thoughts or worries. It was warm, and I could feel the soft cushions beneath me. If only I knew what drug that was. I don't think Xanax would help me as it isn't helping me right now. I just need to eat healthier, sleep healthier, and exercise more. Maybe I'll take some supplements too, then I'll try tripping again.

 

[Starless]

First of all, don't try to fight it. All that will do is push the negative thoughts and emotions into your subconscious where you can't control them. It's all mind over matter. Sit down in a quiet comfortable place and then inhale slowly through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Think positive thoughts and try to find the beauty and learning experience in what you're going through, and remember that the brain works in a fluid way, like the tides of the ocean. This means that if this doesn't work at first you shouldn't give up. Your brain simply needs time to shift between different states of mind, but this won't happen unless you maintain consistent effort. Keep in mind that challenging trips can be the most rewarding, especially if you can turn them around.

I would also recommend looking into ALD-52. It's legal and has a reliable dosage and purity. It also seems to have less dopamine receptor agonism, which makes it less manic and stimulating. Keeping a fast acting benzodiazepine like xanax or ativan on hand is also a good idea, but try not to rely on them too heavily, as they take the depth out of your trip and can be highly addictive.

 

[Inditium]

First of all, don't try to fight it. All that will do is push the negative thoughts and emotions into your subconscious where you can't control them.

It's hard not to freak out when out of nowhere you feel your heart heavily drop every few seconds with this warm, uncomfortable, fullness feeling in your chest--which makes you almost drop to the ground each time, and you know that if you don't seek help that you'll likely experience a heart attack, cardiac arrest, stroke, or something. Maybe if I had let all the bad effects just "consume me" things would have gotten better, or a lot worse. I don't know. I had also taken 5 tabs with zero physical and mental tolerance, so that's another reason it was so intense. I'll try 1 tab when I feel better and then work my way up. It's the flashbacks that trigger my panic attacks.

 

[Tranced]

I take a benzo.

If not, I go for a walk, let my friends know, change the music if necessary etc.

I've never really panicked on LSD as such, but then again my baseline has never really been an anxious mind or body.

Now that I think about it, the only time I've really panicked is when I've thought I was trapped in some kind of freaky Salvia divinorum reality.