The Big and Dandy Psychotropic Medications and Supplements Interaction Thread (Part 2)
[IF YOU EVER TOOK SSRI's TOGETHER WITH LSD PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO TAKE THIS POLL]
Link to previous thread
Subthreads:
This is a place to discuss interactions between psychotropic medications (pharmaceuticals such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, stimulants, et cetera), supplements (piracetam, hydergine, etc.) and psychedelic drugs. We will mostly be dealing with drugs that YOU are prescribed by a doctor and take on a regular basis, not so much with other drugs that you may take for fun
. Since we get posts about "can I take anti-depressant 'X' with psychedelic 'Y'" on a near-daily basis, this Big & Dandy thread has been created as a place to keep information on these subjects readily available.
Of interest, fairly complete, if a little outdated, check here first:
Antidepressants and Recreational Drugs FAQ
[IF YOU EVER TOOK SSRI's TOGETHER WITH LSD PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO TAKE THIS POLL]
Link to previous thread
Subthreads:
This is a place to discuss interactions between psychotropic medications (pharmaceuticals such as anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, benzodiazepines, stimulants, et cetera), supplements (piracetam, hydergine, etc.) and psychedelic drugs. We will mostly be dealing with drugs that YOU are prescribed by a doctor and take on a regular basis, not so much with other drugs that you may take for fun

Of interest, fairly complete, if a little outdated, check here first:
Antidepressants and Recreational Drugs FAQ
Generally speaking, with regards to "classical" 5-HT2 psychedelics (LSD, mushrooms, etc.) --
- SSRI's - generally decrease effects; dangerous with DXM and some others
- Wellbutrin - little or no side effects noted; possibly dangerous with DXM
- MAOI's - controversial; dangerous with DXM and some others; tread extremely carefully
- Anti-psychotics - generally decrease effects, not in a pleasant way
- Benzodiazepines - "soften" effects, reduce anxiety
Please, in the interests of harm reduction DO YOUR RESEARCH before dosing ... that means check this thread, check Erowid, check the FAQ linked above. Some of these combinations are dangerous. Some will drastically potentiate the trip and change it's character. Some will kill the trip and make it not worth your time or money in the first place. It all depends on the drugs you are taking, your own chemistry, and the psychedelic in question.
Also, please check these resources, and use the search engine, *BEFORE* posting. We get these questions on nearly a daily basis!
Thank you all!
--SomeKindaLove
Starting way back on 9/3/2004 ...
Preface: TFSE sucks and wouldn't handle the phrase 5-meo-amt anyway. I've read and researched widely on this, including the all inclusive 5-meo-amt thread here. Help a kid out. I just wanna know whether I should start being dissappointed now, or wait until Friday when we are supposed to take it and I find out it doesn't work.
Obviously IAP can't be used by anyone on an anti-depressant that has a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, but what about some of the others?
I am having a hard time finding conclusive researchon this.
As I understand it, the TC combos don't work.
What about 5-MEOs?
I have some 5-MEO-AMT and I'm really looking forward to checking it out.
But I am on bupropion, venlafaxine, and topirimate (Welbutrin, Effexor, Topomax)
Will it work? Would a slightly higher dose (say 10mgs instead of 5) make it work?
Or am I stuck with this whacky wierd RC that will be making excellent birthday and holiday presents for the next year or so?
Some posts from the end of the previous thread:
So I've heard. Paxil seems to be the worst SSRI ever made; I wonder why it's fairly commonly scripted. As with all of them, long tapers.
I've recently joined the club with escitalopram after years of resisting SSRIs because of all the things I've read on here, but I should have started long ago. I do feel better, and an SSRI 'addiction' is a hell of a lot better than a benzo addiction.
On one hand empathogens are going to be worthless, psychedelics seriously attenuated, but comes with some serotonergic neuroprotection. No oxidized dopamine getting in them 5-HT neurons.
I myself don't have a total grasp on all of them and their variations, but they are different molecules with different receptor/transporter affinities, which makes up the differences in their effects.
Example being that Fluvoxamine is the most selective of all the SSRI's, it goes for only the SERT with negligible NET or DAT affinity. For some reason it's also known as being one prone to adverse effects (violent outbursts in particular).
Paxil has notoriously been known to be the 'strongest', most effective SSRI, but with all the side effects that go with it, namely a high risk of suicide when starting on it and horrific withdrawal when coming off of it.
I was on venlafaxine (effexor) years ago, but after a week at the lowest dose I stopped because it made me so stimulated. Like a really psychotomimetic amphetamine. I would get wired and watch the X-files all night; at first it was fun, but it wore me down. I dropped it and never went back to reuptake inhibitors, especially because at that point in time I was tripping about every 2 weeks and didn't want to impede my adventures. After that I knew I never wanted to permanently be on a substance with a phenethylamine backbone (venlafaxine, bupropion being the main ones).
Looking at it now (with how little I trip), being on an SSRI with little NET affinity is actually quite good in me. Citalopram seemed to be a good choice for being a straight SSRI with good effectiveness, and few side effects. Doc pushed the on-patent single (S-) enantiomer; escitalopram. Being on insurance I figured what the hell, could only be more selective with less stuff for my body to process.
As to your initial question on comparative efficacy/side effects; yeah they're all different but it's much too complex an issue to be summed up in a table. You do have to go reading; affinities and adverse effect frequencies give a basic understanding of which has a tendency for what.
I thought mirtazapine was going to be my panacea from anxiety (that was not a benzo), but man, what an antihistamine effect. Imagine taking 10 benadryl; that was it. Mirtazapine knocks you out flat and makes you helplessly delirious all through the next day, until you take another pill to get knocked out again. I was FUBAR. Tricyclines and tetracyclines are for severe cases; their affinities for so many receptors (non-selectivity) makes the side effects unbearable.
SNRI's or DARI's like bupropion are better for depression in people who aren't edgy to start with. I'm a skin and bones wire-case; always have been. Anything that enhances stimulation or inhibits apetite is no bueno for me, but good for many others.
So far SSRI's to me are something you don't feel; it's just in the background.
Have you any info (scientific or anecdotal) on comparative SSRI efficacy / side-effects? I'm curious, but not so curious as to spend time researching it myself.
Is LSD contraindicated with Clonidine? I was prescribed the stuff for insomnia for some reason and never really took it, but I'm thinking if i want to sleep after my upcoming trip I might take some. Now, as far as I can tell there shouldn't be a problem, Clonidine being just a pretty mild alpha-2 agonist, but I want to be extra cautious.
Does anyone know if there is any problem with mixing Amitriptyline with 25I-NBOMe?
Someone asked me that the other day and I didnt have a clue.
I'm on zyprexa 7.5 mg, how much will that dampen mdmas effects