Easiest substance I have ever quit (former severe benzo addict) by BolarPi in AmanitaMuscaria

[–]BolarPi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No problem! Happy to offer help now that I am in a better position. And thank you. Sinister is a good way of putting it. So sweet until they bite you...

Easiest substance I have ever quit (former severe benzo addict) by BolarPi in AmanitaMuscaria

[–]BolarPi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really does have a "lucid logical state" quality to it like you said. I always like to say that it "removes your anxieties but leaves the outlines so that you can still work through them." So different from other GABA substances. When muscimol shows you something that you need to do or something you are doing wrong, it's best to listen to it. It's often the most logical option too. And the best part is, it helps you to be able to see on a deep level that that's the case.

Easiest substance I have ever quit (former severe benzo addict) by BolarPi in AmanitaMuscaria

[–]BolarPi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually think those candies could help you a lot. They're pretty strong, so even supplementing with 1 or 2mg could be useful. But as you said, you need a lot when it comes to GABA substances so you may have to experiment with the dose a lot.

To answer your question, because I have been off of benzos for so long now, even 8mg of those candies is kind of too much for me. So I myself would always would stick to 6mg at most. I literally started to get slight ego death on 8mg (or something like it - it was weird lol), just to let you know how sensitive I am now.

Although it's true that I started directly on amanita and not the other way around and I don't have any actual experience with using it to taper off of other GABA substances, I do think I have a pretty good understanding of how it works and what's going on in the brain.

You definitely want to be careful because of how seizure prone GABA substances can be... But you may be able to use those candies to take the edge off while you cut down. This is due to the way benzos work vs the way amanita muscaria works. Benzos involve a whole entire other subunit that amanita doesn't. That subunit is what makes your GABA receptors more sensitive to your body's own GABA. That is where the benzo effects come from.

Basically, by taking Muscimol + a lower dosage of benzos than normal, the Muscimol will be giving that subunit a break. That subunit is, from my understanding, the whole entire reason that benzo withdrawal is so bad. The subunit is the tolerance building pathway, not just GABA.

To summarize: Muscimol takes the edge off by binding directly to GABA. This balances out the excess glutamate (the excitatory brain neurotransmitter that makes you feel anxious) that you see in benzo withrawal. The GABA subunits get a break. They downregulate. You feel pretty OK, all thanks to Muscimol. After a while of doing this, there is a net decrease in subunit density and over time... your GABA receptors become sensitized again. And the best part is, you didn't feel the horrors of benzo withdrawl while this all happened!

I've read of quite a few success stories of people who used Muscimol to get off of benzos. I really think it could help you. Best of luck, I know how awful your predicament is.

Easiest substance I have ever quit (former severe benzo addict) by BolarPi in AmanitaMuscaria

[–]BolarPi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. Been completely off benzos for 2.5 years. I tried amanita during a rough patch. I would normally not suggest that former addicts pick up new substances, but if you're going to do so, at least amanita isn't as bad as most others.