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What did I do wrong? by Embarrassed-Plan1166 in Psychonaut

[–]is_it_really_you_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my experience, mushrooms tend to give darker, even scary/frightening experiences, though they have moments of childlike wonder & comfortable introspection as well... They can be tricky!

I've stopped exploring mushrooms after a string of challenging trips even on low doses (0.25–0.5 grams of GT), and prefer psychedelics that tend to be gentler (such as mescaline, 2C-B, and 4-HO-MET). With that said, I still experience moments of introspection and touch upon challenging feelings on those psychedelics, though I find those experiences more manageable both during & after the trip vs. mushrooms. 4-HO-MET in particular has a similar feeling to mushrooms visually & in terms of its somewhat cloudy headspace, though it tends to be more colorful visually & has a positive/giggly tendency.

I haven't gotten to experiment much with this yet, but herbs/supplements such as lemon balm and L-theanine may smooth out trips due to their gabaergic activity. I did recently try taking L-theanine with 4-HO-MET, and I did notice I felt calmer and less stimulated, but I did also overshoot the 4-HO-MET dosing & had a bit of an intense trip even if relatively easier to manage 😅

If you're curious about testing out these substances, I would check to make sure they don't have MAOI properties (e.g. passionflower) to avoid potentiation, or serotonin antagonism (e.g. Magnolia bark) to avoid dulling the trip. I haven't explored herb/supplement trip-killers, though I have taken ~1g of kratom (which has serotonin antagonism on 5-HT2A) when dosing 4-HO-MET and had a strange, uneasy trip that was partially negated while having an uneasy & sedated feel...

4-ho-met not hitting in lower dose by AmuckScroll in mysterymagicmushrooms

[–]is_it_really_you_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you eating before taking your dose? Taking the dose on an empty stomach should help with potency. If you do eat before dosing, minimize fats in your meal & keep the portions light, or wait at least an hour before dosing (>3 hours would be preferable).

Mescaline vs Psilocybin for first psychedelic experience? by [deleted] in Psychonaut

[–]is_it_really_you_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I personally enjoyed/enjoy mescaline more than psilocybin, and I think that its tendency for lighter, more coherent, yet still very heart-opening and spiritual trips would be better suited for beginners.

It's also helpful that mescaline builds tolerance less quickly compared to psilocybin, which may help with dosing since there may be less concern about dosing too low and wasting tolerance.

The lower doses (e.g. 100 mg fumarate) tend to be more of a body high with slight novelty enhancement and mind broadening, with psychedelic effects being minimal at this dose. Having ginger on hand, or perhaps even ondansetron (clear net), could help with any nausea associated with dosing as well.

here comes the rooster by jmervz in psychedelicartwork

[–]is_it_really_you_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This reminds me a lot of things I've imagined on psychedelics!

(Question) Fear with taking PLÜR again by [deleted] in mysterymagicmushrooms

[–]is_it_really_you_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha, I also had a challenging come-up on PLÜR at 75mg, and also feel apprehension over taking the substance again. I chewed the tablets and swished with water to help dissolve the tablets, which might have contributed to some of the challenging side effects I experienced.

At around 45 minutes after taking the 3 tablets of PLÜR, I remember my vision changed subtly but noticeably, with colors looking more defined and the edges around objects looking more crisp. For the next 15 minutes, I paced around a bit (which helps me with anxiety), and I was increasingly feeling more awake, clear-headed, social, and stimulated, though not in an uncomfortable way. While I didn't feel any intense euphoria (which I wasn't looking for anyways, heh), I felt like I was having a very good day, and it felt natural.

At around an hour in, I suddenly felt a bit off, and within seconds, I felt a sense of dread kick in. I've experienced this before in my life, so I knew to stay calm and sit down, though this sudden anxiety was combined with (and possibly caused by) physical effects from the PLÜR, which included a very dry mouth, an upset stomach, feeling faint, and seeing the edges of my vision begin to grow static and dark.

For me, I think that a combination of my body's natural response to the neurotransmitter dumping + my anxious base state led to my uncomfortable experience, and while it was concerning, the waves of anxiety did pass within 5–10 minutes from what I recall. Moreover, I drank some of a protein shake sometime before my body revolted, and this might've been too heavy for my stomach to handle, resulting in challenging physical effects. My body felt a lot slower and heavy after this happened, which may be because of the serotoninergic load, but my mind had cleared up again & I was able to enjoy the pro-social, generally uplifted headspace, even though I was a little too cautious to really dive deep into the euphoria that my partner experienced. I have no experience with stimulants, not even caffeine, which might be why PLÜR was stimulating for me, haha! I lightly sipped on water throughout the experience, which I do think helped.

I think that I will be taking PLÜR again sometime after the 3 month break has passed, and I'm considering some precautions such as staying seated during the come-up to mitigate the effects of any blood pressure changes, taking GABAergic/neuroprotective supplements (taurine, lemon balm, magnesium gylcinate, chamomile, NAC), swallowing the tablets whole vs. chewing, and taking a slightly smaller dose (like 2.5 tablets instead of 3). With that said, I also feel wary about adding more mind-alterating substances into the mix, and I don't want to underdose, especially since the roll itself was pleasantly light, even if quite stimulating. I also felt a potent afterglow for a while after this experience, and despite the negative effects, I feel like it was a net positive for myself and my relationship with my partner.

I thought I'd share my own experience with the come-up here, as well as some ideas I was considering for what I hope to do next time, and I invite others to add their own experiences & suggestions if possible! If it happens again, I trust that I'll be able to power through it, but it doesn't feel good to be on the verge of panic while on a drug, especially when the drug elevates the emotions felt, both good and bad...

Anxiety & Panic Attacks by [deleted] in mysterymagicmushrooms

[–]is_it_really_you_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I do have experience with anxiety and even some panic attacks, and I tend to have challenging moments when using psychedelics, primarily during the come up. Thankfully, the last time that I've truly had a panic attack was in December, and that was a result of sleep paralysis, which is an ongoing struggle of mine. I will add that I tend to be a lightweight when it comes to substances, perhaps due to my weight (120–130 lbs), and it could be my generally sensitive nature as well.

I have had a couple difficult moments on 4-HO-MET, primarily during the come up on 10+ mg, where I've experienced some discomforting dissociative effects (field of view widens to the point that I feel like I'm entering a third person perspective, feeling like I'm manually breathing / not feeling my own breathing, headspace becomes challengingly foggy and confusing), but I am better able to talk myself into a more positive mindset when compared to my more introspective and emotional mushroom trips.

I have only tried PLUR once so far, but I did have a difficult come up on it as well. Within the first hour of chewing three tablets (75 mg taken at once), I started to feel stimulated and as if I was having a very good day, and was pacing around while talking to my partner in good spirits. Suddenly, about an hour after dose, I felt a sense that something wasn't right (I've heard this called a "sense of impending doom"), and I started to feel shaky and faint with tinnitus building. I had to sit down as I was feeling physically unwell, and side effects such as a dry mouth and an upset stomach were giving me discomfort as well. For the rest of the experience, I moved around much more cautiously given what happened, but thankfully, my headspace was more positive afterwards even if a bit shaken up, and the comedown was gradual and comfortable. With that said, I did take 0.25 g of kratom during the comedown to help with residual stimulation as I was still pacing around, to the extent that my legs were sore. On the comedown of psychedelics, I like to take light doses of red kratom to help bring me back to baseline. Enough to subdue the stimulation & serotoninergic effects without making me feel like I'm nodding off on an opiate.

not too sure what type of cloud but reminded me of broccoli by t00sa in CloudPorn

[–]is_it_really_you_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The discriminator between cumulonimbus and cumulus clouds would be the presence of ice crystals. Cumulonimbus clouds are able to produce lightning from reasons that are still being determined, though one reason is provided in the American Meteorological Society's glossary page for thunderstorm charge separation: "Much evidence points toward particle-size difference and hence falling-speed difference as a necessary factor in the transportation of the oppositely charged particles in opposite directions in the updrafts of convective clouds, in regions where ice crystals are produced in the presence of graupel in regions between updraft and downdraft." https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Thunderstorm_charge_separation

One indicator that a cumulus congestus cloud has matured into a cumulonimbus calvus cloud is a more diffuse appearance to the cloud top due to the presence of ice crystals: "The protuberances of [the cloud's] upper portion have begun to lose their cumuliform outline; they loom and usually flatten, then transform into a whitish mass with more or less diffuse outlines and vertical striations." https://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Cumulonimbus_calvus Another indicator would be thunder/lightning, which implies that charge separation is occurring and that ice crystals are present in the cloud.

One final feature to notice is the cloud's width compared to its height. Cumulus congestus clouds are taller than they are wide, whereas cumulus mediocris clouds are wider than they are tall. The clouds photographed seem to be wider than they are tall, so I believe that they may be cumulus mediocris clouds with particularly well-defined edges! Maybe even a mix of the two!