DOSE:	200 mg	oral	Pharms - Lamotrigine	(daily)
	30 mg	oral	Pharms - Escitalopram	(daily)
	450 mg	oral	Pharms - Bupropion	(daily)
	30 mg	oral	Amphetamines	(daily)
		oral	Mushrooms	(dried)

BODY WEIGHT:

160 lb

BACKGROUND INFO AND SET-UP

To clarify, the first time I tried psilocybin mushrooms, I was on a variety of prescribed psychiatric medications and hormonal birth control.

Brand name of medication/generic name, dosage, purpose:
Lamictal/lamotrigine, 200 mg, mood stabilizer
Lexapro/escitalopram 30 mg, antidepressant
Wellbutrin XL/bupropion HCL XL, 450 mg, supplementary antidepressant and addiction suppressant
Adderall XR/dextroamphetamine-amphetamine mixed salts ER, 30 mg, stimulant
Gianvi/drospirenone, 3 mg, birth control

(Note: XL, XR, and ER all stand for “extended release.”)

My clinical diagnosis was/is Major Depression w/ Psychotic Features. At the time of my experience, I had been on medication for 10 years except for a 1.5 year break during ages 17-19. I had been on the above cocktail for 4 years, except for the Lamictal, which I’d been taking for 2.5 years. I had not experienced depressive symptoms in the past year.

Given my mental health history and the manifold risks of negative drug interactions, I was understandably apprehensive about experimenting with mushrooms. There is obviously no clinical research about drug interactions for my particular pharmaceutical cocktail, let alone my cocktail plus shrooms.

However, I had searched experience reports for instances of mushrooms triggering psychotic episodes (my greatest fear) and found none. I was at a good place in my life, I was in a safe place, and I had my best friend with me, as well as a new friend who I trusted.

EXPERIENCE

I took a standard dose (I think about 1 gram) and friend 1 and friend 2 each took half a dose. The three of us stayed indoors the whole time. I didn’t feel anything for the first half hour, but during the hour after that, I felt merely tipsy, as if I’d had a couple drinks. The buzz was pleasant, but unimpressive. I didn’t feel anything unusual until 1.5 hours had elapsed.

Instead of feeling loving and connected to others, I felt compelled to withdraw into myself and be alone in my head for awhile. It was unusual because I’m definitely an extrovert, physically affectionate, and other-centered. I didn’t even want to talk to or sit with my best friend, which was unprecedented. I lay down on a couch and listened to a trance remix of Red Hot Chili Peppers and focused on my internal state for a while. I realized that at the very core, I’m my own entity. Though I define myself by my roles and my relationships, I am a strong person on my own. I could survive on my own and I would be the same person. It was empowering. At the end I took some notes and drew a diagram so I wouldn’t totally forget how I felt.

My trip lasted for perhaps 2.5 hours. I suspect my meds, particularly the antidepressants, mitigated the effects, or caused the psilocybin to metabolize faster, or something. I’m not a neurobiologist or even a chemist.

AFTERMATH

Unfortunately, at the same time I withdrew into myself, my best friend needed my support. (Note: she was on 20 mg prescription Celexa/citalopram, an antidepressant, as well as birth control and 100 mcg of levothyroxine for a thyroid condition.) She needed tactile connection and affection when I was least inclined to give it or even notice her needs, and after I came down, I realized she’d even started crying. That’s the only part of our experience that I regret. Well, it also would have been cool to see patterns or fun visual hallucinations of some kind. I’ve only ever had the horrible kind of hallucinations.

On the other hand, none of my old psychotic symptoms made an appearance, so yay. I did not feel fundamentally changed afterward, which was a relief.

Exp Year: 2012	ExpID: 101320
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 23
Published: Feb 23, 2021	Views: 916
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Mushrooms (39) : Small Group (2-9) (17), Personal Preparation (45), Depression (15), Combinations (3), First Times (2)