Citation: daytripper. "Descent Into Terror: An Experience with Amanitas pantherina (exp116179)". Erowid.org. Mar 22, 2022. erowid.org/exp/116179
I’m writing this hoping it saves some people from the true hell and terror that I went through.
First – I am VERY experienced with psychedelics. While it’s been decades, I’ve dropped LSD probably more than 100 times, including doses up to around 1,500-2,000 mcg (15-20 hits). Psilocybin was child’s play to me back in the day. I’ve done Ayahuasca, PCP, speed, coke, plenty of entheogens – you get the picture (though my illegal drug use stopped a long time ago).
I first tried Amanitas Muscaria a few times and had a great time. I have taken VERY large doses (more than 10 caps – probably closer to 15) of muscaria with no problem and it only gave me energy and light visuals and some giddiness. So, I figured Amanitas Pantherina would be slightly stronger but pretty similar. Boy was I wrong.
I figured Amanitas Pantherina would be slightly stronger but pretty similar. Boy was I wrong.
I had purchased an ounce of fine Pantherina caps from Washington state, and was at home – staying with my parents at the time. I decided to try Pantherina caps one night pretty late figuring “no big deal”. I probably only ate 1 or 1 and a half caps and within 15 minutes I knew I was in serious trouble.
It started with typical LSD-esque ‘patterns’ forming on the walls in reds and greens. With a frightening speed it quickly became the stuff of nightmares – more intense than 10 hits of LSD, more intense than the one time I did a triple dose of Ayahuasca. I knew I was in trouble and tried to grab a sleeping pill to knock myself out but I never got past grabbing the bottle.
After that, I have no recollection of what happened other than that my parents called 911 when they heard me bumping around in my room and entered to find me flailing on the floor. At the hospital I was SURE that the police were trying to jump through my window to kill me. I absolutely terrorized one of the nurses and had to be restrained and given large doses of Lorazepam to calm me down. Nothing worked – they literally couldn’t give me any more and I was still freaking out.
I was having severe visual and auditory hallucinations (the auditory ones were much more frightening), thought I could hear through thick walls and this went on for a very long time. All in all I was completely batshit zonked for a good 14-18 hours. Of course, they tested me for drugs, but needless to say they weren’t testing for muscimol so nothing came up. Ultimately they thought I had an adverse reaction to my sleep medication and I was released.
Amanitas vary in strength wildly and I took what I thought was a miniscule dose just to ‘test the waters’ before I went full in. I’d do Muscaria again, but never will I touch a Pantherina shroom again.
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