Can Mushrooms Treat Depression?
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
That said, I've heard many stories of people experiencing life changing epiphanies from mushroom trips as described in the article, and I am intrigued by articles like this and the science behind it. Perhaps my environment, or the specific mushrooms I tried made it worse. Also, having tried them once and come out the other end fine may make future experiences less uncomfortable - a large part of what made it difficult was a concern that my mental state would be permanently affected by the experience, and this was not the case. Still, it makes me less inclined to try them again until I'm in a better mental state.
For what it's worth, these were the variety of "magic truffles" which are legal and readily obtainable from high street stores in Amsterdam, but as far as I'm aware the active ingredient is the same psilocybin as other forms of magic mushrooms. I wasn't on any medication at the time, though I have heard of certain anti-depressants and other medication either having a negative effect, or negating the effects of mushrooms entirely.
At the same time developing brains are fed all kinds of uppers and downers because they react badly to an outdated educational system.
Psilocybin has been a huge help for me. Now, the first time I decided to take it I was indeed uncomfortable. However I soon realized that I was facing my own fears and anxiety. After a while I found that my depression was considerably less and less.
Marijuana has helped tremendously, also, with anxiety.
I suppose it might depend on the individual.
As with all medicine. Therefore it needs to be done with carefully measured dosages under controlled circumstances so that any harmful side effects can be nipped in the bud.
Other times, when the circumstances of my life have felt more secure and stable and my mental state is more robust mushrooms have been amazing experiences.
Perhaps mushrooms have potential benefit for some conditions under some circumstances. I support the idea of more medical research, for sure.
Yup, that's the beginner's curse. Every single person I know who ever tried potent psychoactive substances had this experience at least once. My worst was when I didn't know that the drug I took lasts for several days. Waking up the next day after the trip and realizing I am still not my regular self was a lot more terrifying then the violent hallucinations I had the day before.
I strongly advise caution to anyone trying to self-medicate like this.
As the article says, psilocybin could have favorable effects in depression, possibly resembling results with ketamine. Other hallucingenics are often mentioned in this regard, like LSD or mescaline. There have been reports of utility of low dose THC for depression.
In discussions of potential value of any drug the pivotal issue is the risk/benefit ratio. Hallucinogens have unmistakably caused adverse reactions. Panic, psychosis, dissociative states have been observed often enough to warrant a high level of caution in using such drugs.
Part of the problem is the randomness of bad reactions. It's usually difficult to predict which users (or subsets of users) will endure adverse effects at a particular drug dose. Drug interactions is another concern. A great deal of study is necessary to sort out the parameters of (relatively) safe use.
On another note, this summer I experimented with NSI-189[1] for depression to great effect. It's a hippocampal neurogenic agent currently prepping for phase 2 trials. I found that its antidepressant effects over a one-month cycle were remarkably similar to my single psilocybin experience a few years back. Specifically, they both (or rather, I) exhibited two characteristics:
(a) "Illuminating" rather than the "dulling" of traditional antidepressants. A feeling of irrational filters being lifted from all my senses and the cognitive functions directly adjacent to them. It doesn't feel like a band-aid like tricyclics and SSRIs do. It feels like a realization that the depression is a lie, that it doesn't reflect the actual state of the world.
(b) Persistence of the effect long after the chemical was no longer in my system. Where "long" was approximately two years for the psilocybin, and I'm coming up on four months after cessation of the NSI-189 with not just steady benefits but continuous improvement. This matches the results found in the Phase 1b trial.[2]
Now I haven't gotten an MRI to see if my hippocampus has grown to an abnormal size, like was found in an early mouse study, but my experience has made me extremely optimistic for the next ten years of antidepressant research. I'm fairly certain we'll be able to narrow down the exact mechanisms by which psychedelics alleviate depression and isolate them from the permanent destructive potential of most psychedelics.[3]
[0] http://www.longecity.org/forum/forum/169-brain-health/
[1] It is currently not being sold, and its patent-holder Neuralstem is being quite threatening toward would-be vendors. There is nothing illegal about purchasing it, but it would be difficult for anyone in the US without indirect access to a quality Asian synth lab and a domestic third party testing facility.
[2] http://smithonstocks.com/neuralstem-phase-1b-results-for-nsi...
[3] I should mention that though I'm comparing NSI-189 to traditional psychedelics in this comment, it doesn't actually have any major immediate effects. Common anecdotal effects include heightened taste and smell, back-of-skull pressure/ache and mild parasthesia. A couple instances of major, painful parasthesia in individuals with previous nerve damage. But no headspace, no high, no rush, no immediate feeling that you're taking a drug at all, and the antidepressant effects do not reveal themselves for at least a week.
I neglected to mention precisely how I acquired it because, as mentioned, Neuralstem is not joking around. (It wasn't as a group buy.) They do not have any existing treatments on the market and currently have just two in human trials: NSI-189, an antidepressant and ostensibly nootropic, and NSI-566, a stem cell treatment for ALS. It's not surprising that they're freaked out by use of one of these treatments years before it could ever be approved as a pharmaceutical.
My Psilocybin trip was an almost terrifying experience that served as a good reset. I will definitely consider repeating this on a periodic basis if needed, being most respectful of the dark power these little fungi possess.
Aside: "... Paul Expert at King’s College London ..." : this guy was born to be a researcher. :-D
Generally? No.
I've taken and been around people who have taken mushrooms for over 15 years. I still dabble on occasion. I've never seen or even heard of someone reaching a "breaking point". This is not to say that it can't happen, but saying that mushrooms will do it, generally, must be supported.
That said, mushrooms are no fooling around. If you have no experience with "being high", and the altered mental state that that entails, I would never recommend diving into multi-gram does of 'shrooms. Once you've had some experience, it's much easier to tell yourself, "I'm high, this will pass. Enjoy it."
I have battled depression for years, and while I would agree that there was some minor uplift, it was not a major change in my case.