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Psychedelics and bipolar

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    Psychedelics and bipolar

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    I have severe bi-polar disorder and I'm so tired of feeling hopeless and of being a testing ground for prescription drugs that have a myriad of scary side effects. I have been prescribed more than 20 different medications over the years with maybe 3 or 4 that didn't make me extremely ill or simply did not work. Unfortunately, when I'm not medicated I'm a mess. I was put on a combination of L-Methionine and choline/inositol by a world class specialist in Los Angeles and those supplements kept me relatively balanced, although Xanax was still used for anxiety.

    I have taken mushrooms a handful of times in my life, primarily for recreational and spiritual purposes. I'm 53 years old and after much research, I obtained some mushrooms and took small amounts a couple of times a month for 3 months (while taking no other meds) and I felt NORMAL afterwards for days then weeks. My anxiety was gone. I felt calm without feeling drugged. I was inspired to get out of bed and face the days. I felt clear and happy, focused and grounded-well after the initial affects had worn off. I think it's exciting that there may be something on the horizon that could actually cure me of the hell that is mental illness.

    -jerichosoul

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    Psychedelics promote neuronal plasticity which is far more than can be said for Big Pharma substances.The overwhelming majority of positive after-effects of hallucinogens come in part from this enhanced neuronal plasticity directed in a positive fashion. Conversely this plasticity can be used to strengthen circuits responsible for fear and paranoia thus creating the negative effects of hallucinogen use. Essentially, it's what you make of it.

    My bipolar symptoms lean toward the manic side, and in my observation/opinion this can be modeled as a long-duration standing wave in the brain that cycles between two poles (perhaps four!). To treat it, one would attempt to bring these poles closer together then diminish the divergence between them thereby creating stabilized neurotransmitter flow a la lithium but with a bit more pizzaz. Previously I oscillated intensely between depressive and manic phases tending more towards severe depression. This was semi-permanently reversed using sustained usage of DMT-huascas. Presumably the serotonin receptor density enhancing effects of huascas were the primary factor in moving the depressive pole upward to a level plane.

    Based on my experience I would suggest alternating between microdoses of shrooms and ibogaine, the doses being set in proportion to the interval between manic and depressive phases and their relative intensities. During this time a directed effort towards balancing neural chemistry is of paramount importance: this could be facilitated by means of things such as meditation and holotropic breathwork, art and music therapies. Piracetam is also a very good idea as it enhances brain hemispheric communication. Prior studies have shown that the two hemispheres almost act as independent persons/selves and it is possible that bipolar may in part arise due to strong dissonance between the hemispheres. Just a hypothesis.

    -crkhd

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    I think if someone's brain is on a manic high or a low, it could create a reason for it to start doing the opposite in an attempt to level everything out. Hence it could turn into a continuous cycle. Anyhow, now I am in my mid 20's. During my teenage years I've had doctors diagnose me as bipolar and depressed and prescribe a ton of medications from Zoloft to Xanax. When I hit 20, I tried mushrooms, and had some excellent, unexpected results. The anxiety I had in social situations disappeared, and when I tried to think about "why" I had it, I couldn't justify thinking in that manner. I stopped doing all drugs for a few years, the anxiety got a little better, but it still got in the way of life.

    So recently I started taking small, half-gram doses of dried mushrooms 2-4 times per week. I feel healthier, no more anxieties, no more depression, and I'm not tense anymore. My blood pressure has gone back down to healthy levels. I don't mind the occasional 2-gram doses for a full on mushroom trip, but those are few and far between. I prefer using small doses. It's not addictive, as far as I know. The only side effect so far is that the lights can get quite bright while driving at night.

    -Hydra45

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    I'm 26 years old and have been using psilocybin for the past twelve years. I use occasionally, from a few times a month to a few times a year. I have a large family history of bipolar disorder, notably my mother. Though not diagnosed, I have very good reason to believe I have bipolar type II disorder.

    I've always been more interested in the spiritual dimension of the sacred mushroom. Although, as a teenager I often abused the fungi, I quickly realized that it could be a life-changing substance if taken with the proper set and setting. For many years, I only consumed the mushrooms in the safety of my own home, alone, which allowed me to gradually develop a very intimate relationship with them. I mainly took mushrooms while I was “on highs,” slightly afraid of what they could do while I was “on downs.” However, recently, I decided to experiment while I was in a bottom-of-the-barrel down that had lasted for about two months and was eating me away.

    I was alone and I prepared a little bit more ceremoniously than usual. I clearly asked the mushrooms, which a close friend had grown, for help. I asked for my thoughts to be cleared and my creativity to be enlightened. Then I laid down, meditated and waited for the effects to begin.I took about 5 grams but the mushrooms were very weak and it resembled more of a 1½ gram trip. Nothing out of this world. It was a clean trip, no negative thoughts and a strong boost in creativity which I expressed with drawings and with very original and interesting educational activities for children (I'm a teacher) which I got to test the next day, with incredible success.

    It's been two months. The depression has completely disappeared. Usually, getting out of a down like the one I was in would take weeks or even months, where I would go through several periods of light ups and downs and neutral episodes. This is the first time I have experienced such a drastic change in mood, where I saw first hand the extent of the healing that the mushrooms can grant when taken properly.

    Gomby007

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    I’ve taken LSD multiple times and although I’m diagnosed with bipolar disorder type 1, I usually only take it among positive friends and when I was in a relatively stable state in which I hadn’t been depressed or manic for some time (months to over a year). I now see mania as the body’s attempt to heal the mind by forcing it to deal with past emotional trauma. Often this natural healing process is interrupted by long-term harmful medication and the fearful misunderstandings of others.

    LSD can lead one to deeply question one’s identity and can therefore trigger a spiritual emergency which is essentially what bipolar mania is. If you can trigger mania/psychosis in a highly supportive environment with those who deeply understand the process then it can be healing and transformative and can even rid you off the mental illness entirely.

    See the work of Sean Blackwell for more about this point of view: Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

    -Andrew Garrett

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    I've been microdosing over 6 months now about 20ug of LSD every fourth day. It helps push me out of depression and relax if I'm in a manic stage. It has made me more socially outgoing and aware of the emotions I'm experiencing as well as the ones others are experiencing. It really helps with motivating me to get out of bed in the morning, but sometimes it makes me more sad during the "trip" because you can really get lost in your thoughts, though this helps me be more aware of working towards a positive thought process. The two-day afterglow helps me more than the effects of the drug itself.

    I also wouldn't advise doing it without educating and informing your friends and family so they can keep a close eye on you. Let them know what to look for as far as psychosis and things so they can get you help if things go wrong. Its not for everyone.

    -turnuptuneinthrowawa

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    I grind mushrooms into a powder and mix with honey and consume instead of coffee either straight or as a tea. Dose 3/7 days a week. I went by trial and error on amount until I hardly noticed the effects. Honestly, I don't recommend going too hard. Start 1/7 days a week, and take it slow. Keep a record. You should ALREADY keep a mood chart or journal of some sort. Make note of microdosing schedule and observations.

    -proper_jazz

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    My name is Aaron and I've had a calling to the study of the medicinal properties of psychedelic substances. I feel it is necessary that I share this report with as many people as I can. This is written in hopes of provoking greater and more professional research into the use of sub-threshold doses of various substances.

    Included is a personal history which may be relevant to the experience. I am reporting the effects of microdosing LSD at approximately 12.5 micrograms which is performed by slicing blotter tabs containing around 100 micrograms of LSD into eighths and administering orally on a daily basis in the early afternoon.

    A brief history of myself: Since I was a child I've been diagnosed with a variety of disorders and have undergone an even greater number of treatments all of which failed to provide any lasting benefit. These range from ADD, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar along with many other symptoms being undiagnosed. Most of these drugs have had no effect or resulted in undesirable effects which led to their discontinuation. I've generally lost all respect for the pharmaceutical industry and found myself succumb to these issues with no hope of their mitigation.

    At times I found myself abusing drugs like Ecstasy, Opiates, Cannabis and Alcohol as an excuse to escape my mundane reality and boredom. These along with my preexisting conditions made for a very out-of-whack state of being for many years where I tried to abstain from further self-destruction. After that phase of my life I found a spiritual revelation which only deepened my sorrows as I became more aware of the world and my place in it seemed to become fruitless. Needless to say I was lost.

    In the past few years I sought out medical help and these problems only worsened. My most recent trial of prescriptions led me to a breaking point where I developed Complex Migraines which would resemble a stroke or seizures of sorts. The notion that no doctor could help me was later affirmed by follow-up video/EEG tests, during which I had episodes, that showed no abnormal behavior. MRI and CT scans turned up no evidence either!

    Two days after my hospital release I had an opportunity to experiment with psychedelic mushrooms. The result was fantastic! I was revitalized from a single morsel of the fungi. The next few weeks showed a decrease in frequency, intensity, and persistence in my 'attacks'. Fortunately as my supply was nearing its end my attacks had vanished entirely!

    At the time of this writing it has been months since I've consumed the psychedelic fungi and I haven't had an episode since! That isn't to say I haven't felt unwell at times due to anxiety. It is this encounter with this truly magical substance that has encouraged me to spread the word of sub-threshold dosing being a cure for what I went through. It has encouraged me to delve into the research of substances and their unconventional applications.

    Again, my problems got the best of me and was in a depressive state for a while. Irritability became my demon and I struggled with my levels of energy and desire. Creativity was a stranger and boredom became my only comfort. All these things yet I didn't actually perceive they were present within me. It was all so subtle that I didn't notice how depressed I was until the next miracle found me.

    I'd taken the drug LSD many times and it's been the catalyst for my previously mentioned spiritual revelation. Anyway, I was recently invited to purchase some, so I decided to do a full-on documented self-study. I let myself reset for about a week and then began microdosing. I'm 9 days into my study and I've had some truly amazing results. I will describe them as best I can:

    Increased…

    Appreciation: A very general and possibly encompassing sense of appreciation for all things. All people seem more important, all colors more alive, all sounds have their beauty, all the dingy, dirty, gross things have their place, etc. Jokes that weren't funny have some appeal now. Far easier to appreciate different perspectives for what they are and what their foundations are.

    Baselines: The general base level for a variety of traits have been raised to what I would consider 'natural'. A tremendous improvement from my original baselines!

    Mood/behavior/emotions: Mood is stabilized and behavior is less based on emotions. Any negative feelings such as anger or sadness are present but proceed to self-resolve. Compared to my original state, this is really amazing; because the feelings would linger and grow to frightening levels. Far more natural patience and empathy. Great sense of humor; more humble to my own shortcomings.

    Socialization: A new desire to interact with others which is now uplifting instead of anxiety-inducing. Able to join in conversations or initiate them with ease. Able to empathize with people in a way that I can better understand their social behavior in a non-judgmental way.

    Creativity/problem solving: Normally I would require some external source for inspiration when working on my artistic hobbies. Since dosing I find inspiration from within. Any obstacles or problems that come to me are very easy to mitigate.

    Energy: I no longer require chemicals to forcibly raise my energy. Unlike caffeine, I am able to call upon my energy store as needed and can easily settle afterwards. There is no feeling of being stimulated like most drugs cause, for example jitters and dry mouth.

    Focus/attention: A greater length for holding thoughts especially while talking. Learning and recalling things more quickly and to greater accuracy. Any deterrents or distractions have less of an impact on my train of thought and focus.

    Decreased…

    Self-limitations/inhibitions: More accepting of myself and the inner chatter that normally defines what is worth acting on or not has essentially shut up to allow more fluent creativity in artistic endeavors, solving problems, and in socializing with others.

    Psychedelic effects: Diminishing effects over the days of the fun/scary effects such as visual/auditory changes and psychological alterations.

    Perversion: Sexual attraction is no longer overly prominent and a greater sense of androgyny exists. Able to be free from checking out women's breasts and butts all the time as habitual.

    Addiction: My desire for tobacco use is severely reduced and cravings aren't so dreadful as to force my hand. Sexual activities don't overrun my thoughts.

    Desire to alter the mind: I no longer have frequent or prominent wishes to get high on Cannabis and only wish to use it sparingly. I don't feel a need to drink alcohol when bored.

    No medication I've been prescribed was intended to do all of these things. No medication I've taken has had this level of effectiveness without any detrimental effects. Not a single pill I have swallowed has made me feel like anything about me was perfect. Nothing can even come close to what LSD has done for me.

    As this is only 9 days worth of analyzing my ongoing experience I cannot conclude how these effects will last and what will happen if I abruptly discontinue the use. I wish I could just have my God-given prescription for life, but I feel it necessary to at some point bring this to an end for the aforementioned concerns.
    Last edited by Sherman Peabody; 09-23-2017, 06:34 PM.
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