Combinations - Benzodiazepines in Case of a Bad Trip?

[insidiousvertigo]

Okay, swim has tripped on mushrooms several times. The first time he ate very little, and they were not very potent, and he was on Lexapro, and SSRI, which made the trip very dull, except for extreme euphoria and laugther at the beginning.
The next time he had some visuals, music was crazy, and then he started to get paranoid. He was still taking Lexapro at this time, which dulls the effects of psychadelics.
The third time, he was in Amsterdam, and ate an eighth of fresh colombian magic mushrooms, and tripped very hard, and very bad after about two hours. A shower with his ex-girlfriend brought him back to reality though, and it was swim's best shower ever!
Swim is thinking of tripping again, so the essence of the mushroom can show him the way. He is currently taking 1mg of Klonopin every night, a benzo, which will dull the effects of any psychadelic unless one has a tolerance to it. Swim has a tolerance to benzos, and 1mg of Klonopin doesn't really affect him, but keeps his panic disorder/anxiety level at a maintainable state.
Swim's question is this: If he decides to take mushrooms again, and starts to have a bad trip, will taking a larger than normal dose of Klonopin bring him down? Swim understands how shrooms work, and is very knowledgeable about their effects, how long they last, what dose equals what level of trip, etc. Swim would concentrate on positive things and meditate days before the trip.
Given all this, does anyone know the answer to swim's question about the effect of benzos on mushrooms? He wants to be able to have a wonderful trip, but at the same time knowing that if it goes bad, he has a plan (this in turn will allow the trip to go much smoother, assuming he doesn't take a large dose, which he will not.)
Thanks in advance everyone!

[klonopinz]

Swim's unlicensed and not liable twin wrote and burned:

Probably not; if swiy has tolerance it will just call down the high if you are a bit paranoid, and help with nausea. If Swiy doesn't, swiy will probably fall asleep 30-45min afterward with just 1mg. I have done some (3mg to come down) and no negative effects have been noticed.

Again, Swim twin brother said are not from a doc and this shouldn't be considered medical advice.

[insidiousvertigo]

the mix of klonopin and mushrooms is not dangerous, but swim would take around 3mg or more to calm down a bad trip. hopefully he won't have a bad trip though, and he will only be thinking positive thoughts before going into the realm of the mushroom .

[Burnt]

Ride it out bad trips can usually teach you something if you don't try and wash it away with downers.

[opioshroom]

The post above has alot of truth to it but if it comes to the point where the trip is absolutely uncomfortable and intense feelings of fear, death, paranoia etc wash over you a supplement of a benzodiazepine is advisable. Perferably a mild benzo such as diazepam, oxezapam or librium to provide a sense of calm. I imagine a stronger benzo such as alprazolam or clonazepam etc might all together put a damper on the remaining trip.

[nate81]

Something to consider is that some people are known to act out irrationally under Benzo's. Alcohol + mushrooms is considered the "suicide combo" (those deaths in england related to mushrooms ALL involved alcohol) and Benzo's affect similar neurotransmitters.

[opioshroom]

Nate81 makes a decent point, but when examined further one has to understand benzodiazepines do act on GABA receptors in the brain although not in the exact same manner. A closer pharmaceutical equivalent to alcohol would be along the lines of barbituates... When benzodiazepines are taken in excess a subject may experience retrograde amnesia remenisent of alcohol, i.e. blacking out and proceeding to act completely and utterly irrational. When taken at a medicinal dosage one could only expect sedative, antioxylic, antiemetic effects from the benzodiazepine therefore calming any overwhelming panic, paranoia, nausea etc.

My 2 cents

peace

[insidiousvertigo]

Okay, so SWIM might be getting shrooms tomorrow, an 1/8, but he won't take it all at once. He has clonazepam, and his main concern here is a bad trip. He knows that if he keeps thinking like that, he might have a bad trip, so he will fill his head with happy thoughts and music beforehand. SWIM doesn't care if clonazepam dampens the trip, as long as it will make stop having a panic attack or anxiety attack. Will it do this for him (get rid of his anxiety and panic) even if it dampens the trip? Thanks in advance.

[Coconut]

Originally Posted by insidiousvertigo

SWIM doesn't care if clonazepam dampens the trip, as long as it will make stop having a panic attack or anxiety attack. Will it do this for him (get rid of his anxiety and panic) even if it dampens the trip? Thanks in advance.

It should relieve anxiety during a bad trip. However, It is important not to completely panic and inadvertently take too much of the clonazepam.

My tree says that a bad trip is unlikely if one goes into it with an optimistic mindset, but this is just from his personal experience.

[sliek0722]

Swim wants to try shrooms for the first time but is afraid he might have a bad trip. is combining xanax with shrooms ok? will the sedation stop the bad trip and allow swim to relax and enjoy hallucinations?

[Gradient]

sliek0722,

Depending on the chosen dose of mushrooms, a full dose of alprazolam will indeed sedate one to the point of being able to fall asleep. This is not a dangerous combination regarding receptor interaction.

However, this should not be the default coping mechanism for a bad trip. I've watched individuals experiencing a 'bad trip', after ingesting a particularly potent ayahuasca brew that was never thrown back up, come out of a bad trip quite quickly when they were exposed to positively-associated stimuli that demanded their attention in whole. For example, changing the ambiance of one's atmosphere with a particularly emotive song or musical genre, or changing light levels, or merely positively-oriented conversation (quite effective, in fact) have all drawn close friends from a spiral of negative ideation about their lives to highly abstract and objectively-introspective states. Oftentimes, after such emotional transitions, I've observed individuals completely forget their prior depression. Don't discount the ability of set-and-setting to modulate one's sensory activity altered by the compound of choice, and the ability for such changes to affect one's mood - many individuals feel that the effects of tryptamines (which characterize the psychoactive compounds in psilocybe mushrooms) are particularly sensitive to one's environment. That's up for debate, however.

If such methods fail, benzodiazepines are a safe alternative to end an experience that one decides must end. Therefore, there is no cause for anxiety regarding an inability to resolve a bad trip. Given rational doses - you are in control, not the compound.

-G