Psilocybin, also more widely known as magic mushrooms, is a psychedelic compound that is produced by a wide range of mushroom species. The more than 200 species of mushrooms that are responsible for the production of psilocybin are collectively known on the streets to recreational drug users as magic mushrooms. These psychedelic hallucinogens produce mind-altering effects when they are consumed.

For more information about psilocybin and its effects, call 800-411-9312 (Who Answers?) .

Magic Mushrooms

How do you spot a magic mushroom? The distinct characteristics that make a mushroom psychedelic often don’t visibly differ much from those mushrooms that are potentially poisonous. Many people who take mushrooms in an effort to produce euphoric or hallucinogenic effects mistakenly eat the wrong mushrooms and find themselves intensely ill as a result of being poisoned.

Mushrooms have been used for centuries throughout Spain and Algeria by tribes and in spiritual divinatory ceremonies. The use of psilocybin has continued throughout history in Mexican ceremonies as well as through the 1960s when hallucinogenic drugs were widely popular throughout the United States. Today, many teens and young adults search for magic mushrooms in an effort to produce the hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects that result from the consumption of psilocybin.

Psilocybin can be found in hundreds of species of mushrooms. Psilocybin-containing mushroom species are typically dark-spored fungus that grow in tropical and sub-tropical environments. Found in meadows and in the woods, these mushrooms primarily grow in areas ridden with plant debris and composite breakdowns.

Are Magic Mushrooms Addictive?

Generally, most hallucinogenic drugs are not widely considered addictive however there is some risk for tolerance if a particular hallucinogen is taken repeatedly or successively for a prolonged period of time. Mushrooms containing psilocybin are not generally addictive but taking them repeatedly may lead to an increased tolerance which will require the user to take more of the psilocybin containing fungus in order to produce the same effects over time.

Most of the time, people who use psilocybin will gradually decide that it’s time to stop such use and will no longer choose to take the hallucinogenic drug. However, there is always a risk for a psychological dependence to occur. As a result, those who take magic mushrooms for a prolonged period of time may find that life isn’t fun or happy or interesting without the drug. While this is not necessarily an addiction, it can lead to continued drug use even when such use is no longer openly accepted.

Psilocybin Effects

Psilocybin use can cause a bad trip.

Like other types of hallucinogenic drugs, psilocybin can produce a wide range of euphoric and psychedelic effects. Psilocybin can produce euphoria, hallucinations and a distorted sense of time for the user. It is very common for those under the influence of magic mushrooms to act erratically and irrationally. Behavior may include odd reactions to normal events, distinct outbursts and panic attacks.

The effects of magic mushrooms cannot always be foreseen until the drug has already been taken. Unfortunately, as with most hallucinogenic drugs, the effects of magic mushrooms are unreliable and unpredictable. Some users will experience a spiritual or otherwise enlightening high while others may experience a “bad” trip that could cause them to suffer from extreme paranoia, anxiety, depression or schizophrenic like outbursts and chaos.

Psilocybin effects are mostly short lived. The drug tends to wear off within a few hours and there are no known serious side-effects for the user. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that taking magic mushrooms to get high is safe or openly accepted. There is a risk of toxicity and harmful potential may come from using these mushrooms despite the lack of long-term side effects following the drug use.

Dangers of Psilocybin

Toxicity is a potential danger when magic mushrooms are consumed. While the lethal dose is relatively high, about 1.5 times higher than that of caffeine, psilocybin can be deadly if enough mushrooms containing the drug are consumed. It would take a very, very large dose of mushrooms to cause a lethal outcome, approximately 37 pounds or more for a 160 pound person. While the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances does assign a high therapeutic index number of 641 to psilocybin which denotes a relatively safe profile for the drug, this does not mean that magic mushrooms are safe; it simply means that taking a lethal dose is difficult to do.

Hospital admission has occurred when users take mushrooms with other drugs or when they suffer from adverse reactions to the drug. Most of the time, hospitalization resulting from magic mushroom use is the result of a user having a “bad trip” or major panic attack while under the influence of the drug. Such an occurrence can lead to self-injury, suicide or other cases of acute psychosis which result in behavioral episodes that pose serious risk to the user or to others.

If you need help with magic mushroom abuse, call our toll-free number at 800-411-9312 (Who Answers?) .