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autumn leaves
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Registered: 09/20/23
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I think it is helping my son 4
#28572732 - 12/07/23 11:53 AM (1 month, 21 days ago) |
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Hello, my young adult son has struggled with depression and anxiety since he was 13. We don't know why and nothing has helped. He has had multiple hospital stays, we tried TMS, ketamine, ECT, multiple medications. I have heard about psychedelic mushrooms helping for quite a few years now but 1. We were afraid 2. We had no idea how to go about it
One day, I discovered you could grow them on your own. Over the past couple years I have halfheartedly tried with grow bags and such. I had no luck. My sister started growing them for herself and told me how to start
I actually got some mushrooms. So far. We have given him three doses. We started low because I was afraid of going too high. He hasn't had a psychedelic experience yet, even at 8 g. But each time he feels a little bit more. He doesn't like the experience and he hates sitting there feeling weird for hours but I think it's helping
It has been a gradual change but Today, he is actually Happy. He woke up and asked about dinner, offered to cook us dinner, went to the store, bought the food, plans changed to him cooking us lunch, he cooked us lunch. All within an hour of him waking up. That is unprecedented.
I can't think of any other reason except that the mushrooms are changing something in his brain.
He is on psychiatric medications so I think it makes it hard to dose him correctly. And there is no way at this point, that we would taper him off.
I guess I'm reading to ask if anybody has any words of wisdom. I guess I should try 10 g next time
At the same time, I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight because I'm afraid to wake up and find that he is back to feeling bad
And thank you to this site, it has helped
Thank you for reading
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Psil-y-nat-y
Don't listen 2 me

Registered: 04/24/23
Posts: 158
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I'm glad that you guys got to have a good day. Those are the moments to look for.
Brace yourself for when he feels down again tho because he will and I think that is normal. The mushrooms won't cure him, what they can do is help him figure out why. Why does he feel the way he does?
When you say that he has felt depressed and anxious since age 13, I know you say you don't know why but what if u had to guess?
It may be impossible for you to know so if u truly don't then don't beat yourself up about it.
If I were him tho I would want to know. And maybe that is only a question he is able to ask himself.
I made great progress when I started asking myself "why am I the way I am?" But the answers didn't come to me while I was on shrooms. They came months later as my mind became "unblocked" and I was able to recall certain memories.
I'm not saying ur son is hiding anything from u. Sometimes our minds can hide things from ourselves.
But I wonder what changed from age 12 to age 13?
What medication is he on? Certain medications will definitely interfere with the mushrooms ability to work and only a doctor could give u guidance there because online we could only guess and all our advice could end up being wrong and causing more pain
I'm personally very anti psych medication because I feel that it robbed me of my brains natural way of dealing with things. However some medical conditions definitely do better with psych meds (bipolar and schizophrenia etc) But when I was young my brain was still developing and I must have seen over 15 different psychiatrists, each one had their own plan, each one prescribed different things. The worst was the anti psychotics...for anxiety...nonono.. I digress. It upsets me to think how the adults in my life just trusted doctors like that. I was a child so I would go along with it.
You say he had ECT done? Is that electro convulsive therapy? What age did he have that done to him?
I wish we knew more about ur son. How old he is, what medications he is on, what drugs if any he takes recreationally? Has he ever struggled with a certain substance in particular?
Either way I hope ur son finds relief. When we love someone we are sometimes willing to do anything and everything to help them, and along the way we inevitably make multiple wrong choices without meaning to.
I know my mother regrets the "help" she got me as a teen.
At least you are willing to let him try shrooms. I think u are on the right path
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autumn leaves
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Registered: 09/20/23
Posts: 87
Last seen: 4 hours, 45 minutes
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Thank you. You sound very insightful and calm .This is helpful. Maybe that is what we are seeing, that he has opened up some parts of his brain that were closed off.
I am so sorry for your history. Some psychiatrist out there really do just keep throwing medication at it. One thing I have learned is that the psychiatric world is very hard to navigate when things don't work for you. We found some relief by seeing a naturopath who diagnosed him with tick born diseases and prescribed low dose naltrexone which calmed some brain inflammation so that was a start
When I say we don't know why, there is no one factor. He started high school and went downhill. He has ADHD and slow processing which wasn't diagnosed early because he's very smart and skated through elementary school. We live in a highly competitive town with a pretty large high school. I think he was overwhelmed with the high school experience and struggled making deep caring friendships. He had some really good friends up until 6th grade. And as young people will often, do, they freak out and try to figure out who they are. I know he felt abandoned. Eighth grade was a really good year, he had some really good friends and they did a lot together and it kind of fell apart in 9th grade.
I didn't realize the mushroom experience only helped heal. I thought it fixed connections in the brain so I will definitely keep that in mind.
We can't risk taking him off his medications because they do keep the suicidal ideation at bay. And we are terrified of going back there. And then how to even work with his doctor while we are experimenting with mushrooms is a whole other story
I think my next step is to try to find somebody skilled in integration
Thank you for listening and chiming in. There's almost nowhere besides here to get this information
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autumn leaves
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Registered: 09/20/23
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Re: I think it is helping my son [Re: Psil-y-nat-y] 1
#28573912 - 12/08/23 06:18 AM (1 month, 20 days ago) |
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Oops sorry, I didn't answer all your questions. I have ADHD too and don't follow through a lot đ
He is 21 and currently on fetzima, abilify and concerta. He takes trazodone to sleep at night
He has no history of drinking or drugs of any type. I know that because he tells us everything and he has been mostly home. No going out and partying and his friends through high school are not that type of person.
ECT is shock therapy. He spent a few months at McLean Belmont after a failed suicide attempt and that was our last option at that point. It didn't help and that is the one thing we do regret. But at that point we really had no option so the guilt isn't really strong.
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Psil-y-nat-y
Don't listen 2 me

Registered: 04/24/23
Posts: 158
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I am not a trained professional so maybe I shouldn't even give advice.
But I also got depressed and anxious around the age of 13. I had my reasons. They were unknown to me at the time.
I regret all those medications they put me on. It made me always tired. I slept most of the day. I was never allowed to "feel" my emotions as they were meant to be felt. There was no processing good days or processing bad days. It all just felt the same. Gross and miserable and exhausting. And my brain was still trying to grow!
I self harmed a lot and kept trying to kill myself. I stayed in many psychiatric hospitals. I didn't know why I wanted to die, I just didn't want to feel the way I felt anymore. I was liked by people and had friends in high-school but I felt so awful and anxious and sad.
At least 4 times that I tried to kill myself I really fucked up. My reality really ended and things went dark. Yet somehow I would always end up waking up in a hospital. I regret all those foolish times so badly, but I guess I was just a "young kid" but so so foolish with the gift of life.
I managed to get off all psychiatric medications at the age of 23. (Anti depressant, anti anxiety, anti psychotic)
It was easier for me because I had become homeless. My parents were exhausted and i blamed them for a lot of things. I was 'living' under a small bush on an abandoned commercial property (lol)
I met a lot of people along the way. Looking back I am so grateful for group therapy. It didn't help me in the moment but group therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy helped equip me with the tools I needed to "fix" my own thoughts later on. All the psych meds ever did was freeze my emotions. Freeze the good, freeze the bad. Just left me as a confused shell of a person.
I hope your son can taper off all those meds (good luck talking to his psychiatrists about that lol..) and that he can be in group therapy and also individual therapy. AND while using shrooms in the safety of ur guys home.
And hopefully then he can find his own reasons that make life worth living.
Thanks for listening to my life story lol. I really hope that your family finds peace for everyone's sake. It's been many years of worry I'm sure
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damngoodcoffee
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Registered: 04/24/21
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Last seen: 1 month, 15 days
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Hello. First of all, I must say that there may be interactions with typical medications for depression and shrooms, I understand that there may be a risk of serotonin syndrome, but someone more knowledgeable in the field can probably provide more insight on this.
After pointing out the above, I find reassuring the effect you've noticed in your son regarding his symptoms and mushroom consumption, from my perspective as someone who has experienced depression and noticed substantial and sustained improvements with shrooms. The doses you mention seem high, and his lack of significant effects could clearly be due to his medication. It would probably be interesting to have an intervention in conjunction with a doctor knowledgeable in the field who can recommend some kind of protocol to reduce the risks of interactions with mushroom consumption.
I don't entirely agree with you or him alone searching for a 'why' or a cause. There may be one, perhaps not even on a psychological level (like a traumatic event or situation); a simple change in habits can make any mind susceptible to falling into depression, and it's difficult to get out of it. The 'why' should be examined over a reasonable period and with appropriate support, but deeply rooted symptoms of mayor depression don't simple improve solely by rationally understanding (or thinking that you understand) what may or may not have caused their state, there may be lots of reasons. In my view, it is prioritary to find improvements in his situation and quality of life: through medication, mushrooms, evidence-based therapy and gradual introduction of healthy habits.
I understand that shrooms are very hopeful and I think it's great. I just want to emphasize that it's important for everyone to understand that overcoming depression is a lengthy process. It's crucial to support him without pressuring him to achieve specific short-term results, taking necessary precautions regarding his medication, and respecting the opinions of experts for the sake of his health.
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autumn leaves
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I am so sorry you went through that but very happy you've come out the other side
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autumn leaves
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Thank you. And actually, I can't remember her name, but there is a doctor out there knowledgeable in psychedelics and psychiatric medicines. There isn't really a risk of serotonin syndrome because they attach to different receptors.
She said mostly the biggest problem is needing to double a shroom dose to get any effects. Serotonin syndrome was the main reason why I didn't push it earlier.
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autumn leaves
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Registered: 09/20/23
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We don't push. Right now. We are so happy that he is acting like the person we always knew was under there. He dropped out of college again but this time, he has a good plan ahead of him and until that takes off, he's going to a job interview at a local grocery store. A place he swore he would never ever work at ever again.
Whatever these mushrooms did, they knocked down some walls in his brain and we have seen happiness in him. Something we haven't seen in a really really long time
I just read last night that Massachusetts is going to have a ballot question next year on whether they should legalize psychedelic mushrooms. Hopefully now that they have cannabis legalized, people will be less freaked out and vote it in
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Psil-y-nat-y
Don't listen 2 me

Registered: 04/24/23
Posts: 158
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I thought long and hard about this and I recommend you cease your mushroom adventures immediately. DO NOT give him 10g of shrooms. DO NOT up his dose. DO NOT try to "break through"
You said he is on Fetzima, Abilify and concerta.
You are going to risk harming your son or possibly killing him via serotonin syndrome
If you google your sons medications starting with "Fetzima" you will see the warnings for serotonin syndrome.
First result from Bing search engine;
"Fetzima is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant (SNRI) used to treat major depressive disorder. It can cause serious side effects such as serotonin syndrome, suicidal thoughts, and glaucoma."
I thought about you and your son all day while at work and it really affected me. I wrote a whole reply and then deleted it because well...its been a long day and maybe there are better ways to word things. Instead I will try tell a story that maybe will make sense considering you have managed to grow your own mushrooms.
On this forum you see a lot of new posts under the cultivation section. In some of these posts you will see a person that has finally gottten their first real looking pin set. They are so excited and nervous. They dont want to mess it up. But they dont know what to expect because everything is new to them. The mushroom starts to do SOMETHING. They arent sure of what exactly because they have no clue. They read all about what could possibly be going wrong and what can they do to help it. Maybe they think its too dry. So they mist it. but in 3 hours nothing has changed and now they think its too wet, so they use a cloth to dry it a bit or they fan it. and 1 hour later nothing has changed. Then they read that they shouldn't be fanning it anymore. But what happens is they try so many things to correct the course that is is on without understanding that their actions are killing it. They end up loving their shrooms to death.
Edited by Psil-y-nat-y (12/09/23 01:27 AM)
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Psil-y-nat-y
Don't listen 2 me

Registered: 04/24/23
Posts: 158
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You say that you know he felt abandoned? May I ask why?
You also made it sound like perhaps this whole mushroom experimentation isnt even on his doctors radar? Please abort experimenting with shrooms for the time being.
You also mention "we" a lot but would it be wrong for me to assume that perhaps it is just the 2 of you?
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autumn leaves
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Registered: 09/20/23
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Last seen: 4 hours, 45 minutes
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Thank you for your concern. But you do not need to give us any more thought. We should not be affecting your day. We are not just two people. We are many and doing much research.
If you look beyond a simple google search for serotonin syndrome, you will find that the psychiatric drugs and the psilocybin hit different receptors and there is not serotonin syndrome in the mix. I cannot remember her name but there is a doctor who gives a really well thought out, in depth, talk on psilocybin with mentioning psychiatric drugs and how they interact and work. She actually says what they have found is most people on psychiatric drugs need to double a starting dose. But not to start there. Start slowly. We are not killing him. And I know there are segments of the population out there that absolutely hate the psychiatric drugs and we are not in that segment. They have actually saved our son and kept him alive.
I hope you continue your healing. We are doing just fine here.
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LyleChipperson


Registered: 09/29/23
Posts: 61
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You may want to look up how to contact dr Gabor Mate or his daughter Hannah Mate, or his staff. He is based in Canada, but since he is involved with some psychedelic approaches to treating phychological issues, it's likely that he will be able to share contact information of medical professionals in the US who are more experienced with this and may provide you with some professional guidance.
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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Quote:
Psil-y-nat-y said: I am not a trained professional so maybe I shouldn't even give advice.
But I also got depressed and anxious around the age of 13. I had my reasons. They were unknown to me at the time.
I regret all those medications they put me on. It made me always tired. I slept most of the day. I was never allowed to "feel" my emotions as they were meant to be felt. There was no processing good days or processing bad days. It all just felt the same. Gross and miserable and exhausting. And my brain was still trying to grow!
I self harmed a lot and kept trying to kill myself. I stayed in many psychiatric hospitals. I didn't know why I wanted to die, I just didn't want to feel the way I felt anymore. I was liked by people and had friends in high-school but I felt so awful and anxious and sad.
At least 4 times that I tried to kill myself I really fucked up. My reality really ended and things went dark. Yet somehow I would always end up waking up in a hospital. I regret all those foolish times so badly, but I guess I was just a "young kid" but so so foolish with the gift of life.
I managed to get off all psychiatric medications at the age of 23. (Anti depressant, anti anxiety, anti psychotic)
It was easier for me because I had become homeless. My parents were exhausted and i blamed them for a lot of things. I was 'living' under a small bush on an abandoned commercial property (lol)
I met a lot of people along the way. Looking back I am so grateful for group therapy. It didn't help me in the moment but group therapy along with cognitive behavioral therapy helped equip me with the tools I needed to "fix" my own thoughts later on. All the psych meds ever did was freeze my emotions. Freeze the good, freeze the bad. Just left me as a confused shell of a person.
I hope your son can taper off all those meds (good luck talking to his psychiatrists about that lol..) and that he can be in group therapy and also individual therapy. AND while using shrooms in the safety of ur guys home.
And hopefully then he can find his own reasons that make life worth living.
Thanks for listening to my life story lol. I really hope that your family finds peace for everyone's sake. It's been many years of worry I'm sure
Some of the best advice is from nonprofessionals
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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Quote:
LyleChipperson said: You may want to look up how to contact dr Gabor Mate or his daughter Hannah Mate, or his staff. He is based in Canada, but since he is involved with some psychedelic approaches to treating phychological issues, it's likely that he will be able to share contact information of medical professionals in the US who are more experienced with this and may provide you with some professional guidance.
My favorite professional Dr. Gabor Mate is a pioneer
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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Quote:
autumn leaves said: Oops sorry, I didn't answer all your questions. I have ADHD too and don't follow through a lot đ
He is 21 and currently on fetzima, abilify and concerta. He takes trazodone to sleep at night
He has no history of drinking or drugs of any type. I know that because he tells us everything and he has been mostly home. No going out and partying and his friends through high school are not that type of person.
ECT is shock therapy. He spent a few months at McLean Belmont after a failed suicide attempt and that was our last option at that point. It didn't help and that is the one thing we do regret. But at that point we really had no option so the guilt isn't really strong.
You probably saved his life You are obviously a good parent. Wish we had more parents who tried.
How was the ketamine?
I hope someone who also takes similar medications replies tp this post. It'll be good to get real feedback.
I commend you for trying things outside the box. I wish more people would.
If 8g is having a slight affect... I'm curious if using it like a microdose would be in affective and need to wait a week and try 9g.
Im just thinking outloud or text lol
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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What part of the world are you in? Looking up alternative psychedelic therapies might be beneficial. I wish I had more experience with it. Im still learning myself about assisted therapies. I love the results Ive learned so far
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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There are some smart people on here, extremely intelligent . Maybe post in a different forum. Try a few different forums.
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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loladoreen


Registered: 05/25/20
Posts: 5,335
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What type of shrooms are you cultivating? Potency matters also There are other psychedelics available also I really hope the right people connect with y There are some intellectuals on here who can help Good luck Im following so I also gain some knowledge
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âOne doesnât have to operate with great malice to do great harm. The absence of empathy and understanding are sufficient.â
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