Posted by pinksharkmark (196.3.74.236) on September 19, 2000 at 15:43:40:
In Reply to: Similar Situation posted by Q on September 19, 2000 at 14:27:50:
Although I have yet to try mushrooms for my cluster headaches (any day now, if it continues to rain here for a few more days) I have a tremendous amount of experience with them from my wild and crazy youth. I have mentioned before that I even went so far as to grow my own back in the late seventies.
Although the last time I took any was in 1978, I am sure things haven't changed a bit. Mushrooms are mushrooms.
Firstly, in my personal experience and that of all my friends, taking substantial doses of mushrooms every weekend for months at a time (even years, in the case of one of my more mystical friends) does not seem to reduce their effectiveness at all. I must disagree with those recreational users who claim otherwise. It is certainly true, however, that taking them closer together than three days or so is a complete waste of time and mushrooms.
Secondly, even if it WERE the case that repeated HIGH doses result in decreasing psychedelic effectiveness, it does not necessarily follow that the same would be true of the sub-hallucinogenic doses used to treat cluster headaches.
Thirdly, you are absolutely correct in your assertion that the next dose MUST be larger. I had recommended to Graham that he increase his next dose by fifty per cent. If it was me, I would double the dose, but I am not a neophyte, and have no fear whatsoever of any mild psychoactive effects that may result.
Fourthly, I feel that any extraction process is unecessary, inefficient, and very possibly counterproductive. While it is true that neither p. cubensis (Texas shrooms) nor p. semilanceata (Liberty Caps) will ever win any gourmet awards, they don't taste THAT terrible. My advice would be to dice the mushrooms, mix them with chocolate syrup or honey or marmalade to kill the taste, and just spoon them down. Chase it down with a glass of milk or orange juice, or whatever, and sit back and wait.
Q, I do feel that it was a mistake to brew up your mushrooms with coffee. Caffeine is itself psychoactive (to a much lesser degree, of course) and may have had some deleterious effect on the psilocybin in your tea.
Fifthly, you are absolutely correct that it is virtually impossible to overdose on mushrooms. You would have to consume several dozen pounds of them at a sitting to even come close. My friends and I once split an entire pound between three of us, trying to duplicate the mystical experiences described by Carlos Castaneda in his books. We got ridiculously high, but were one hundred per cent normal twelve hours later. Not even any intestinal distress. Also, sadly, no lasting mystical insights.
I must repeat that this was over twenty years ago. When I get my hands on some mushrooms of my own, I intend to start with approximately double the amount that you and Graham tried, but only because I want it to work the first time, not because I am looking for a high. Although I have no particular fear of a few mild psychedelic effects, I have no particular desire for them either. I outgrew that urge decades ago, and if it weren't for these damnable headaches, I would have happily spent the rest of my life without even THINKING of psilocybin.
I thank you once again for sharing your experiments with us, and look forward anxiously to your next report.
pinky