Posted by pinksharkmark (64.32.80.176) on May 02, 2001 at 12:57:58:
In Reply to: You're Safe Tim M posted by Flash on May 02, 2001 at 04:06:34:
Actually, all traces of psilocybin and its metabolites are gone from the system in less than twenty-four hours.
The reason for the "five day" belief is that taking consecutive doses of psilocybin less than three to five days or so apart is futile... the second dose will not work at all, or will yield almost negligible effects. At first glance it seems logical to presume that the reason this is so is that there may still be some lingering traces of psilocybin or its metabolites in the system that prevent getting high again until they have flushed out completely.
This turns out not to be the case. The reason it is necessary to take a "break" between doses is that there is a subtle short-term alteration of the way the synapses handle neurotransmitter uptake. It takes a few days for the synapses to return to their standard operating mode.
It is sort of similar to what happens after an orgasm, at least for males. There are no drugs involved, yet the nerve endings need a period of time to recover before they can go nuts again.
pinky