Magic mushrooms and similar drugs like LSD, MDMA, ketamine, and DMT are getting more attention as people all over the country speak up for them and new research shows they might be helpful for medical treatments. Doctors are studying how these drugs, especially psilocybin, can change the brain in a positive way.
This could be a new way to treat diseases that are really hard to treat right now. Early studies show good results and people have been using psilocybin for a long time without big problems. But we still don’t know for sure what using it for a long time does to us.
In the 1970s, these drugs became illegal, so scientists couldn’t study them much. But now, doctors are saying they could help people and research is starting up again.
This article talks about how people use magic mushrooms, what might happen if you use them a lot, the possible bad effects, and how to use them safely. As more places make these drugs legal and available, learning about this new treatment can help you know more and have better conversations with your doctor.
- What is Psilocybin
- Uses of Psilocybin
- Side Effects of Psilocybin
- Long-Term Effects of Psilocybin
- How to Use Psilocybin Safely
- Some FAQs
- How does psilocybin affect the brain?
- What are the long-term effects of hallucinogens?
- Does psilocybin affect serotonin levels?
- Does psilocybin make you think better?
- What does psilocybin do to dopamine?
What is Psilocybin
Psilocybin is the stuff in magic mushrooms that makes people’s minds change in strange ways. When you eat these mushrooms, your body changes psilocybin into something called psilocin, which is natural. This psilocin goes into your blood and goes to your brain. It opens up new paths in your brain and makes you think differently.
Even though the government says psilocybin is a drug with no good uses and is dangerous, some scientists are saying that’s not true and are trying to prove it wrong.
Uses of Psilocybin
For thousands of years, people have been using psilocybe mushrooms in different ways. In the past, many folks used them for spiritual or religious reasons. In the 20th century, especially in the United States, they were often taken for fun and to have strange experiences in the mind.
These experiences can make you see and hear things that aren’t really there, and time might feel weird. Depending on how much you take and the kind of mushroom, these experiences can be full of colorful sights, strong happiness, and deep feelings that give you new thoughts and ideas.
In science, experts in the brain and mind are looking into how psilocybin can help fix problems in the brain. It’s like psilocybin can open new paths in the brain that aren’t normally used. They think that the same things that make people have strange experiences can also help change how people think and act, especially when used with other kinds of therapy.
Right now, scientists are doing tests to see if psilocybin and other similar drugs can help with problems like feeling very sad, doing things over and over, drinking too much alcohol, epilepsy (a brain problem), and illnesses like schizophrenia (when people see and hear things that aren’t real).
They’re interested because the usual treatments for these problems don’t always work well or can have bad side effects.
Using psilocybin in therapy might help lower the chances of bad physical effects and becoming addicted to drugs. It could also give patients special experiences that feel very meaningful.
Fancy brain pictures also show that drugs like psilocybin can make the brain more flexible and open to change. This is often connected to having deep thoughts and being creative. Doctors hope they can use this special state to help people learn new ways to act and feel better.
Side Effects of Psilocybin
When you take something into your body, it can sometimes cause unwanted effects. How much you take, your past experiences with similar things, and how your body works all play a role in how you react to psilocybin and how strong any bad effects might be.
The most common bad effects are your heart beating faster and your pupils (the dark part in your eyes) getting bigger. Some people might feel like throwing up, actually throw up, or have diarrhea. This happens more when you take a lot.
Psilocybin can also give you a headache, make you breathe faster, raise your body temperature, give you the chills, make you sweat, make your face red, and make your body shake. These things are usually not dangerous and go away after a few hours, around six hours usually.
The thing most people worry about is having a “bad trip.” This happens when you get really scared and stressed because you’re seeing and feeling things differently. “Bad trips” often happen to people who take psilocybin in places that are new or not safe. When you’re stressed during a bad trip, your heart beats even faster, and you might feel like things are really wrong.
The trip itself won’t hurt you, but you might do things that are risky or not safe because of what you’re seeing and feeling. This could hurt you or other people.
It’s only safe to eat mushrooms that you get from places you can trust. Some kinds of mushrooms can make you really sick or even kill you.
Long-Term Effects of Psilocybin
The people who decide on rules about medicine have given permission to scientists to do more tests with psilocybin. This helps us learn more about what happens when you use it for a long time. Even though we are still learning, early studies and stories from people give us an idea of what might happen when you use these kinds of drugs.
Tests that look at how psilocybin can be used for therapy have shown that it might change your personality for a long time. It could make you more open, creative, and able to think about big ideas. Scientists think this is why psilocybin seems to help with problems like drinking too much and doing things over and over again.
When scientists look deep into the brain with special pictures, they can see new pathways that appear because of psilocybin. We need more tests over a long time to know if these changes stay forever, but some scientists think they might.
One big problem with using psilocybin for a long time is that you might start seeing things that aren’t real and get confused about what’s real and what’s not. We need more research to know how much and how often you need to use it for this to happen, but it’s like having memories of things you saw while using the drug.
How to Use Psilocybin Safely
To avoid having a scary experience, it’s important to use psilocybin in a place where you feel safe and relaxed. It’s also a good idea to have someone with you who is not using the drug – they can help bring you back to reality if things start feeling weird.
The absolute safest way to use psilocybin is in a special place with trained people watching over you. Right now, this is not very common because psilocybin is still not allowed in most places.
Some FAQs
How does psilocybin affect the brain?
When you eat psilocybin, your body turns it into something called psilocin. This goes to your brain through your blood. Psilocin connects with special parts in your brain, kind of like how serotonin (something your brain naturally makes) works.
This makes your brain connect in new ways by removing barriers between its parts. It also makes blood flow slower in one part of your brain and makes you feel really happy.
What are the long-term effects of hallucinogens?
Scientists are still figuring out what happens when people use psilocybin for a long time. But from what they know now, using it might change your personality and make you more creative and open.
The biggest worry is something called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder. This is when you keep seeing things that aren’t real even after the psilocybin is gone from your body. They need to do more research to know how many people get this and how bad it can be, but it could last for weeks or months.
Does psilocybin affect serotonin levels?
Psilocybin works kind of like serotonin, which is something in your brain that affects how you feel. Scientists think psilocybin does similar things to serotonin. They also believe that psilocybin makes new connections in the brain, and this might help the real serotonin work better.
Does psilocybin make you think better?
When scientists used psilocybin to help with sadness, they noticed that people’s thinking got better. They think this happens because psilocybin makes the brain more open to change.
Scientists are trying to figure out if this is a direct effect of psilocybin or if it happens because psilocybin makes people less sad. The early results are so interesting that they’re still looking into whether psilocybin could help with memory and thinking problems.
What does psilocybin do to dopamine?
Dopamine is a thing in your brain that makes you feel good. It’s also linked to your mood, memory, focus, and how you move. Psilocybin doesn’t work directly with dopamine, but scientists think it might make more dopamine available, so you might feel even better.
Check Out : Psilocybin Long-Term Effects- | Meaning | Use |- NYC Urgent Care: What drugs should not be taken with benzonatate?
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