Let’s just get this out of the way: You don’t need to worry about a shroom overdose. You are more likely to get struck by lightning while talking on your mobile phone than experience toxic effects from a mushroom overdose.
Shrooms are more than a recreational drug to get high. Magic mushrooms are known to break down the limits of your consciousness. In addition, modern research is also putting the spotlight on the many physical and mental benefits of psilocybin use.
If you’re still worried about can you overdose on shrooms, here’s some information to put your mind at ease:
- Psilocybin mushrooms are not toxic. Calls for emergency medical help after ingesting shrooms happen due to mushroom misidentification, mold growing on the dried mushrooms, or other toxic mushrooms mislabeled as psilocybin.
- Magic mushrooms are not addictive. Unlike heroin, tobacco, and alcohol. Psilocybin does not create a dependency cycle in your brain or body. Regularly ingesting shrooms will reduce its effectiveness. You will not have physical withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking magic mushrooms.
- Negative physical side effects while taking shrooms more often happen if you mix them with alcohol, weed, SSRIs, or other medications.
It’s also important to learn that there’s a difference between a drug overdose, and the experiences you have when you take a heroic dose of psychedelics, or have a bad trip. Keep reading and we’ll take a look at what these mean.
If you’re still wary about can you OD on shrooms, put your fears to rest with microdosing. Quantities of dried mushrooms that are less than 1/10 of a normal dose are enough to gain the benefits of shrooms without the psychedelic journey.
The Truth About Shroom Overdose
First, let’s consider what the term “overdose” means. In medical terms, an overdose occurs with the intentional or unintentional ingestion of a drug that is greater than its recommended dose.
An overdose occurs when you ingest enough of a substance to represent a pathological level of drug toxicity which overwhelms the normal functioning of your system.
Can you overdose on mushrooms? By the true definition of the word, no. To overdose on enough shrooms to reach a toxic level, you need to ingest a huge amount of mushrooms – probably more than your stomach can physically handle.
The term overdose is often misused to refer to adverse reactions to drugs. Some even label any psilocybin psychedelic experience a mushroom overdose. Know that journeying with mushrooms is not an overdose in itself. Even a bad trip is not necessarily the result of taking too much psilocybin.
Typically, 0.25mg for every kilo of body weight is the recommended dose of a psychedelic journey with magic mushrooms.
Any dose of psilocybin mushrooms greater than the recommended is a “heroic dose.”
The Heroic Dose
A heroic dose of magic mushrooms has been described by the big names of psychedelics as an incredibly spiritual, life altering, experience.
Paul Stamets, Terrence McKenna, Ram Dass, and others have been open about their experiences with psychedelics and their benefits.
Heroic doses of psilocybin are 5 grams or more – but no more than 7 grams. And with any psychedelic journey, it is highly recommended that you surround yourself in a comfortable environment and with people you trust if you journey in a group.
On a heroic dose, you may experience ego-dissolution. Your logical mind simply falls away and you may not even be able to describe your experience after the effects of the hallucinogens wear off.
High doses of shrooms can alter your perception of reality for hours. If you are in any way not mentally prepared for this, it can lead to confusion and anxiety.
But if you educated yourself, set your intentions for your journey, and made sure you set your physical and internal space properly, the heroic dose can be a magical ride into the mysteries of consciousness.
Does Overdose on Mushrooms Cause Bad Trips?
Bad trips can happen on magic mushrooms. And quite honestly, they can be extremely challenging. Your logical mind may not be able to cope with the visuals and reality breakthroughs you may experience while on your journey.
Know that these bad trips are not caused by a shroom overdose. Even meditation can cause some people to have negative experiences. But these are normal and are part of the process of self-healing.
In the case of meditation, most people have the expectation that meditation is a relaxing practice. But it can bring up past memories and trauma as your system opens up. Without proper support of a trained teacher from a lineage of yoga or meditation that understands this process, meditation can be triggering.
In the same way, psychedelic journeys are not all about pretty visuals and feeling blissed out. Any spiritual experience will eventually make you confront some shadows which may have been brushed aside or buried.
But if you trust the lessons that the mushrooms have to show you, and equip yourself with supportive people and totems during your journey, then even challenging, so-called “bad trips” can be enlightening processes.
Shrooms vs. Mushroom Overdose
To be clear, we are talking about psilocybin mushrooms. If you ask, can you OD on mushrooms, the answer is different. There are many toxic mushrooms which can be ingested and cause serious health issues. Still, very rarely are toxic mushrooms lethal.
Amanita mushrooms, with their distinctive red caps with white spots, are also magic mushrooms. Some amanita species are psychoactive while others are not, and others are deadly poisonous.
If you forage for mushrooms on your own, be 100% sure of your identification skills. And if you purchase shrooms, ensure that they are indeed magic mushrooms.
Conclusion
The definitive answer to: can you overdose on mushrooms?
No.
But you can have more intense journeys when you take heroic doses.
You can also experience bad trips which can be difficult to experience and learn from after the journey ends. (Which can be helped with appropriate support and trust.)
But you will not reach pathological levels of toxins from psilocybin mushrooms to be considered a shroom overdose in either of those situations.
What you do have to watch out for is mixing magic mushrooms with other substances which can have erratic effects on your brain, body, and perception.
If the experience of journeying on a heroic dose sounds too intense for you, we recommend microdosing. This way, you can still take the power of your health and well-being into your own hands, without worrying about taking too much psilocybin for your body weight.
Click on apply for microdosing and we’ll connect you to our trusted third-party suppliers of psilocybin microdose capsules. We’ll guide you through each step of the process to understand the best dosage for you and your personal journey and how magic mushrooms can help.