Posted by pinksharkmark (196.3.74.236) on October 09, 2000 at 12:04:40:
In Reply to: Shroom treatment posted by August on October 05, 2000 at 11:53:57:
I am so glad to hear that you got some immediate relief from the first dose, especially that you were able to get some sleep.
As Flash says, we still don't know much about dosage levels for long-term chronics. You are only the third long-term chronic we have a report from.
While episodics seem to experience immediate and complete cessation of all pain for months at a time with a single borderline dose, I never expected it would be as easy as that for long-term chronics.
Q decided to wait awhile before dosing again, and if I interpret his latest posts correctly, he seems to be satisfied with the marked improvement resulting from his single low dose, though he is not yet completely pain free.
Graham decided to take a second, slightly larger dose a week after the first one, yet despite substantial improvement he is still not completely pain free either, at least, not as of his last post.
Pain management specialists say that it is important to "break the pain pathway" before it has a chance to get well-established. In the case of a long-term chronic clusterhead, that "pathway" is probably more like an eight-lane freeway. I suspect major demolition is required.
Flash said that he used a full "recreational" dose the first time, then reduced the amount each time until he reached his current maintenance level of roughly one-quarter of a standard recreational dose.
Although there is not yet enough data to reach a firm conclusion, my intuition tells me that some long-term chronics may require a full "recreational" dose to break the back of the beast. (Or to blow up the highway... choose whichever metaphor seems best)
Flash is correct that eating mushrooms is different than drinking beer. Once you pass a certain level, there is a QUALITATIVE change in the experience, not just a QUANTITATIVE change, as there is with alcohol. It may be that in the case of some long-term chronics, it is necessary to reach that second stage in order to deliver a sharp enough shock to the system to reset the brain's regulatory mechanisms and end the cycle.
I can't pretend to know what is best for you to do. I can only tell you what I would do as the next step, if I were in your situation. I would wait the necessary four or five days so that the next dose will be effective. Then I would take a full-on recreational dose, maybe two ounces.
Please note that mushrooms are typically around 90 % water, and that the above figure refers to fresh mushrooms that have not had a chance to dry out. Completely dry mushrooms, i.e. those that will crumble to dust if ground in a mortar and pestle, are roughly ten times as potent by weight as freshly picked mushrooms, so the dosage MUST be adjusted accordingly. The standard recreational dose of BONE-DRY mushrooms is generally accepted as being around 5 grams, or about a sixth of an ounce. Interestingly enough, body weight of the consumer doesn't seem to matter in the case of psychoactive substances.
Would I recommend this dose to a first-time user? No, but then I am an experienced mushroom consumer. Even though my last experience was over twenty years ago, I'm sure I wouldn't be bothered by seeing the patterns on my rug change.
August, thanks a million for sharing your experiences with us. I am as happy as a pig in shit that your first attempt produced some positive results. You have a much tougher row to hoe than most of us do, and it's about time you got a break.
**Jumps into the air and does a "high-five" with an imaginary August**
pinky