Posted by pinksharkmark (196.3.74.236) on October 10, 2000 at 13:11:32:
In Reply to: You very well may be right posted by Ted on October 10, 2000 at 12:06:13:
I have no explanation, but I can make some guesses:
I agree with Q. I feel he may be on to something when he says that underdosing with the first treatment may be worse than doing a heftier shot the first time out. It could be that the first experience needs to be sufficiently "weird" to give the hypothalamus a real shock, so it resets itself completely right away. If the first dose is insufficient, a second dose taken soon after, even if it is stronger, may lose some of that shock value because the brain has had a little foretaste of what is coming, and compensates for it.
It may be, Ted, that by doing "a lot" of recreational doses in a relatively short time span your brain became accustomed to the experience, and adjusted itself accordingly.
We all know what a wiley creature the beast can be. I have read countless stories on this board of medications that worked one cycle and never again, or medications that worked for years and then lost their effectiveness, only to work again several years later, or medications that worked at low doses for years and then needed to be increased, or even (in one of Elaine's posts) DECREASED in order to regain their effectiveness.
The hallucinogens work in a radically different manner than any of the other standard preventatives (with the possible exception of Sansert, which is a close chemical cousin of LSD) such as verapamil or the beta blockers or Topamax or Lithium. How do I know that? Because they are the only preventatives we know of so far that will stop a cycle (or prevent one from starting) with a SINGLE dose. Thus their mechanism of operation MUST be different from the others.
I have presented my theory of why they work in previous posts. It jibes with what researchers elsewhere have theorized, but I will admit that I (and they) may be wrong. However, knowing the link between serotonin imbalance and CH, and knowing the chemical structure of serotonin and psilocin, I have a very strong gut feel that this theory is correct.
It is a well-documented fact that even chronic "acid-heads" and "shroom-trippers" who once loved to take the stuff at every opportunity eventually get bored with it and quit. The experience that once seemed so cosmic and endlessly fascinating eventually becomes mundane, even boring. Why is that? Perhaps because the brain gets used to it.
Most of those who do stop, stop for good. That is to say that they never take it again in their life. I suspect that if these ex-trippers were to give it a holiday for a few years, then try it again, they would find it just as fascinating as it was in "the old days".
So... what's my point here, and how does it relate to your experience?
I think that there is a strong possibility that you were consuming mushrooms on a regular enough basis that there was no longer any "shock value". Your brain (and the beast) had been able, after many repetitive experiences, to compensate for the disruptive effects of the psilocybin.
My prediction is that if you haven't taken any hallucinogens for quite a while (several years, say) they will probably be as effective at stopping your next cycle as they were for Stavi, Q, Graham, Flash, CHgoJack, Kenn, Annie, BillyS, Greg (Monique's husband), and others.
I may be wrong. But I suspect I am not.
If you haven't yet checked out the link below, I suggest you do so now. It was provided by Dr. Ethan Russo, the reseracher that is in the process of applying for permission and funding for a clinical research project into the effects of psilocybin on clusterheads and migraineurs.
pinky