Are psychedelics and bipolar disorder unsafe?

[Dabidoe]

Is it safe for those with bipolar disorder to try psychedelics? I had a relatively small amount of mushrooms on an empty stomach and seemed to have a manic burst followed by a dark paranoid/depressive crash (that very quickly ended after a BM) a decade ago and haven't tried since. 

Anyone have any information on this subject?

[Pudgey]

My family has a history of mental health - including bipolar disorder, depression, and suicide. I have all of these symptoms and have been able to control myself mentally during psychedelic trips. You have to be very conscious of how psychedelics are affecting you mentally and if it appears to not be improving, take a break and move on to another psychedelic at a small dose. You just have to be very selective and mentally prepared. Take small doses, scale up safely, and ensure you are mentally comfortable and of course, not taking medication with certain psychedelics. 

[Thought Art]

I don’t know. You could try small dose and see. Do some more research.

[LSD-Rumi]

@Dabidoe You can have some mood stabilizers ready one you.

Don't do psychedelics if you are on lithium, it is very dangerous.

[OBEler]

just try it out. I know someone with fibromyalgie, ADHD; heavy depression, suicide thoughts, diagnosed psychosis, daily panic attacks, weekly migraine attack and social anxiety (not leaving home for month) who tried psychedelics many times during this dark phase, even high doses. It all went well, after two years of using heavy psychedelics (around 50-100 trips with all kind of drugs include 5 meo, ketamin, mdma) the one is almost healed from any of these issues.

 

I need to add the one was not on any pharmaceutical drugs like antidepressants and had high spiritual intelligence. Also all trips were with a trip sitter (me). So security was always there

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by OBEler

[Federico del pueblo]

@Dabidoe I would say it's not very safe generally, but if all safety measures are taken it could work for healing purposes.

Your condition can (temporarily) worsen after an experience if you haven't been able to handle it or couldn't adequately finish it (something left unresolved).

Interestingly though if this happens you should do another trip to resolve what stayed unresolved, but you might then be too scared.

And you better believe that if you have bipolar there's some really dark stuff in your unconscious mind.

At least don't do it without comprehensive research and adequate preparation. Don't just "pop" some lsd at a party to have fun. You probably won't.

Read Stanislav Grof's lsd psychotherapy.

If you plan to do e.g. lsd then be prepared for the most negative stuff of your psyche to show up, because your mind wants it to be healed.

If you do plan to it then of course you must assume it's gonna go well. Still I'd advise you to have an experienced sitter you can calm you down. You'll feel horrible emotions but if you allow them to be however they are you can overcome and release them. What lsd does is it makes the emotions that are otherwise stuck and rigid, fluid and releasable, shit comes up and can be puked out so to speak (sometimes literally).

Probably the most important piece of advise is this: go with the flow. Don't try to alter the experience with your will power, you will get dominated if you try that. The trip will dictate what the trip is like.

So if you're suddenly shit scared and thinking "fuck, I'm gonna go insane, I'm gonna be psychotic forever" then accept that this is how you feel. Be like "so shall it be...ok, I'll go insane, it is what it is, I chose this and here we go".

With this type of acceptance and indifference you'll least likely get traumatised if things don't go well.

Obviously your intention shouldn't be fun but serious healing, you typically won't have fun with that kind of condition on psychedelics.

Also "therapy with substance" is said to be a great read, might wanna check it out.

Cheers.

Edited July 8, 2023 by Federico del pueblo

[enzyme]

Different substances effect different people in their own, unique way.  It's worth giving it a few tries in low doses.  If it's really not doing it for you then at least you can say you gave it a chance.

[Giulio Bevilacqua]

I think that the low dosage has both positive and negative effects. The positive is that u can taste what the substance is about and how it affects you but on the other side it will amplify the inner issues without having the necessary force to clear it and break it. 
After experimented with low I would go for a good dosage. 
People stop at low because they see it’s a “bad”experience but they don’t know what lies behind the full experience.

 

[Yimpa]

I’ve done ketamine infusions despite a couple *professionals being skeptical about me doing it. 

I have 0 regrets.

Your results may vary. 

*professions theorizing, heh. 

Edited July 11, 2023 by Yimpa