Psilocybin - Treatment for Habitual Users
Treatment for Habitual Users
Psilocybin is not habit-forming, but frequent users develop a tolerance to its effects. Tolerance is when a user needs more and more of the drug to achieve the same result. This tolerance will decrease over time, so most users space their use of psilocybin so that they will not become tolerant to its effects.
Long-term use of psilocybin can cause mental and physical changes related to serotonin levels in the brain and body. These can include mood swings, tremors, digestive problems, and eventually, seizures and coma. As with other hallucinogens, the longer the period of use, the more difficult normal life becomes when the drug is discontinued.
Abusers of hallucinogens can find help with groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, where they can meet and talk with other recovering drug abusers. Narcotics Anonymous is an international nonprofit organization with a telephone hotline, regular meetings in most cities and towns across the United States, and a "buddy system" that teams new members with older members who have been successful at beating addiction. Recovering drug users are encouraged to end friendships and change lifestyle habits that led to the drug use. With a non-addictive substance such as psilocybin, this transition can be made fairly easily.
Emergency Visits
Most of the hospital emergency room visits related to psilocybin use involve panic attacks brought on by hallucinationsVisions or other perceptions of things that are not really present. or distortions in thinking. There is no known antidote to psilocybin, so hospital staff will typically try to calm the patient down with medications such as sedatives. They will also try to reassure the patient that the hallucinations will wear off and things will return to normal. The symptoms usually go away within six hours.
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