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A man made tea from “magic mushrooms” and injected the mixture into his veins; several days later, he found himself in the emergency room with the fungus growing in his blood.
The man spent 22 days in hospital, including eight in the intensive care unit (ICU), where he received treatment for multisystem organ failure. Now released, he is still being treated with a long-term regimen of antibiotics and antifungals, according to a description of the case published Jan. 11 in the Journal of the Consultation-Liaison Academy of Psychiatry.
The case did not disclose whether the injection mushroom tea can cause persistent psychoactive effects, as sometimes seen when people ingest the mushroom orally, the doctors wrote in the report. For example, in rare cases, people may develop a condition called Hallucinogen-Induced Persistent Perception Disorder (HPPD), where they experience vivid flashbacks of their journey long after the fact, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The case “underscores the need for continued public education regarding the dangers of using this drug and other drugs, other than those prescribed,” the doctors wrote.
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By injecting fungi into his bloodstream, the 30-year-old hoped to ease symptoms of bipolar disorder and opioid addiction, according to the report. Family members noted that he had recently stopped adhering to his prescribed bipolar medications and that he was “cycling between depressive and manic states.”
The man found reports online describing the potential therapeutic effects of hallucinogens, such as LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, which prompted him to boil the mushrooms in “mushroom tea”. He strained the tea by pulling it through a “cotton swab” before injecting it into his body. Over the next few days, he became lethargic and nauseous, and his skin began to turn yellow. He quickly developed diarrhea and began to vomit blood.
His family found him and took him to the emergency room, noting that he also looked very confused. Doctors noted that he could not participate in a meaningful interview due to his altered mental state. Several organs, including the liver and kidneys, began to fail and the man was transferred to the ICU. His blood tested positive for a bacterial infection by the microbe Brevibacillus and a fungal infection of Psilocybe cubensis – which means that the magic mushroom he had injected was now growing in his blood.
In addition to antibiotics and antifungals, the man had to be put on a ventilator after suffering acute respiratory failure, where fluid collects in the air sacs of the lungs. Fortunately, the patient survived this ordeal and was later discharged from the hospital.
Research suggests that psilocybin may be a promising treatment for the Depression, anxiety and drug addiction, the authors noted – but only if taken safely. In most research studies, scientists give the drug in pill form, but in a few cases, doctors have given psilocybin by intravenous injection, according to a 2018 report published in the journal. Neuropharmacology. But these injections are administered in tightly controlled doses and under medical supervision, and they do not contain any fungus; the psilocybin compound on its own is not alive and cannot grow in the body.
When used recreationally, magic mushrooms are typically made into tea, eaten raw or dried, crushed into a powder, and placed in capsules or coated with chocolate – they are not injected directly into the bloodstream. Fungi cause trips that alter the mind by interacting with certain receptors in the brain; more specifically, psilocybin is broken down into psilocin, a substance that acts like the brain chemical serotonin, which plays a role in mood and perception.
But a bad trip can trigger anxiety, fear, and confusion, as well as high blood pressure, vomiting, headaches, and stomach cramps. Previously reported Live Science. Magic mushrooms carry an additional risk because they look like certain species of poisonous mushrooms, so people sometimes eat the wrong type by mistake.
Several US cities have decriminalized psilocybin, and in November 2020, Oregon decided to legalize its use as a therapeutic drug, CNBC reported. At present, psilocybin is still classified as a “Schedule I substance” under federal law, which means the drug has no accepted medical use in the United States and has a “High potential for abuse”. However, current research suggests that this potential for abuse has historically been overestimated and is actually quite low, according to the Neuropharmacology 2018 report.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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