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Discussion => Drug safety => Topic started by: smogmonster13 on March 19, 2013, 01:40 pm

Title: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: smogmonster13 on March 19, 2013, 01:40 pm
Hey, All:

Has anyone had experience taking LSD with an SSRI?

I know that MDMA will be thoroughly dampened by SSRIs. Since they agonize the same receptor, I thought that SSRIs may inhibit the ability to trip.

Any known safety implications of combining the two? Thanks as always for your information.

Smog
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: Sensei on March 19, 2013, 02:10 pm
I have never been on SSRI's personally but I've read tons of posts on other forums of people on SSRI's and trying to take psychedelics like shrooms and LSD and they always say that the trip's are mild or doesn't happen at all. I think even on the wikipedia page of "SSRI" they speak about how psychedelics are basically ineffective while on SSRI's. Once again I've never personally been on them but the one thing that everyone always gives as advice on this topic is if you want the full experience you should stop taking them at least a week before tripping.
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: smogmonster13 on March 20, 2013, 11:39 am
Thanks again, Sensei. I don't like the answer, but thanks for providing it.
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: DiamondSky on March 20, 2013, 05:24 pm
I think the real question is why in the world would any thinking human being willingly take a pill that is barely more effective than a sugar pill at treating mental disorders and comes with a list of real side effects that no one in their right mind would want to sign up for?

If you actually have depression (or any of the hundred other issues for which SSRI's are prescribed) a 100% more effective treatment is to get up and go for a walk. If you want to feel even better hit up the gym. Need even more? Eat healthy food. People get stuck on this idea that they need these pills and sadly the longer you take them the more you need them because stopping becomes a huge burden on your system that can create real mental trauma.

Plus, if you add any of the above treatment programs to your life you can enjoy them all a little more with any number of drugs for which there are hardly any interactions or side effects!

All right, off my soapbox now.
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: moonflower on March 20, 2013, 06:12 pm
I think the real question is why in the world would any thinking human being willingly take a pill that is barely more effective than a sugar pill at treating mental disorders and comes with a list of real side effects that no one in their right mind would want to sign up for?

If you actually have depression (or any of the hundred other issues for which SSRI's are prescribed) a 100% more effective treatment is to get up and go for a walk. If you want to feel even better hit up the gym. Need even more? Eat healthy food. People get stuck on this idea that they need these pills and sadly the longer you take them the more you need them because stopping becomes a huge burden on your system that can create real mental trauma.

Plus, if you add any of the above treatment programs to your life you can enjoy them all a little more with any number of drugs for which there are hardly any interactions or side effects!

All right, off my soapbox now.
i agree 100%. ironically, antidepressants are the last thing i would take for depression. i have no need to anesthetize my emotions.
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: smogmonster13 on March 20, 2013, 10:49 pm
I appreciate the advice. I really do. And I agree with you.

Unfortunately, I have a friend who wants to trip with me who takes an SSRI. So, I'm looking for some information about interactions. It sounds like Sensei has heard that it is difficult to impossible to feel the effects of LSD when one is taking an SSRI.

Has anybody been able to make this happen? Are there known safety issues with combining? Thanks for your help. If not, I'm ready to walk into the center for some healthy food.  ;)
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: moonflower on March 20, 2013, 11:37 pm
I appreciate the advice. I really do. And I agree with you.

Unfortunately, I have a friend who wants to trip with me who takes an SSRI. So, I'm looking for some information about interactions. It sounds like Sensei has heard that it is difficult to impossible to feel the effects of LSD when one is taking an SSRI.

Has anybody been able to make this happen? Are there known safety issues with combining? Thanks for your help. If not, I'm ready to walk into the center for some healthy food.  ;)
hate to say it but it's really a waste to even attempt to trip while on an ssri. your friend would get mild effects, if anything, but it wouldn't be an actual trip. antidepressants and psychedelics just do not mix, period.
Title: Re: LSD & Antidepressants (SSRIs)
Post by: Ben on March 21, 2013, 02:40 am
Well, some people do experience benefit from SSRI's. These are typically cases of moderate to severe depression, for which these medications were developed and have been proven more effective than placebo.

The problem is that they are prescribed off label to an enormous degree: For indications like mild depression, but also things like panic disorder or generalized anxiety, and there is little to no evidence they are actually useful to people suffering from these conditions. I suppose the promise that they are not habit forming has something to do with this, but you often see cases where the patient would have been far better off taking a benzodiazepine (in case of anxiety or panic) compared to a course of SSRI's.

This yields several problems: they treatment as such is placebo and no more effective than actual placebo, yet the side effects are very real. Inability to trip from mdma or lsd would typically not be considered a serious side effect, but it goes well beyond that. SSRIs cause problems ranging from general apathy to sexual dysfunction very often - think of half of the patients if not more.

This can be a trade off that is worth taking when you are suffering from serious depression resulting in a miserable life and possibly suicide, but when the alternative is some treatable anxiety or minor depression i think it should often be reconsidered.

The problem with SSRI's is not that they do not work at all, the problem is that they are prescribed for a very broad spectrum of mental health issues for which they do not work, with the patients gaining no benefit yet suffering the side effects.