Magic mushrooms, also known as shrooms, are fungi packed with the psychoactive compound psilocybin.

In the brain, psilocybin transforms into psilocin and activates specific serotonin receptors. This disrupts your brain’s usual chatter, leading to a trippy mix of altered reality, heightened senses, and profound shifts in thought and emotion.

But sometimes, with too high of a dose, shrooms can lead to extremely unpleasant and psychologically traumatic experiences, known as a “bad trip” or overdose.

Although rare, a shroom overdose can happen and typically lasts around 6-8 hours, sometimes longer. In severe cases, a shroom overdose could lead to self-harm due to erratic behavior and intense psychological distress.

Overdose symptoms include:

• Anxiety, panic attacks
• Vomiting, diarrhea
• Agitation, paranoia
• Psychosis, delusional thinking
• Intense and frightening hallucinations
• High blood pressure
• Sweating and chills
• Muscle weakness and lack of coordination
• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness

Psilocybin mushrooms have a relatively low toxicity – the Global Drug Survey found that only 0.2% of over 12,000 users required emergency medical treatment after using psilocybin. This is 5x lower than other psychedelic substances like MDMA or LSD.

Deaths from magic mushrooms are extremely rare and often happen from misidentifying mushrooms that are actually poisonous.

If you think you or someone you’re with is experiencing a shrooms overdose, it’s essential to stay calm and take the proper steps.

Call emergency services right away if there are severe overdose symptoms present, like seizures, psychosis, loss of consciousness, or extreme panic/agitation that could lead to self-harm.

If symptoms are not severe enough to call 911, here are some ways you can make a shroom trip less intense:

1. Reduce stimulation – lower the lights, reduce any noises, and create a comfortable space.

2. Hydrate – Drink water slowly to keep yourself hydrated.

3. Focus on breathing – practice deep, slow breathing to help ground yourself.

4. Talk to a trusted person – share your feelings with a sober friend who can offer reassurance.

5. Do not induce vomiting –  unless instructed to by a medical professional, do not induce vomiting.

6. Physical comfort – wrap yourself in a blanket or lay on a couch or bed for physical support.

Always weigh out your dried shrooms to make sure you’re measuring an accurate dose:

• Microdose: 0.1g-0.5g – For subtle effects, often used to enhance creativity and mood without full-blown hallucinations.

• Low Dose: 1g-2g – Provides mild to moderate effects, suitable for beginners.

• Moderate Dose: 2g-3.5g – Delivers a stronger experience with noticeable hallucinations and altered perceptions.

• High Dose: 3.5g or more – Results in intense effects, recommended only for experienced users.

Typically, dried magic mushrooms contain around 1% psilocybin. This means 1g of dried shrooms equals about 10mg of psilocybin. Since different mushroom strains can have varying potencies, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the specific one you’re using.

If you’re new to shrooms, start with a low or microdose to gauge your reaction. If comfortable, you can gradually increase the dose in future sessions.

Shrooms generally aren’t considered addictive.

They don’t lead to physical dependence or compulsive use like other addictive substances do. Most users consume shrooms infrequently, often due to their intense and introspective nature.

Plus, there isn’t any evidence of physical withdrawal symptoms when stopping the use of magic mushrooms.

In some cases, psychological dependence may occur where your mind may crave the profound emotion or mystical experience produced by a shrooms trip.