I feel like a bit of a dick asking this, but having had a pretty serious brain injury a little over 6 years ago; am i at any higher risk of developing something nasty or doing more damage to myself by taking DMT, MJ or any entheogen than somebody else? I'm not really looking for advice but I'm curious as to whether there is any information/statistics or SERIOUS warnings that i should consider.

First of all, there's no need whatsoever for you to feel like a dick for this. It's very nice to see people with a cautious and respectful attitude towards entheogens; these are powerful substances. Not knowing the type of brain injury you suffered, I can't tell you whether or not you will be adversely effected by psychoactive plants and the like. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS LEGITIMATE ADVICE, but personally, I would be surprised if ayahuasca, dmt, cannabis, and potentially mushrooms would have negative effects, but again not knowing your situation I can't say. I'll ask a few people I know and see if I can't find an article or two.

I'd be more worried about cannabis than DMT/mushrooms etc.

But that's only because I feel that cannabis has a longer effect with feelings of slight degradation. DMT and such just seems to change the chemical balance for a short while with little in the way of negative physical effects.

Id say, if your GP is an openminded doc, you should be able to ask him/her for his/her advise.

I'd say you'll probably never know for sure, I don't think your doctor will know, we don't really know what happens under normal circumstances.... I would say it will only add to the risk:reward ratio and I believe thats what you deal with all drugs, including probably some of the medications you were given, they didn't really know what effect they would have on your damaged brain... you won't know until you try it and that's just the reality of the situation, I would say maybe the naturally occurring indole molecules like dmt, bufo, and 5-meo would probably be safe because you have to figure those molecules are probably already present in your system and your body still knows how to deal with them despite damage... now the effects of the substance, thats' a different story, again, you'll never really know... and I couldn't tell you how risky it is.

yea, exactly...After turning down my offer to make him ayahuasca, a friend of mine who had been suffering what he believed to be repercussions from heavy acid use years ago went to his GP and guess what? She recommended him to the local santo daime works...needless to say, his mind state has much improved.

the brain injury was swelling from a motorbike crash with a loose fitting helmet. the impact was at the back of my head and i had to learn to walk again and to talk properly. sorry bout the short reply gotta dash it to work.

My opinion is: Do what you feel. If you think it will harm you, then don't do any drug at all.

id check with a doctor no matter what you "feel"..dont expect them to be open to it though.

I agree with what soulfood said..I would be the most worrie about cannabis..I think cannabis fucks up your head when you use it frequently for extended periods..but thats just me.

Cannabis makes you burned out and tired all the time when used constantly..and peopel tend to become addicted slaves to the stuff..to me that is a sure sign that some sort of change is happening on a biochemical level..I know people will disagree with me but I have seen it over and over again.

Dr. Rick Strassman was cautious about giving DMT to volunteers who had higher-than-average blood pressure or a rapid heart beat. If your injury has affected either of those things (blood pressure, heart rate), then I suggest staying away from DMT and cannabis. Otherwise, there's no reason you would have any issues with DMT aside from the ones we all face.

But even then, you have to take into account, that he was injecting dmt. It might be a different story with vaporized spice. I also don't see a reason not to vape and I also don't think a doctor can help with this.

Thanks for the detailed replies. when i see a doctor next i might ask if i think it feels ok to ask. but im not really worried, as people have said i base long term negatives on how i feel about a substance. I reckon im fine, not worried at all was just a little curious.

I think there is a risk. I basically believe that many psychedelic drugs have a health effect of wich whether it's positive or negative depends on how you respond to it.

Let me say that the state of mind created by all drugs is some form of distortion of brain functions.
DMT as well as most other psychedelic drugs, temporarily diminishes some brainfunctions so your reaction speed, memory, etc will be temporarily diminished to some extend.

I believe that in most people there is some sort of 'rebounce' effect, a quick recovery from this, that basically has a positive effect, many people feel as 'afterglow'. Physical exercise also leads to a sort of recovery reaction of the damage done to your body by intense physical strain, and this is why exercise is healthy for most people.

If somehow your ability to recover is diminished, then i think you should avoid these things. I believe that this is why some people get psychotic or depressed from the use of psychedelic's: their system doesn't have the power to recover from the temporary shut-down.

If your brain needs all it's energy to rewire itself, wich can last for many years, than i think you should not put extra strains on it's regenerative powers.

The "rebound" or "coming down" effect is solely due to the breakdown of the substance in your bloodstream and in your serotonin receptor sites. When the psychedelic substance begins to break down, you feel like you are returning to reality and slowly(LSD) or quickly(DMT) lose the effects of the drug. The brain does not go through any physical repairs.

I can see how polytrip can feel as if his brain is going through repairs, but there is no piece of scientific evidence to support that.

Ever wonder why humans on spice can communicate more fluidly and introspectively than they ever have been able to in their entire life?
Also, why does spice FEEL SO GOOD?
Also, why do people seem to work out so much of their problems in hyperspatial trance?
Obviously the spice is working wonders on our central nervous systems...no doubt about it. I can't wait until science can explain WHY.
Until then, we have feelings. Follow them...

Indeed there is no proof for this proposition, but besides a subjective feeling there are two other things:1- due to receptor downregulation, during a DMT or LSD trip, your serotonin recoptor sites diminishes temporarily, 2-some people (probably as a result of genetic predisposition) don't fully recover from psychedelic states and devellop schizofrenia or more often, a depressive disorder.. and the common neurological feature of both disorders is a strongly diminished serotonergic activity.

Based on my subjective experiences as i described, i believe there is a connection between those two facts.

The first point is true, but can be directly measured through Tolerance. Dr. Strassman's tolerance studies showed that DMT does not produce tolerance. Other psychedelics do, but specifically addressing the DMT question, it does not. So I see no problem in terms of serotonin receptors shutting down.

As for the second point, this is so rare, so incredibly uncommon, that I'd first put my money in the lottery. A more accurate statement would be that people with pre-existing or family history of psychotic disorders, as well as repressed traumatic memories sometimes have those disorders made worse, make an appearance, or remember the traumatic memory. You're right that genetics is one factor that contributes to those conditions. This, however, is separate from and unchanged after a brain injury.

Forgive me, but your opinion about the use of cannabis is mistaken. There have no studies backing your claim of its addictive qualities, in fact just the opposite. Also the fact that your brain as well as everyone else's contain cannabinoid receptors tells me that our brain rather enjoys those chemicals just fine.

There are far more dangerous things like alcohol that would 'fuck up your head' and body for that matter.

Your words are just wrong. Burned out? Tired all the time? I was that off or on the stuff.
What people 'tend to become slaves' to pot? You sound like some government propaganda machine on the retard setting.


Back to the OP question. Seek a doctor that will will say something other than 'drugs are bad mkay?' If that is the line you get, its time to find a new doctor. Beyond increased heart rate and hypertennsion, I would say if neither of those are a factor, smoke it and break through.

You can in fact smoke it with some pot and I promise you will not become a slave because of the pot, but if anything to your own choice to continue to smoke. There is ZERO physical addiction to pot. There is zero physical addiction to spice.

0+0=?

You do the math.

Pot does not make lazy losers. Pot makes already lazy losers high lazy losers.

In the words of bill hicks, "I could do anything I normally did on pot but pot made me realize it wasnt worth the fucking effort."

^^Just to add my 2 cents. I don't care what the studies claim...Cannabis can be an INCREDIBLY addicitve drug for some people. I have observed this addiction first hand, and it has highly detrimental effects on people. One of my friends from university actually has proper physical withdrawal from cannabis if he stops...shakes, temperature, vomiting...IT AIN'T PLACEBO!! And he's not the first person I've encountered this happens to. This might due to the strength of skunk these days...I'm not sure. But if you are constantly pressing receptor buttons through heavysmoking, there are bound to be some ramifications when you cease smoking.

I've said it before, regarding marijuana:

"A little warms the heart, too much warms the heart."

And just because we have cannabinoid receptors, does not in any way, shape or form, make cannabis completely safe...these receptors are there for our own endogenous cannabinoids. Strong cannabis can and does cause people mental problems...it isn't a mere herb, it contains some powerful psychoactive chemicals.

And I am not pro alcohol by an stretch, and it certainly has detrimental effects on the body, but I think evidence is lacking that it causes any form of brain damage, unless one reaches end stage alcoholism, delerium tremens etc.

Years of smoking weed has done me NO good, it took alot of willpower to give it up, im not even sure as to what damage its done to my brain.

So many wasted years, such a pitty.