THE DXM ZINE
Issue 3. January 1998.
A Symposium of Articles Pertaining to DXM Use.
(c)1998 Jeff Sothen
Email at [email protected]
Please visit our IRC channel on EFnet at #Dxm.
Official Web Site at http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/zine.html.
Edited by Gravol, with article contributions by fellow DXMers.
Disclaimer: The authors of this zine do not condone the use of
Dextromethorphan in any way. This text is simply used as an informative
guide to issues relating to Dextromethorphan use and should be used
for entertainment purposes only. We are not responsible for any
actions taken by anyone reading this text.
CONTENTS
1 Letters to the Editor
2 Out-of-Body Experiences and DXM (by Gravol)
3 Brain Wave Stimulation and Inducing Paranormal Events (by William White,
Gravol)
4 DXM Addiction (by various authors)
5 A Day in the Life of DXM (by Ditran)
6 Nitrous Oxide and DXM (by Gravol)
7 How DXM Compares to Other Legal Highs (by Gravol)
8 DXM Nausea...And How to Prevent it (by various authors)
9 The Fifty-Trip Limit (by Anonymous)
10 Never Again (by various authors)
11 The Dangers of Redosing (by Anonymous)
12 Measuring DXM Powder (by RoboMatt, Ythan Burstein)
13 The Ouija Board and Other Supernatural Phenomenon (by Gravol, Amy Nagle)
14 Lilliputian Hallucinations and Other Uncanny Occurrences (by Anonymous)
15 DXM Hangovers...Avoiding and Alleviating (by William White)
16 The Writings of a Madman...DXM Writings (by various authors)
17 Info on Ordering Pure DXM Powder (from compiled information)
18 DXM Music and Movie Reviews (by Gravol)
19 Various DXM Sources (from the PDR for Non-Prescription Drugs)
20 Various DXM Internet Sites
21 Various Trip Reports (from Internet reports)
22 References
23 Credits/Zine Information
Listed below are a few letters received after the publication of the second
issue and the editor's response.
>From [email protected]:
I received one of your DXM zines (i think it was no.2). anyway I liked it
alot and I was wondering if I'll keep getting them or do i have to email
you for each one?
- Strychn351
>From the Editor:
Strychn351:
Once each consecutive issue is done, it will be posted at
http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/zine.html. You will receive an email from
me letting you know when the issue comes out, and again giving you the web
address of where you can reach it.
- Gravol
>From [email protected]:
Hi there...I got the first 'Zine and would like to congratulate you on a
job well done...very informative, I would appreciate it if I could get the
second installment, thank you :)
- Andrew Hussey
>From [email protected]:
Very nice zine, man!!! I was wondering if you can send me issue #1.
- Alejandro Galarraga
>From the Editor:
Alejandro:
For past issues, check out the webpage http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/
zine.html. For printed versions, send $2 to the address shown at the end of
this issue. Thanks!
- Gravol
>From [email protected]:
i would like to subscribe to the zine. a friend of mine sent it to me and i
thoroughly enjoyed it as a fellow dxm-er (or drix-er since we started with
drixorals). also, i have a fairly decent grasp on HTML and thought the zine
could easily be put up on a geocities site. this is something i would be
interested in doing.
- Chris Begeman
>From the Editor:
Chris:
Good idea on the web site. Currently, there are two other web sites
holding the zine as well. Please email me the actual web site again (I
regret that I lost the URL) and I will post it in future issues.
- Gravol
>From [email protected]:
Hey, I'd like a copy. Could you send me a copy of the first issue, too?
Also, are you the person who maintains the DXM Zine webpage? If so, why was
it taken down? Thanks.
- Greendrag
>From the Editor:
Greendrag:
I am not the person who maintains the webpage. Currently, there are three
webpages available. I think the one you are thinking of was the original one
which was accidentally taken down by its keeper. However, I am pleased to
report that the webpage is back up at its original URL. Also, if there is a
problem with any one webpage, there are two others which you may access. The
official site is http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/zine.html, however, look
under "Internet Sites" in each issue for other mirror pages.
- Gravol
>From [email protected]:
I have a couple of submissions for the zine... Interested?
- William White
>From the Editor:
Mr. White:
I am always interested in your submissions, and I hope you set an example
for all the other readers in contributing factual information and articles to
the zine. Thank you!
- Gravol
OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES AND DXM
by Gravol
Covering the topic of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) and astral projection
in just one article is horrendous, but I'd like to cover as much as possible
and eventually follow up in another issue with additional information.
First, the reason for such an article is obvious. Dissociatives induce
dissociative states, and DXM is definitely such a drug. You may wonder what
is so big about out-of-body experiences, but if you'd ever had one you
already know. Below I will cover most aspects of such experiences, and
explain why DXM can induce such states. With OBEs, you can explore worlds
that you never knew existed, talk to entities that are beyond belief, and
possibly change your whole life around. Just the topic of OBEs would cover
hundreds of issues of a zine itself, but the important thing here is the
fact that, as far as I'm concerned, DXM is the easiest way to induce out-of-
body travel. And because many people have reported these experiences while
on DXM, we might as well cover this amazing topic.
Many people have come to me saying they've had an out-of-body experience.
A lot of people define it as just the sensation of no longer being in their
physical body. Wrong. OBEs and astral projection is much more complicated
than that, and if you don't already realize this, then you obviously haven't
really had an OBE. Because traditional sources such as encyclopedias and
dictionaries don't have much information on OBEs, I am quoting sources off
the Internet, just as reliable, below.
As far as a definition goes, this is suitable: Astral Projection is the
art of projecting the conscious mind to the astral plane, where the normal
laws of physics do not apply. And where all kinds of wild and interesting
things can be experienced. In Astral Projection the conscious mind knows of
what occurs, but it is from a perspective that is very different from that
of ones physical body. Astral Projection is natural, and happens more often
"Out of the Blue" than realized. By oneself making Astral Projection a common
practice, one can live life more fully and effectively. Also it increases
awareness and you can make constant use of the mind influencing the body to
better health and controlling the body in special unaccustomed ways. To most
authors, astral projection and out-of-body experiences go hand-in-hand.
However, there are differences, and we will also cover those in this article.
If you are interested in such experiences, and excellent place to start
looking is Robert Bruce's Treatise on Astral Projection. Bruce states that
"the astral is the closest dimension to the physical. It overlays and
permeates the world like a huge mind net, catching and holding all thought.
Its contents are created by the collective consciousness of the world mind.
It contains all the thoughts, memories, fantasies, and dreams of every living
thing in the world. In it, the laws of sympathetic attraction, or like
attracts like, causes this ocean of mind stuff to strata and settle into
layers or pools. These pools of thought are more commonly called astral
planes, astral worlds, astral sub planes or astral realms."
Below I am quoting several aspects from Bruce's Treatise to try to give
you a broad overview of what Astral Projection includes:
- Dreams. This is how the subconscious mind creates dreams: By tuning into
the astral dimension during sleep, it can create any scenario it wishes. This
is the subconscious mind's way of solving problems and of communicating with
the conscious mind. It creates a series of complex thought form scenarios
and projects them into the mind stuff of the astral dimension, where they
become solid. The conscious mind then lives through and experiences these
created scenarios in the dream state. In a way its like a movie projector
(subconscious mind) projecting onto a movie screen (astral dimension).
- Thought forms. The generation of thought forms in the astral also works
in the reverse. If a physical object has been around for a very long time,
it will have grown a lasting thought form impression in the astral. After
the object is destroyed or removed, its thought form still endures. You may,
for example, in the astral, find furniture in your house you don't have,
jumbled up with your own. This is caused by the decaying thought forms of
old stuff, belonging to previous tenants etc, still being there, years after
the originals have gone.
- Vision. In the physical body we have 220 degrees of vision, i.e. we can
only see in front of us, but not behind, above and below at the same time.
In the Astral body we have MORE than 360 degrees of vision and can see on
all sides at once. This is Spherical vision. During projection, habit
forces us to focus our attention in one direction only, where we feel the
forward part of our vision is. The view behind, above, below, left and
right is still there, and seen all at once, but it can not be assimilated
by the brain, all at once. This goes against the brains lifelong habit of
frontal vision. Spherical vision is like being one huge multi faceted eye
that can see in all directions, up, down, left, right, front, back, but all
at once!
- Physical aspects. In the astral body you do not have any physical organs,
i.e., eyes. You are a non-physical point of consciousness floating in space.
You are also unaffected by gravity and other laws of physics. In this state
there are no ups or downs, backs or fronts, left or rights. It is only life-
long habit that tries to force this perspective on you during projection.
- Lucid dreaming. This is where a person becomes fully aware that they are
dreaming during a dream. They either take some kind of conscious control
over the course of events, or they convert the experience into an astral
projection. Lucid dreaming is more similar to an astral projection than
to an OOBE, as time and reality are distorted.
- Etheric matter. There have been scientific studies done on this phenomena.
Dying people in hospitals have had their beds placed on delicate scales
shortly before death and hooked up to EEG and ECG monitors. In all cases,
at the exact moment of death, a sudden weight loss of approximately one
quarter of an ounce is observed. This is caused by a large amount of
etheric matter being transferred into the astral body at the moment of
physical death. This is similar to the sudden transfer of etheric matter
into the astral body during a near death experience where the body believes
it is dying. This sudden, massive transfer of etheric matter is the start
of the death process.
- Seven levels. The commonly accepted names for the seven known levels of
existence, from lowest to highest, are: Physical, Astral, Mental, Buddhic,
Atmic, Anupadaka and Adi. These higher planes are similar in structure to
the astral dimension but at a much higher level of consciousness and are
completely separate from it. In between the different levels are intermediary
areas or buffer zones, sometimes called lower sub planes.
- Astral Dimension. This is a topsy turvy world like Alice found in Wonder-
land. Everything seems objective (real) but is changeable and fluid.
Anything and everything can be found there, from base, coarse levels full
of sexual energy; to beautiful, serene places full of spiritual harmony.
Time is distorted and extended there. An hour in the Astral can seem like
only a few minutes here in the physical. Compared to the physical world it
is at a much higher vibration. It's like playing a video tape at twenty
times normal speed, although this is not apparent when you are there.
- Akashic Records. These are found in the buffer zone between the astral
and mental worlds, part astral part mental and, in a way, extending into
all levels. They are a record of every thought and event that has ever
occurred, like a huge, infinite, mental history, picture book. The Akashic
records also contain probabilities stemming from, and created by, past
events, actions and thoughts. This is like looking into the future. To
make any kind of sense of the Akashic records yourself, some skill in
clairvoyance is a definite help.
- Death. When you leave your body for the final time, at death, this is
what I believe will happen: You will be projecting, in real time, for the
first few days, close to the physical world, until your supply of etheric
matter runs out. Then you will go through the second death and enter the
Astral dimension. There, you will purge yourself of all desire, by being
able to have anything you have ever wanted, in abundance. This is done
through having the full use of your subconscious mind's powerful creative
ability. Here you can saturate your every need and desire, until you see
these desires for the illusions they really are. You will then move up into
higher realms and dimensions.
What was discussed above was very basic information on those individual
topics. To get full explanations, read Robert Bruce's Treatise on Astral
Projection (the web address is at the end of the article).
To give you an example of what an experience may be like, below is quoted
from one woman's first OBE. Note that this is a real individual's account,
and I will include her web site at the end of this article.
I put my baby down for a nap and lay down to take a (hopefully) astral nap
myself. As D.J Conway suggests (author of "Flying without a Broom") I
surrounded myself with divine white light and prayed to connect with a
higher guide or teacher on the astral who would help me with a problem
I'd been having (frustration with my utterly domestic existence as it
restricted me time-wise from pursuing everything else I wanted to be doing).
I then began relaxing my body, beginning with the feet, ankles, etc...I made
it to the calves, and the next thing I knew I was at this church across the
road from my subdivision.
The following experience is rather personal (sexual) and I hope you won't
be offended by my sharing it in the interest of science. It was different
from a dream, as I was in some physical form but it was lighter and more
fluid than my physical body. I expected the experience to be the same as
waking reality, and was surprised. The most surprising aspect was that my
vision was not normal. (I hadn't yet read the chapter on vision in Peterson's
book). It was like I had this long tunnel I was looking down, and the things
at the end of the tunnel were clear, but everything around them was blurry.
There were other "presences" around the church, and they felt male. Next
I'm having what I can best describe as astral sex with one male, then a whole
group of them. (This was distinctly different from physical sex...it was
wholly an energy thing). I didn't resist at all, but rather, was completely
absorbed in the experience and it was fabulous. (My attitude regarding this
shocked me upon reflection. I began to wonder if there was an astral equival-
ent to AIDS and stds, and decided I'd better not think about it or they might
become real for me! :) ). At one point, the entities lifted me up by what
was like my wrists and ankles, and it was like I was made of some liquid
that is heavier than air but much lighter than flesh. Tere were definite
physical laws in effect, but they were different than what we normally deal
with.
I had the sudden thought, "Oh my God, I've left my baby napping and the
front door is unlocked! I have to get home!" I was not frightened or even
worried; it was almost a mock concern, a voice from physical reality creeping
in. Next thing I knew I was hopping/flying down the sidewalk toward my house.
While there was a lot snow here in reality at the time, it had melted in this
other dimension, and I thought that was odd. I was trying to hurry home, but
I hadn't quite gotten the hang of how to move about in this jello-like body,
so I was doing this little hop...flyflyfly...hop...flyflyfly maneuver (which
I had the thought would seem very comical to anyone who saw me). Next thing
I knew, I was back in my bed, but I still had no sensation of my body.
Then I thought I had opened my eyes and I sensed a presence in the
hallway. (I realized that my eyes weren't really open, however, because my
vision wasn't normal). My husband was on a return flight from Europe at the
time of this nap, and I thought, "Oh my goodness, he's home. But it's so
early!" Next thing I knew I was on my couch, making love again, but I could
only see bits of ceiling and the room as I try to swing that tunnel vision
toward the being I was with. His head was on my chest and I touched his
hair and thought, "It's G [my husband]." I felt like it was G, and therefore
felt fine making love to him, but then I had the thought that it was a
trick, and whoever it was was just making me think it was G so I'd make love
to him. (I wasn't really too concerned with who it was, but was happy to
think it was my husband).
But then the energy felt like G's, and next thing I knew I was on an airplane with my husband and we were both in astral and we were curled up together in this little corner. I prayed that he would land safely, and then I saw the plane coming down, though this was definitely in another dimension: the plane, the workers, the runway, etc...). I came back into my body, and just then my baby woke up. It took a while for me to feel like I was completely back in the physical.
This experience was incredible, but left me with many questions.
Probably the best reference for OBEs and Astral Projection on the Internet is the Out-of-Body FAQ. Below, I will be covering many aspects from this text, much like I did with the Treatise.
Note that the following information is quoted from the OBE FAQ:
- Explanations. Many people have argued that the OBE itself is some kind of dream and involves no double other than an imaginary one. However, an ordinary dream does not have those important features of the experient seeming to leave the body and being conscious of perceiving things as they occur. In this sense OBEs are better compared with lucid dreams, which are dreams in which the sleeper realizes, at the time, that he or she is dreaming. In such an experience, the sleeper may become perfectly conscious in the dream, which makes the experience very much like an OBE. The experience of seeing one's own double has been called 'autoscopy' or 'autoscopic hallucinations.' Here again the double is not the 'real' or conscious person. It is seen as another self, but the original self still appears the most real. In the OBE it is the 'other' which seems most alive. It has been argued that the OBE is an hallucination, and any other body or double is likewise hallucinatory. There are in fact many similarities between some kinds of hallucinations and OBEs. Among other experiences difficult to disentangle from OBEs are a variety of religious and transcendental experiences. People may feel that they have grown very large or very small, becoming one with the Universe or God. Everything is seen in a new perspective, and may seem 'real' for the very first time. It is difficult to draw a line between a religious experience and an OBE and any line one does draw may seem artificial or arbitrary.
- Animism. A school of thought has grown up within parapsychology, and around its fringes, which takes very seriously the idea of death being an OBE in which one did not succeed in getting back into one's body. Gauld refers to this school of thought as the 'animistic' school (anima = soul), 'animism' being the view that every human mind, whether in its before death or after death state 'is essentially and inseparably bound up with some kind of extended quasi-physical vehicle, which is not normally perceptible to the senses of human beings in their present life.' An argument which one commonly hears from members of the animistic school runs as follows: OBEs and near-death experiences are, so far as we can tell, universal. They have been reported from many different parts of the world and in many different historical eras. The experiences of the persons concerned therefore must reflect genuine features of the human constitution; for we cannot possibly suppose that they derive from a common stream of religious tradition or folk-belief -- the societies from which they have been reported are too widely separated in space and time for the common-origin idea to be a serious possibility.
- The Population and OBEs. Two surveys have used properly balanced samples drawn from specified populations. The first was conducted by Palmer and Dennis. They chose the inhabitants of Charlottesville, Virginia, a town of some 35,000 people and selected 1,000 of these as their sample. The question on OBEs was worded as follows: 'Have you ever had an experience in which you felt that "you" were located "outside of" or "away from" your physical body; that is the feeling that your consciousness, mind, or center of awareness was at a different place than your physical body? (If in doubt, please answer "no".)' To this 25% of students and 14% of the townspeople said 'yes.'
And now, what does the OBE FAQ say about drugs to induce Astral Projection? Below is an excerpt from the FAQ, but keep in mind that it was written most likely by a person who does not use drugs and almost certainly has never used DXM:
"There are some drugs which can undoubtedly help initiate an OBE. Hallucinogens have long been used in various cultures to induce states like OBEs, and in our own culture OBEs are sometimes an accidental product of a drug experience. In absence of any further information we might already be able to guess which are the sorts of drugs likely to have this effect. They might be those which physically relax the subject while leaving his consciousness clear and alert. Drugs which distort sensory input and disrupt the subject's sense of where and what shape his body is ought to help, and so may anything which induces a sense of shaking or vibration. Imagery must be intensified without control being lost and finally there must be some reason, or wish, for leaving the body.
"Considering these points hallucinogens might be expected to be more effective than stimulants, tranquillizers or sedatives. The latter may aid relaxation but help with none of the other features just mentioned. Few other types of drug have any relevant effect. This fact fits with what is
known about the effectiveness of drugs for inducing OBEs. Monroe states that barbiturates and alcohol are harmful to the ability, and this makes sense since they would tend to reduce control over imagery even though they are relaxing. Eastman states that barbiturates do not lead OBEs
whereas morphine, ether, chloroform, major hallucinogens and hashish can.
"Relatively little research has carried out in this area, partly because most of the relevant drugs are illegal in the countries where that research might be carried out. It seems that certain drugs can facilitate an OBE but what is not clear is why drug experience should take that form rather than any other. Part of the answer is that usually it does not. There is no specific OBE-creating drug, and OBEs are relatively rarely a part of a psychedelic drug experience. Drugs may help in inducing the OBE but they are not recommended as a route to the instant projection, they are no alternative to learning the skills of relaxation, concentration, and imagery control."
What does William White have to say about OBEs? He states that they are common at only higher doses of DXM. He also goes on to describe the typical accounts of what such an experience is like. He says that "explaining OOBEs is difficult and is in my opinion currently beyond neuroscience." However, he doesn't go as far out on a limb as other authors might have. He states that it probably is "experiencing one's world from a 'third person' perspective," and it is similar to dreaming or recalling memories. "There may be some sort of built-in spatial transformation that allows one to perceive the world from an outsider's perspective and observe one's own actions."
What do skeptics have to say about OBEs and Astral Projection?
Despite the claims of parapsychologists such as Moody, Tart, Targ and Puthoff, there is not one piece of physical evidence to support the claim that anyone can project their mind or soul or psyche or spirit or whatever to somewhere else on this or any other planet. All we have is testimony. How could it be otherwise? The real question for psychology is why is it that when confronted with the same evidence, two equally intelligent and knowledgeable groups of people, each with their armies of Ph.D.s, M.D.s and Nobel Prize winners, the skeptics and the believers, respond so differently. The skeptics scoff at the claims of the witnesses to the paranormal and consider the believers to be naive, gullible and foolish, directed more by wishful thinking and self-deception than critical thinking. The believers think the skeptics are close-minded "professional detractors" (J.B. Rhine's characterization of Martin Gardner) directed more by stubbornness and preconceived notions than by critical thinking.
Obviously that author never tried DXM :)
On a more serious note, whether you believe it or not isn't really of that importance. I don't expect anyone to fully believe it until after they've experienced it. And the easiest way to do so is with the use of DXM. I'm not saying DXM is the best way to project, but it is one of the easiest. The only reason I am presenting all this information to you is for you to explore and investigate for yourself. One of the main reasons I got into DXM was to try to induce OBEs. Have I had luck? Yes, but it has been mixed luck. I find I get the best results while laying in a dark bedroom with a pair of headphones on, listening to my favorite music. Some songs dissociate me more than others. Meditation and the use of chakras are also ten times easier while on DXM, because you can instantly create a "buzzing" or vibrating feeling in certain parts of your body, and concentrate on intensifying it.
In fact, in the next issue we will explore OBEs further by giving several methods of how to induce them without the use of drugs. And perhaps, when these methods are mixed with DXM, you will obtain even higher results. But for now, I wish you the best of luck in your travels and I hope you haven't found this to be too far off-base. After all, OBEs are a big factor of DXM whether you realize it or not.
Please see the next-to-last article in this issue for a list of references and for more information regarding OBEs and Astral Projection.
BRAIN WAVE STIMULATION AND INDUCING PARANORMAL EVENTS
by William White, Gravol
Light and Sound Machines are devices which use flashing light and sounds to induce changes in brainwave activity. The simplest of these, costing as little as $20, consists of a bunch of LEDs hooked up to a timer chip with a potentiometer for you to adjust the flashing frequency. The most complex of these (I've seem them list for as much as $500) are full-fledged portable computers which can independently control multicolored lights for each eye, as well as stereo headphones. Some of them allow you to plug in your own music, and will layer the brainwave beat frequency on top of it.
These are available from a number of sources, including the aforementioned Tools for Exploration (call for their catalog), "new age" stores, science stores, and of course on the Internet. To some degree you get what you pay for, but keep in mind that not everyone responds to these gadgets, and you may be better off not forking over the big bucks until you're sure it will be worth it. There's also a shareware program for PC's called Flasher which does the same sort of thing.
The theory on these devices is this. What we call "brainwaves" are the overall resonant properties of neural networks which, to a certain extent, behave like oscillators. Like most oscillators, these can be driven externally, and in this case, the best way to do so is via the eyes and ears. Flashing lights are known to affect brainwave activity, as are pulsing sounds (especially when a beat frequency is applied between the two ears). Epileptics are particularly susceptible to this, and most people are susceptible to the so-called "photic driving" effect, which can induce nausea and confusion using only flashing light and sound.
In other words, flashing lights and pulsing sounds can potentiate oscillations in the brain's neural networks in much the same way that one pushes a child on a swing. At precisely the right moment, a little push adds to the energy of the oscillator and keeps it going. Light and Sound machines apply just the right push at the right time to enhance brainwave activity in particular frequencies.
Using these devices, one can potentiate activity at various brainwave frequencies. Thus far the most commonly discussed brainwave frequencies (or more accurately frequency ranges) are alpha, theta, beta, delta, and sigma. The presence or absence of a given brainwave frequency is an indication of mental state, and by inducing brainwave activity, one can enhance those mental states.
A quick over-simplified summary of brainwave bands:
Alpha waves range from 8 to 12 Hz (cycles per second). Alpha waves appear to be associated with meditative and hypnotic states and sleep. One study on brainwaves and golf found that alpha activity seems to be a good predictor for accurate putting; others have suggested that alpha waves tend to occur while one is absorbed in physical or mental tasks.
Beta waves range from 20 to 28 Hz and appear to be associated with active concentration and thought.
Theta waves range from 3 to 8 Hz, and seem to arise from a hippocampal circuit, possibly with the help of a circuit in the brainstem. Theta waves tend to decrease immediately before volitonal movements, and are probably an indicator of a closed feedback loop in the limbic system. The theta rhythm may help to encode spatial and/or temporal information. Interestingly, the prohormone DHEA increases theta activity.
Delta waves, 0.3 to 3 Hz, typically occur only during non-REM sleep. NMDA antagonists (presumably including DXM) greatly increase delta waves during subsequent non-REM sleep.
Sigma waves, 10 to 15 Hz, seem to occur primarily during sleep.
Gamma waves, 30 Hz and above, may reflect certain aspects of the cognitive process.
The two important brainwave bands for DXM users are theta and alpha. Light and/or sound stimulation at these frequencies has been reported to induce a variety of interesting altered states of consciousness which are, for the most part, indescribable.
Theta stimulation in particular as been reported to generate fantastic results. Here is a description of one person's DXM plus theta stimulation experience:
I used the program Flasher set at 6 Hz, turned off the lights, and stared at the screen. At first it just looked like a big flashing computer screen, but gradually I noticed that I was perceiving the light and dark phases separately. The flashes seemed to get brighter and brighter, and last longer and longer. Everything kept building up in intensity, and it was starting to get somewhat scary, when all of a sudden the flashing just...stopped. It was all white light, and I felt my soul being tugged out of my body. From then on it got really weird...
Be warned: brainwave stimulation, especially in the alpha band, can induce seizures in epileptics. If you are, or suspect you might be, epileptic, don't use light and sound machines. DXM may actually decrease the seizure threshold, so be very, very careful. Recently, a TV network in Japan canceled broadcasts of a popular action-packed cartoon show because of brilliantly flashing scenes blamed for causing convulsions, spasms or nausea in hundreds of children. Nearly 600 children were rushed to hospitals on December 16 after watching the program Pokemon.
As far as any other paranormal experiences occurring while using Flasher, many people have reported wild hallucinations while staring into the screen at certain frequencies. One fellow named Kazinsky told me to use the program on the following settings: flashrate=20, color=white, pattern=omega or flashrate=4, color=white, pattern=zeta. That's just to start you off... you may find you achieve better results at different frequencies. I presume that the flashrate is equal to cycles per second (Hz), so a flashrate of 10 would be in the Alpha range. Obviously, if you can manage to induce self-hypnosis or other altered states, the sky can be the limit as far as what could happen, so be careful.
A short list of trip programs (which typically display psychedelic graphics, morphing patterns, weird visual effects, etc.) can be found at the following website: http://www.frognet.net/~dxm/trip-programs.html. If you get any interesting results, please pass them along.
DXM ADDICTION
by various authors
DXM and addiction have been known to go hand-in-hand with some users. Other users seem to be able to avoid the addiction route altogether, or at least think they do. To most users, however, DXM addiction is a very real threat and great care has to be taken not to over-indulge yourself when it comes to tripping on DXM.
How can you tell if you're addicted? How can you quit? What about withdrawal? All of these questions will be discussed and answered in this article, both with the help of readers like you and from William White's excellent DXM FAQ.
Below is what a few DXM users have to say about addiction.
Ythan Burstein: DXM isn't physically addictive; but like pretty much any behavior at all, it can become habit forming.
(If) you're using DXM pretty heavily...I doubt that you're doing too much damage to your body, although your liver probably isn't too happy about being barraged with all that DXM 3 times every week. If you're worried about your body, I would recommend you try to cut down to once or even twice a week...it'll be better for you. If you're not that concerned, then it's probably not too harmful to keep tripping often...at least you're not going to die a painful, jaundiced death tomorrow.
Of course, I'm a little curious as to why anyone would feel the need to be under the influence of a powerful hallucinogenic drug for 12 hours out of every 48, but that's your business.
Eboka: Personally, I have found DXM very taxing on my body (heavy psychoactive doses). As to addictive qualities that is a very interesting question as DXM is indicated for moderating narcotic withdrawal symptoms.
Joseph Collins: You do realize that you can build up tolerance to DXM and quickly, too. So, by dosing that high you are probably not reaching the third plateau anymore. Unless you have accounted for this and have increased your dosage.
Now you may wonder who's right and who's wrong. Is DXM physically addictive? Or just psychologically, like any other substance? Is DXM harmful at frequent and high levels, and how serious a threat is tolerance? Let's see what William White has to say about what to do if you think you are addicted.
The first thing to understand about DXM addiction is that most people who find themselves addicted use DXM on a very regular basis -- weekly, or (more frequently) daily. This is very dangerous! It is vital that you quit using DXM as quickly as possible if you are using it on a daily basis.
If you have access to mental health services I strongly suggest you seek them out. Many areas provide financial assistance for uninsured or low-income patients. DXM addiction can be treated like addiction to any other dissociative, i.e., PCP or ketamine. Unfortunately, many physicians and psychiatrists are not generally up-to-date on dissociative addiction, so you may need to look around.
The biggest problem with DXM addiction is rebound depression. Many casual DXM users have noticed a slight depression during the hangover phase. With regular use, however, the brain becomes tolerant to certain aspects of the DXM experience (probably a reregulation of serotonin receptors due to the DXM-induced serotonin release). To compensate for the depression (which can be severe) many people turn back to DXM. Unfortunately, dissociatives make poor antidepressants, since they have numerous side effects.
Incidentally, keep in mind that dissociative-induced depression is often severe enough to result in impaired mental functioning. Many cases of dissociative "brain damage" turn out not to be permanent after all, but only the consequences of major depression.
If you choose to kick the habit on your own, or if you have no other choice, you have two options: build-down and cold turkey. Build-down means that you slowly taper off DXM use in the hope that your brain will readjust as you do so, and thus avoid the potentially severe depression of sudden withdrawal. Cold turkey withdrawal (the term comes from the gooseflesh of heroin withdrawal) means stopping suddenly.
White goes on to say that the single most important step in either case is wanting to quit. If you do quit DXM, you should do so permanently, otherwise all the trouble you went through quitting will be wasted. White also states that in preparation for quitting any drug, to get rid of anything and everything that acts as a "trigger" for DXM use. For instance, not to go places where you used to use DXM.
As far as the build-down method to quitting, this is what White had to say:
Build-down is a controversial method for dealing with addiction. Many people with whom I've spoken have used build-down successfully, but many others tried it and failed. At the very least you can try it first and then, if that doesn't work, try cold-turkey withdrawal.
I do not claim to be a physician and I can only relay to you what others have told me. Before attempting build-down you must consult a medical authority, and at the very least have your serum bromide level checked (or check anion gap, which amounts to the same thing) to see if you are already in danger of bromide poisoning. Assuming you check out OK, and your physician is willing to let you try build-down, here is what I have been told from successful build-down attempts.
First off, get someone else to help you -- a friend, spouse, whatever. You want to make sure they will keep you on the rigorous schedule and not let you go back to using large amounts of DXM.
The key to this method is to place yourself on a regular, low dose of DXM -- just enough to keep the depression from becoming severe. The build-down dose is taken three times per day at rigid six hour intervals, and an individual dose should not be enough to get you high (30 mg three times per day is recommended, and if that isn't working then move up after two or three days).
After establishing the maintenance dose, build-down users continued this dose for one to two weeks, before halving the dose. Again, after another one to two weeks, the dose was halved again; finally, when the total daily dose was less than 45 mg, they went to twice a day for one week, then once a day for one week, and then quit completely.
All of the people who built down experienced mild depression, although most found it manageable, and some told me that exercise and sleep helped to make them feel better.
Again, remember that White is only conveying anecdotal information here. This is what he had to say on quitting cold-turkey:
The safest way is also the most difficult. The depression stage can last for several weeks, even months. Fortunately, it is treatable with drugs; SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) have been used with great success in treating PCP addiction, although there is some evidence that serotonin/dopamine reuptake inhibitors, or combining an SSRI with a dopamine reuptake inhibitor such as bupropion (Wellbutrin), may be preferrable. DO NOT use DXM after you are placed on antidepressants of any kind.
If you do not have access to psychiatric medicine, you still have other options. Try to vary your daily routine to expose yourself to new and interesting stimuli. Taking long walks in the woods and, especially, getting a lot of sunlight, has helped many people. Keep a regular, rigid schedule of getting up and going to bed at the same time. Some people have had success using melatonin to help them stay on schedule but there is some evidence that melatonin may worsen the depression in susceptible individuals. And the most important thing you can do is to get regular physical exercise! Not only does it help with depression, it also helps to get your body and brain back in top working order.
It should be noted, also, that a popular new over-the-counter antidepressant has been reportedly used in success with depression resulting from DXM withdrawal. St. John's Wort, an herbal remedy that helps in mood enhancement, is recommended for those who can't obtain psychiatric medicine. There will be more information on St. John's Wort in future issues.
After you quit, there is always a risk of relapse. White speaks of trying to find other ways of feeling good to take your mind off DXM. He speaks of Yoga and meditation as the two best ways of achieving altered states of consciousness that are similar to DXM.
As far as tolerance, repeated use has been known to cause tolerance to DXM. If you continue to use DXM, you must increase the dosage to achieve the desired effects, which in the long run can be very dangerous. And yes, DXM can be physically addictive, moreso than LSD or other psychedelics. You must keep in mind that not only is DXM a hallucinogen, it is also a dissociatives, and dissociatives have been known to be mildly addictive. Just ask anyone who has used ketamine on a frequent basis.
Remember that DXM addiction is a very serious issue, and if you do become addicted the best advice is to consult the help of a physician. If you do resort to anecdotal advise, consult Section 6 of William White's DXM FAQ. As far as withdrawal from DXM goes, consult Issue 2 of the zine.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF DXM
by Ditran
Well, day started with me buying a box [story note: for me, one box (300mg) is a second-plateau trip, and two boxes (600mg) is third-plateau] of (expired) Drixoral from Payless. Also bought a PC mag (if I read in between the times I take the DXM and it kicks in, I rarely get nauseated)
and a bottle of pink lemonade to take it with. Right as I left the store I took one Merezine tablet (50 mg cyclizine hydrochloride), also for nausea. Then I went and got on the bus, and went out to the (University of AK Anchorage) campus. Went to class, turned in homework, and blasted through a simple-assed algebra quiz. Then went downstairs and started taking liquicaps. Managed to gag down eight of them before I was overcome with (psychological) nausesa, and quit. Walked over to the lounge in the campus center, and took the last two while I read "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. Read in the lounge for at least an hour. About 40 minutes after taking the first gelcap (half hour after I took the last) I started feeling overheated quite suddenly, and quickly packed up and went walking. I walked down to the business building, and sorta stumbled down the stairs (in front of a bunch of people, I noticed). Went outside and got some fresh air, then went back inside and took the elevator up to the top floor, for no reason. Pushed the button for the elevator to take me down, and as I did, I noticed that the pattern on the floor seemed wrong. I don't know what that meant, I just knew it was wrong. Well, went back down a floor, and found a nice couch to curl up on and read. Read "A Brief History..." by Hawking again, and this time, I found a few quotes that seemed to have the most profound meaning for me:
"We see the universe the way it is because we exist."
"Yet the strong anthropic principle would claim that this whole vast construction exists simply for our sake. This is very hard to believe."
"There are something like ten million million million million million million million million million million million million million million (1 with eighty zeroes after it) particles in the region of the universe that we can observe."
The first two just had MEANING, and I got the "wow syndrome" over the second. Looking around, I noticed my vision was kinda strange. No moving things, or tracers, or weird visual effects. But anyway. I decided to go to the library, computer lab specifically. So, off I went. Plunked down in front of a Mac and started fooling around. Telnetted to a local BBS and chatted with a few people for awhile. After 20 minutes or so, I got a MAJOR hotflash, and immediatly felt like I was going to puke. So, I got up and practically bolted out of the room (leaving my backpack with an $80 calculator and wallet containing a little under a hundred bucks, and jacket containing a checkbook). I quickly walked to a bathroom (walking in between the stacks of books, I noticed that they were extremely narrow (like I was walking in a narrow and tall canyon) where I just splashed water on my face and took a few breaths. Looking at my watch, I noticed that it wasn't long before my best friend had to be there for class, so I went back into the computer lab, gathered my things, and went down to the building where he has class. He and I talked for a few minutes, then he went to class and I went back to the computer lab. Dicked around with Netscape and read Usenet until five after eight or so, as it takes me ten minutes to walk from the east end of the campus (where the library is) to the west end, where his class is. I walked a little slower than usual, not only because if I walked at my usual speed I stumbled and looked fucked-up, but everything was just a little nicer looking. When I got to this one long hallway (called "The Spine")
that connected the engineering building with the campus center, I realized how fucked up I was. I exchanged hello's with a guy that I had smoked out with a couple times, and then turned around to look down the hallway when I got to the campus center end of it. The hallway appeared to be so long that I could not see the end of it. I also heard the guy I had just said hi to start laughing, and his laughter seemed to echo in the miles-long hallway forever. I found it strangely fitting that the world's longest hallway should be connected to an engineering building.
Then I realized that I had stopped feeling euphoric, and the sheer size of the hallway, as well as
the inhuman-sounding laughter I was hearing really started to freak me out. So, I went through the door into the campus center. Said hi to this absolutley incredible-looking female that works behind the desk, then kept going, heading out to where my friend had class. Met up with him, and we
went out and got into his minivan. We drove to Fred Meyers, where he bought candy, and I found (besides a girl that was so fine that was obscene, I woulda tried to hit on her, but I was wayyyyyyy too fucked up) more Drixoral, in the new boxes, priced at $2.97. I figured, what the hell, why not, I'll buy the box and save it for tomorrow. I payed for my friend's candy, and the box for me. After that we went to an arcade, and I had a hell of a time playing T-Mek (it's a game you sit in, you have two joysticks, controlling a hovertank-like vehicle. There are subwoofers mounted behind your seat, and when your tank is hit, or there's an explosion, the subs really kick, and you really feel it). DXM made it an incredible experience. Also played a game of Race Drivin'... and even on a tame speed track, with an automatic transmission (I can't drive a stick anyway) and normal road speeds, I absolutely could not keep that car on the road.
Anyway, we went to my friend's house and listened to some music, then he dropped me off at home. At this point, I was pretty much down, but still feeling effects, so I had no trouble interacting with my parents. At this point, I also went back on the decision I made before. Decided "I haven't done a third-plateau trip in awhile, so I'll slam this box right now." So,
decided I'd take one gelcap every two minutes while I reorganized my hard drive. Polished off the box and finished the work on the drive at about the same time. Logged on to a local BBS, and started talking to people. Took a half hour for me to start feeling effects. At first I just felt stiff, and a little funny. I remember saying things to people online that I really didn't mean and still regret. Anyway, then my dad came into my room, and for some reason asked me about the 28.8 I had recently bought. I ended up explaing data compression to him. He then made some half-assed remark about me sniffing lighter fluid (?), then went to bed. As soon as he left I realized that I was truly fuckered. Truly truly. I logged back on, and talked to another friend of mine. We talked for a few, then she said her brother had to use the computer, and said she'd call me on her line. I said
okay, call in a half hour or so. She logged off, and I talked to a few more people. Half hour went by, and I logged off and put in a CD (NIN "Pretty Hate Machine"). Walking across the room, from computer stand to stereo, I realized how truly fuckered I was. When I went back to bed, I allowed the trip to rage full force. I saw myself climbing the Holodeck wall (you know, the black with yellow grid) except, it was my head on Gumby's body. The left arm and left leg would sort of "roll" up the wall in sync, then stick, then right arm/leg, left, right, etc. Then that went away, and after awhile I was talking to a woman (well, a disembodied head... the right side was purple, left was green, black hair) that represented the two sides of my personality.
I don't remember much of what she and I talked about. I can remember thinking "Gumby? God, I sound like a fuckin weirdo" and pulling the blankets off my head. I went and switched CDs (NIN "Pretty Hate Machine" to Metallica self-titled), and then I got back in bed. Blinked my eyes, and it was just there. A big ugly distorted abomination of a worm (Earthdawn p301 or so, the Horror "Hate"). The worm seemed to radiate power, I could literally feel, sense, even smell how powerful it was. We began to converse (not in words, or thoughts, or emotions, it was on a much more basic level), and it communicated to me that it was the god that represented all of my wrongdoing. Short conversation. I disliked the worm immensly. Not long after the worm went away, I turned on the radio and listened to Art Bell until I fell asleep. The next day I felt THRASHED, like I had no reason to be alive. Driving across town to class was nearly impossible. My limbs were both sore and numb, and controlling them was extremely difficult. I noticed that after this trip, first and second plateau trips have been difficult to acheive.
NITROUS OXIDE AND DXM
by Gravol
Many people have reported nice results when mixing DXM with nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Since not much is said in the FAQ about nitrous, we thought we'd share some info here with you.
First of all, some general information on nitrous oxide. It is a colorless gas with a sweetish taste and odor. Although it does not burn, it supports combustion because it decomposes into oxygen and nitrogen when heated. A major use is in dental anesthesia. It is often called laughing gas because it produces euphoria and mirth when inhaled in small amounts. It is also used in making certain canned pressurized foods, e.g., instant whipped cream, and it can be either obtained from local sex shops (sold as EZ Whips) or from automotive part distributors, sold in tanks of at least 10 pounds.
In other words, nitrous oxide is a compressed gas that when inhaled through a balloon or any
other type of device creates an incredibly superficial high. Sounds will seem to echo constantly, objects may seem to flash, and lighting will seem to get dimmer, almost as though you have thrown a veil over your head. The high is absolutely incredible, but unfortunately it usually only lasts a mere minute or so (but possibly up to 3 or 4). There are no negative effects with occasional use at moderate levels, but potential for brain damage, seizures, or death occurs when 4 or more cartridges are used at one time or when significant numbers of cartridges are used on a very frequent basis.
Cartridges are placed into an aluminum, plastic, or brass capsule known as a "cracker." A balloon is sealed onto the end of the cracker with two holes to allow the nitrous to escape the cracker and enter the balloon. When the two ends of the cracker are screwed together with the nitrous cartridge inside, the cracker will puncture the seal on the nitrous cartridge allowing the nitrous to enter the balloon. The balloon should then be twisted to hold the nitrous inside as the now empty chrager is released from the cracker. The balloon is then inhaled.
What we did instead was of ordinary whippits was bought a tank from a local racing parts distributor. A 10-pound tank filled with nitrous cost us $180, but lasted all evening. We got at least 50 balloons with the equivalent of 4-5 cartridges in each until it eventually ran out, and refills only cost $40. I hear a lot of people were filling up balloons and charging $5 per balloon, which would be an easy way to make your money back.
Anyway, the first night I did the tank I was also on mescaline at a friend's house, and we watched Scream. I eventually got a headache (and my lungs ached) from all the gas I inhaled. If you ever get a tank filled you may find the nitrous mixed with a chemical called sulfur dioxide. Sulfur dioxide is a colorless, extremely irritating gas, SO2, used in many industrial processes, especially the manufacture of sulfuric acid. The guy who filled it at one place said it was the law to mix the nitrous with the sulfur dioxide, but I've heard of other places that don't mix it with that. So who knows. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to find pure nitrous oxide.
After tripping that night we again got the tank filled up a few days later and this time did DXM, weed, and nitrous. Oh my god! What a buzz... we were already on nitrous and stoned when the DXM hit, but when it did... wham!
All of a sudden I became very dissociated with reality. I could no longer inhale any balloons. I could just sit there buzzing intensely. I've heard many people say "I wish I could make the nitrous buzz last forever"... well, with DXM, you can come pretty damn close. The nitrous buzzed stayed with me all throughout the night, even hours after having inhaled my last balloon. I just sat there and watched Pulp Fiction, which seemed to radiate from another galaxy.
In fact, the next day when I woke up I was still buzzing, though very lightly. The one thing I can say about nitrous is to be careful... a girl I worked with froze her lungs once (don't inhale too much of the balloon at once) and countless people have died from it. It's also very easy to pass out on it. If you don't know too much about it, just stick to whippits, but if you want to have some serious fun, buy a tank. Just remember that when the DXM kicks in, the nitrous buzz is going to be prolonged, depending on how many balloons you have inhaled and how much DXM you're on.
It's also easy to get burns on your hand from frostbite because the cartridges freeze once released. Balloons have exploded in my hand before and gave me frostbite all over my hand, it's not a fun experience. And never stick your tongue to a frozen cartridge ;-)
One user even speaks of a "DXM orgasm," and says to wait until you're pretty well bombed and suck down some nitrous oxide. "It's amazing."
One last thing. As far as legality is concerned, you must be 18 & over to buy nitrous in all states except Ohio, where you must be 21. If you don't live in an area where it is easy attainable, I have included a national supplier's info which may be of help to you. Prices are as follows:
24-pk chargers................$19.99
10-pk chargers................$9.99
Plastic Cracker...............$7.99
Aluminum Cracker..........$15.99
Brass Cracker................$24.99
Tie-Dyed Balloons..........$1.99/ea.
Generic Balloons.............$1.99/6 pcs.
Shipping and Handling rates: $2.25 for each 24-pk of chargers and $1.00 for each 10-pk of chargers. S&H; is free for crackers and balloons with any nitrous order. If you are interested, please be sure to include the state you live in so he can let you know if he ships to that area.
If you wish to order, send your order along with check or money order (including S&H;) to:
Michael Harshberger
Interactive Distributors, Ltd.
P.O. Box 23256
Wilmington, NC 28407
And one last time... remember, nitrous oxide is very deadly!
HOW DXM COMPARES TO OTHER LEGAL HIGHS
by Gravol
Many of you may wonder how DXM compares to other legal highs. I think after reviewing this information on virtually every legal/natural high possible, you will find DXM to be by far the greatest of these. But don't take it from me... judge for yourself.
Below is a compiled listing of most every legal/natural high there is. Since most of you already know about DXM, I have not included any information on it. If you need more info on DXM, check out the DXM FAQ at http://www.frognet.net/dxm/contents.html. Please note that everything below was quoted from the sources I obtained them from. Sources are listed at the end of each paragraph.
Absinthe. Absinthe is an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). It is an emerald green drink which is very bitter (due to the presence of absinthin) and is therefore traditionally poured over a perforated spoonful of sugar into a glass of water. The drink then turns into an opaque white as the essential oils precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Absinthe was once popular among artists and writers and was used by Van Gogh, Baudelaire, and Verlaine, to name a few. It appears to have been believed to stimulate creativity. However, in the 1850's, there began to be concern about the results of chronic use. Chronic use of absinthe was believed to produce a syndrome, called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability, and hallucinations. This concern over the health effects of absinthe was amplified by the prevailing belief in Lamarckian theories of heredity. In other words, it was believed that any traits acquired by absinthists would be passed on to their children (1). Absinthe's association with the bohemian lifestyle also worked to compound fears about its effects, much as has happened with marijuana in America. Absinthe was subsequently banned in many countries in the beginning of the 1900's. [Taken from Matthew Baggott's Absinthe FAQ].
Betel nuts. Betel nut ARE psychoactive! There's a trick: chew the nuts with a SMALL amount of agricultural lime, just like what you get from the garden store. Of course you want to use PURE lime and not a fertilizer, but that's easy to find. Betel nuts act as a stimulant. Fairly nice, although it can jangle your nerves a bit. The line makes the compounds active. Just like with coca leaves. I often chew them without the lime, because I'm an "oral" person and becaue they just taste nice. My favorite are the saffron cured nuts that can be got at "...of the Jungle." I don't like the heavily cured other varieties much. But there's a lot of flavors to choose from. I recommed you try them at least once. Hell, they're butt cheap! [Taken from an anonymous source].
Calamus (Sweet Flag). The taste is horrible! Usually it helps to nibble away at the root chewing each bite (if it's swallowed whole it won't digest and nothing will happen). Wash it down with something, experimentation with different beverages will tell what works best for you. Some prefer sprite, some prefer milk, some prefer fruit juice and some prefer coke. For best effects try to eat about 12 inches of the root. Also over time the root will actually start to taste sweet, but that comes after eating it several times. Avoid alcoholic beverages, because they will counter it's effects. It does go quite well with various types of smokeables however. It takes about 2-4 hours before anything starts happening and it is very subtle. In fact so subtle that if your at a loud party, you won't notice a thing. It's best to be out hiking in a quiet wooded location. Then it may or may not do anything depending on many factors which are unknown. However the experience can be quite incredible at times. It seems to work best when one sits perfectly still and observes nature in it's beauty. If you're lucky mother nature will reveal one of her many secrets to you. If you're looking for a cheap legal buzz, something to party with, then calamus is not for you. Calamus takes time, and effort with very subtle results. It also may not do anything for you the first time or the second time or possibly ever. It doesn't work for everyone, and for those it does it is fickle. [Taken from an anonymous source].
Calea. Its actions during wakefulness were tested in five subjects after several inhalations and the administration of an infusion. With high doses, effects included: sensations of well-being and light-headedness, difficulty in bringing events to mind, somnolence, and an intensification of visual imagery, but only with the eyes closed. Calea zacatechichi is often mentioned alongside Salvia dinorum and Cannabis sativa and is smoked and taken as a tea by the Chontal Indians in Oaxaca for divination and oneiromancy (dream induction). [Taken from "Ethnopharmacology and Taxonomy of Mexican Psychodysleptic Plants" by Jose Luis Diaz, MD published in the Jan-Jun 1979 issue of "Journal of Psychedelic Drugs"].
Coleus. It takes about fifty to severnty large, colorful leaves of the coleus plant to get someone going. They can be chewed thoroughly and swallowed. If one prefers, the leaves can also be smoked and steeped in lukewarm water for for about an hour, after which the liquid is strained and drunk. No one is exactly sure what gives coleus its psychoactive kick, but we do know that only fresh leaves will work. Dried leaves have virtually no effect. While the drug has no really unpleasant or dangerous side effects, some people do feel a degree of nausea about a half hour after getting it down But the nausea goes away quickly and is soon replaced by a trippy, psilocybin-like state, colorful visual hallucinations and patterns, and telepathic and clairvoyant insights. The entire trip lasts for about two hours. Coleus plants can be purchased legally at most garden centers. Those with green thumbs, who aren't too stoned to exercise them, might purchase some seeds to grow their own. [Taken from a book called Recreational Drugs by an unknown author].
Damiana. Yesterday, damiana finally worked for me... A friend and I smoked about 2/3 of a large bowl of the stuff, and at first we didn't feel much.. But we called someone and later he said the message we left on his answering machine was really fucked up... Basically, I felt good for about an hour, not really "stoned," but very, very slightly uncoordinated (I kept missing the butttons on the radio on my way home) and bouncy, a little hyper. It was interesting, but the smoke is kind of harsh. The bong helped a lot, though, it is really cheap (I got an ounce for under $2 in a local herbal/occult store) but probably not worth it for me to do again... I might try using up the rest of it with other stuff. [Taken from [email protected]].
Datura. Leaves are sometimes smoked. Small amount of seed can be pulverized and added to drinks as in the Algonquin ritual. Effects: described as "delerium". Leaves are hallucinogenic and hypnotic. Seeds cause mental confusion and delerium followed by deep sleep with colorful hallucinations. Excessive amounts are toxic. May cause blacking out and severe headaches. Yaqui indian brujos say it causes insanity. WARNING: This substance is generally considered dangerous. [Taken from the Natural Highs FAQ by Cavasin/Houle/Boggs/Pennanen].
Dramamine. Dramamine is motion sickness medicine that when taken in excessive amounts (8-12 pills) is known to cause delirium. The chemical is diphenhydramine HCl or dimenhydrinate. Several OTC medicines contain these substances, from Benadryl Allergy to Marezene, and can be used for anything from motion sickness to allergy medicine. The effects last at least 5-6 hours, and hallucinations are full-blown. Often you don't know you are hallucinating when you really are; which can lead to dangerous scenarios. If you'd like more information, check out my Dramamine FAQ (which as far as I know is still the only FAQ for dramamine-like substances) through http://www.lycaeum.org. [by Gravol].
Galanga. Kaempferia galanga is used as an hallucinogen in New Guinea. Throughout the range of this species, the highly aromatic rhizome is valued as a spice to flavor rice, and also in folk medicine as an expectorant and carminative. A tea of the leaves is employed for sore throat, swellings, rheumatism, and eye infections. In Malaysia, the plant was added to the arrow poison prepared from Antians toxicaria. This short-stemmed herb has flat-spreading, green, round leaves measuring 3-6 in. (8-15 cm) across. The white flowers (with a purple spot on the lip), which are fugacious, appear singly in the center of the plant and attain approximately 1 in. (2 1/2 cm) in breadth. Beyond the high content of essential oil in the rhizome, little is known of the chemistry of the plant. Hallucinogenic activity might possibly be due to constituents of the essential oils. [Taken from a book called Plants of the Gods by Schultes/Hofmann].
GHB. Known in Europe as Gamma-OH, and in the US as GHB, gamma-hydroxybutyrate is a novel compound that increases sociability and functions as a true anti-depressant. It's use was banned in the US in 1990, however you can still order the chemicals that when mixed together, will create GHB. The sale of it is currently illegal, but it is legal to possess. In fact, it used to be sold in health and vitamin stores. Alcohol should be avoided while on it, and an overdose or too much will cause the person to pass out and vomit while unconscious. It's known as the new "date rape drug" because when given to females (especially at raves, etc.) it has aphrodisiac effects and makes them more attracted (perhaps sexually) to the males around them. It's also easy to pass out on, thus increasing the chances of rape. This is perhaps the closest synthesized legal high you're going to find to DXM in regards to popularity and effects. [by Gravol].
Herbal XTC. Many forms of "herbal ecstacy" are found in health-food and vitamin stores and come with descriptions such as "euphoric states" and "enlightened feelings," however, almost everyone ever interviewed as having tried these products state that there are little if any effects from these. Sources close to the government state that the manufacturers of such products are misleading the public as to their effects, and they are often imitated to make the consumer think they are somehow associated with the illegal designer drug MDMA (known on the streets as XTC). [by Gravol].
Inhalants. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, sweet inorganic gas, N2O used as a mild anesthetic. The most common recreational use of it is in "whippits," which are simply nitrous oxide cartridges broken open with a cracker and blown into a balloon, which is then sucked down by the individual. For more information on nitrous oxide, read the article Nitrous Oxide and DXM by Gravol in this issue. Other inhalants include Freon, which is a trademark for any of various nonflammable gaseous or liquid fluorocarbons that are used mainly as working fluids in refridgeration and air conditioning and as aerosol propellants. Some users "huff" aerosol sprays, and even gasoline itself (all very dangerous). Glue and paint is often sniffed, and a few individuals reported that butane and propane inhalation causes a "drunken" effect. WARNING: All of these substances are generally considered dangerous. [by Gravol].
Kava. Tea made from kava roots is drunk cold but it still retains an attractive lilac aroma. A pungent and numbing aftertaste keeps users from drinking too much. The intoxication is similar to alcohol in that it produces a short euphoric state, relaxation, and some loss of social inhibitions. There is no hangover, even for seasoned kava drinkers. But it is strangely disappointing to many who find that while they are happy and content, thier mental alertness remains unaffected. This would seem to be a benefit for problem drinkers but they balk at such unfamiliar sobriety and return to the dizziness of alcohol. To achieve stronger effects it is necessary to chew the kava root, a fibrous and unappetizing course that even native kava drinkers dislike. Furthermore, such high doses can be as addicting and as debilitating as alcohol. [Taken from a book called Intoxication: Life in Pursuit of Artificial Paradise by Ronald Siegel].
Morning Glory. Morning Glory seeds contain a chemical cousin to LSD. The chemical is known as LSA, or LAA (Lysergic Acid amides). The effects are similar to that of LSD, but less potent. And furthermore, unless you go through a rigorous extraction, you'd have to chew anywhere from 200-500 seeds to get an effect. Keep in mind that the seeds taste absolutely horrendous and cause massive stomach upset (either due to the chemicals manufacturers spray them with or from the plant itself to ward off animals from eating the seeds). Either way, it provides for a nasty couple of hours. However, if you can surpass that stage, you'll be tripping quite nicely depending on how many seeds you chewed. Unless you find a distributor, seeds can only be obtained in the spring. The Heavenly Blue, Pearly Gates, and Flying Saucer variety are all known to be effective. A less popular alternative to Morning Glory seeds are Hawaiian Baby Woodrose seeds, which cause similar effects. [by Gravol].
Nutmeg. 5-20 grams of ground nutmeg is ingested. Fresh ground is best. Possible nausea during first hour; may cause vomiting or diarrhea in isolated cases. Takes anywhere from one to five hours for effects to set in. Then expect severe cottonmouth, flushing of skin, severely bloodshot eyes, dilated pupils. Personally I compare it to a very, very heavy hash buzz. "Intense sedation". Impaired speech and motor functions. Hallucinations uncommon in average (5-10 gm) doses. Generally followed by long, deep, almost coma-like sleep (expect 16 hours of sleep afterward) and feelings of lethargy after sleep. May cause constipation, water retention. Safrole is carcinogenic and toxic to the liver. [Taken from the Natural Highs FAQ by Cavasin/Houle/Boggs/Pennanen].
Salvia divinorum. Dry the large leaves and smoke them. Put them in a waterpipe -- it uses the material more efficient. After about 6 or 7 puffs of the leaves, the normal user will be stopped in his/her tracks, and probably want to lie down and recieve the mental information this plant has to offer. You will probably be taken down trains of thought independantly of your intellect, which is off in the back smoking cigarettes with your ego while the divine plant is operating. Make no mistake -- this is hardly just another plant to get "wasted" with -- the insights gained by S. divinorum are often _cerebral_, sometimes visual, sometimes not. But whatever the effects, they are gone completely within 1-2 hours. You'll find a great difference in effects, compared to other psychedelics. In particular I (personally) notice a distinct cooling of body temperature after the 3rd or 4th hit, a unique feeling I've never felt on any other psychedelic. [Taken from an anonymous author].
Smart drugs. Smart drugs are also known as nootropics. They are often used to enhance memory and cognitive effects. These can be mixed with DXM to produce a reduction in memory problems, confusion, and hangovers. Typically when used by themselves, they don't produce a "high" that other legal drugs do. The most common nootropics include dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), Gingko, lecithin, and piracetam. Those are just a few of the hundreds of nootropics that exist. [by Gravol].
Valerian root. Valerian is the common name given to genus Valeriana, herbaceous perennial plants widely distributed in the temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia. The evaluation of a commercially available valerian root extract revealed pronounced sedative properties in the mouse with respect to a reduction in motility and an increase in the thiopental sleeping-time. The good news is, valerian root or valerian root tea will cause drowsiness. However, certain naturally-occurring substances within the root are toxic to rapidly-growing cells (like the cells lining your stomach and your liver!). If you must consume valerian, don't drink too much. Remember that the most toxic substances known to man were produced by 'Mother Nature.' [Taken from a review by Pharm D student Yung Chi].
Yohimbe. Called "the most potent aphrodisiac known" and "the only true aphrodisiac". Whether aphrodisiacs exist outside of mythology or not is a topic for debate, as is the definition of "aphrodisiac". Anyway, first effects after 30 minutes (sooner with vitamin C) consist of warm, pleasant spinal shivers, followed by psychic stimulation, heightening of emotional and sexual feelings, mild perceptual changes without hallucinations, sometimes spontaneous erections. Some experience nausea during first 30 minutes. Sexual activity is especially pleasurable. According to one source "Bantu orgies have been known to last over a week" [Ed: don't they get hungry?]. Total experience lasts 2-4 hours, however, several experiences lasting up to 24 hours have been reported. Aftereffects include pleasant, relaxed feelings with no hangover, but difficulty sleeping for a few hours (probably largely due to the increased mental activity). Since they sell the stuff in health food stores and I'm not sure what it's legitimate uses are, I'm willing to admit that I've tried it. My experience was worth repeating. This of course constitutes no endorsement on my part of illegal or legal drugs or of the use of yohimbe for any reason at all. WARNING: Do not take if you frequently use DXM. Yohimbe is a MonoAmine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) and should be avoided if taking any other drug. May cause death as a consequence. If you are looking for an aphrodisiac, try GHB as a safe alternative. [Taken from the Natural Highs FAQ by Cavasin/Houle/Boggs/Pennanen].
I'm sure those aren't the only legal highs that exist, but they are the most common. Please keep in mind a lot of them are very dangerous and perhaps deadly, and the euphoric effects often don't come close to DXM in potency. The only legal drugs above I'd ever try would be GHB, Dramamine, nitrous oxide, and salvia dinorum. I hope this sheds some light on why DXM will probably always be the best legal high there is.
DXM NAUSEA...AND HOW TO PREVENT IT
by various authors
Nausea is a common problem with DXM trips. Almost everyone has seemed to report some kind of nausea at one point or another... on just about any form of DXM you can ingest. There are many tips out there at fighting and preventing nausea, and I thought I'd pass some of these along to you to see if you may be able to find any helpful ones.
Beatbard: My friends and I took DXM for the first time the other night. Two of us were rather manic and a little nauseous. I read that you should take it on an empty stomach for best results. After drinking the whole 8oz bottle I lost my appetite and later felt a little sick. I was thinking that some of it may have had to do with the syrup. I don't know if having food in my stomach would make that big of a difference on the effect of the drug. All together it was a great experience.
Ythan Burstein: A few things you could try. First, order some freebase DXM. The thickeners, sweeteners, and colors in cough syrup could be responsible for a big part of your nausea. Second, you might want to try taking some Dramamine or Dramamine II (OTC motion sickness pills) about an hour before ingesting the DXM. A lot of people find this helps. Finally, since DXM is very basic you might want to try taking it with orange juice or coffee or something else acidic to help neutralize the pH. The loss of appetite is pretty common...I call it the "anti-munchies." Some easy to digest carbohydrates (crackers or pasta) probably wouldn't hurt, but stay away from anything too greasy. And don't stuff yourself.
RoboMatt: If the cough syrup has guaifenesin in it, that may be a problem. If not, it could just be the DXM itself...I have a friend who gets very nauseous on the beginning of her trips. She has to just lay still until it passes and then enjoy the trip. But for the most part, I haven't seen this as a regular effect. And DXM definitely blows your appetite to hell... I often don't eat for a day or two after tripping. As far as alcohol goes, I've only found combining DXM and alcohol to be a problem with people who tend to get nauseous on alcohol. Quite the contrary, I know a lot of people who find that a shot or two really eases the oncoming trip and makes it much more pleasant. And I'm not certain, but I think that the trip comes on sooner and smoother when you're drunk. I did it once and enjoyed it quite a bit. On the other hand, I did see someone get very sick on a DXM + alcohol combo once, but she A) had quite a large amount to drink of various mixed drinks, which any frequent drinker can attest to the likelihood of getting sick on that alone and B) was running around a lot, not sitting back and taking it easy - not a good way to control nausea. Obviously, excess is the danger, not the mixture itself.
Maitland: The syrup itself can definitely cause nausea. I have a friend who throws up every time he drinks the stuff. Once I drank an 8oz before a school field trip and I threw up on the bus. Some diphenhydramine HCl (Benadryl, Dramamine, Marezine) helps a little. And as far as appetite, I think I've built a tolerance to it. The other day I drank a bottle with some acid and I actually had the munchies when I got home from school.
Greendrag: When taking DXM for the first time try only about 4oz. You probably won't freak out as much. Also, I wouldn't try combining alcohol with DXM. They don't mix well together.
Kelani Larethian: Food never really helped me, and an empty stomach seems to be worse, since your nausea and puking comes from the stuff screwing with your stomach lining. Thus, the best option is to take a little Pepto Bismol or smoke some weed. At higher doses, you need the Pepto, as weed's nausea-reducing capabilities can only do so much.
As you can see, everyone seems to have varied advice. I introduced DXM in the free base form to two friends a couple nights ago and they both puked a number of times. Of course, the greasy chips probably didn't help, but only a tiny amount was consumed. I don't know what the one ate, but the other hadn't eaten anything all day.
William White states:
Probably the most commonly reported side effect is nausea, most likely a simple result of gagging down a bottle or two of cough syrup or a bunch of big gelcaps. People who use the gelcap or capsule preparations do not, in general, experience as much nausea, although DXM itself, like peyote, can occasionally cause nausea (this is less common than nausea from syrups). DXM free base and "Agent Lemon" seem to cause the least amount of nausea.
Many cough syrup preparations can cause considerable amounts of bloating and gas. Expect to pass gas for the next day. Stomach cramps and other gastric disturbances, probably from the amount of sugars and thickeners, are also common. Preparations with guaifenesin tend to induce vomiting at recreational DXM levels. Mixing DXM with large amounts of alcohol can have the same effect; one poor individual who mixed DXM with a large quantity of alcohol vomited for over two hours.
Serotonin syndrome is another possible cause of nausea and diarrhea, but doesn't seem to occur except when DXM is combined with other serotonergic drugs (mainly antidepressants).
Probably the best advice I can offer you is to not take DXM on a completely full or empty stomach, and when you do down some syrup, be sure to take a few crackers with it and drink clear soda. Never eat anything greasy throughout the day or the trip. Many people believe that free base DXM causes less nausea than syrup, but don't absolutely count on that. I've gotten pretty nauseous myself off the free base before. And finally, it may be a good idea to take either diphenhydramine or dimenhydrinate (various forms of OTC motion sickness medication) about an hour before tripping. A lot of the nausea from DXM trips comes from the DXM itself, simply impairing your motor skills and causing nausea in the same fashion alcohol would...through intoxication. And if you do get nauseous, it should eventually pass and you'll be feeling fine. I never get a permanent stomach ache throughout the trip. The nausea I get feels more like motion sickness than anything else.
THE FIFTY-TRIP LIMIT
by Anonymous
Yes...I've done DXM literally hundreds and hundreds of times. Some weeks I'd do it almost daily, and other months I'd only touch it once. But overall I've done it so many times now that if it weren't as safe as it was I'd be dead. And I haven't really even physically changed at all, only have had my perception change on the meaning of life and make me more creative. I seem to enjoy life more ever since I started doing DXM... it's been totally amazing.
But then something happened. After a while of tripping on DXM, all the good effects went away. I found that taking large doses were impossible, as I'd constantly be up spitting up stomach content all night long (acid reflux) and unable to puke it out. It was absolutely disgusting. DXM just wasn't fun anymore, but I was still mildly addicted to it (in other words, if I stopped I had to go through a hellish withdrawal of depression, headaches, and nightmares). Eventually I broke free of its mighty grasp and I worked my ass off at a local store, got a girlfriend, all that good stuff. I had no desire to do drugs.
But my curiosity got the best of me. Could I do DXM again? Perhaps the bad effects went away. So I once again tripped no more than once a week and very cautiously at that with no ill effects. After I got back into it I found that the desirable effects were once again present. I tripped hard for a couple of months, often times daily. But now again, just recently, I have found most of the desirable effects have dissipated upon higher doses. Currently, I can really only take first plateau and lower second plateau doses every other couple of nights without going through really awful experiences. I don't know if it's bromide poisoning or what... but William White speaks of a "fifty-trip limit" that I believe may have something to do with it:
Recently someone pointed out to me that most of the psychedelic and interesting effects of DXM seemed to go away with repeated use, and hadn't returned. He suggested a limit of about 50 trips; i.e., you get roughly 50 DXM trips before the magic is gone. Other people have said similar things, although the exact number seems to vary from person to person. A few seem to be able to use DXM repeatedly without ever losing the more interesting psychedelic qualities.
As White states, there could be a number of possible explanations for the "50 trip limit." Here are a few he came up with, as well as possible solutions:
Long-lasting tolerance. Some people have noticed a tolerance of up to a year to the more pleasant effects of DXM. Why this is, I don't know; nor do I know any way to reverse it.
Disruption of enzyme systems. It is possible that the P450 enzyme system is disrupted for long periods of time by DXM, although I don't see why this would happen. This could last for quite some time, potentialy permanently. It's also possible that a conversion enzyme is induced so that the DXM is converted to a metabolite too rapidly. Nothing to be done about this that I know of.
State-dependant memory. When you first do DXM, you are in a completely new and wonderful state, and you don't really "integrate" the memories of the non-drug states. As you begin to trip more and more often, environmental cues help you to integrate the drug-state and the non-drug-state. Eventually you will learn to associate the drug not only with the pleasant effects but also with the unpleasantness of taking it, something which doesn't happen early on due to DXM's ability to inhibit memory. Try taking DXM in a completely new environment and see if that changes anything. Make sure to do a low dose first, though; if there is a state-dependent tolerance, you could go way too high accidentally if in a new environment.
Hallucinogen antidependency. This is a common phenomenon with most psychedelics. After using any psychedelic several dozen times, the magic is gone. It just becomes familiar territority, and with the "wow" factor from the novelty gone, the more mundane aspects (confusion, nausea) of the trip intrude. The solution to this, if there is one, is to put your own "magic" into the experience by interacting with people, trying new experiences, etc.
Problems with an ingredient in cough syrups. It's possible that the gut, liver, or kidneys start to have trouble metabolizing all the gunk in cough syrups. Try using DXM extract.
Age. DXM becomes increasingly less pleasurable as one gets older. No solution that I know of, except possibly to make sure you are physically fit before tripping.
Brain damage. I've seen no evidence for this except with very frequent high-dose use (e.g., third or fourth plateau several times a week for several months); furthermore, people who do report DXM becoming less pleasant with time haven't said it's that much faster with high dose trips (whereas any brain damage problem would be). Technically speaking, the damage that Olney et al found with dissociatives is way beyond the fourth plateau dosage level, and I'm not convinced that normal users would ever experience it.
Cigarettes or other drugs. If you've changed your drug-taking habits, this may affect DXM's effects.
The two I have found the most striking is state-dependant memory and problems with an ingredient in cough syrups. Actually my problem the first time around was partly due to the antihistamine contained in Coricidin Cough & Cold, chlorphenaramine maleate, and at large doses caused a number of unpleasant effects with my sinuses. But that still didn't explain the acid reflux. The best thing I can think of is perhaps a disruption of enzyme systems or something so complicated I may never understand, though tripping in a new environment on low doses does seem to help, but I just can't trip occasionally. The last time I tripped low doses three nights in a row, I was getting a headache and a very calm feeling, much like I did when I experienced what I believed to be bromide poisoning on a higher dose. And a headache is also a symptom of bromide poisoning. In the future I'll probably try DXM polistirex (Delsym) and see if I experience the same problems. If not, I know it may have something to do with the bromide factor in DXM HBr, since the free base form I am taking contains bromide. I'll be sure to keep you updated.
NEVER AGAIN
by various authors
In keeping with the previous article, I have included what others have said about the negative effects of DXM. Perhaps this will shed some light on why some people don't like DXM, and maybe offer some solutions as to how DXM can be made more enjoyable.
This is what one user has to say about DXM:
"I have been playing with DXM for about a month now. I've decided that I hate it. My last trip helped me see insights about my life and I realized that I need to get as far away from drugs as possible (except shrooms, alcohol, pot, and the occasional acid). I'm quitting the dealing I was doing, I'm quitting DXM and ketamine, and I'm going back to my once-a-month shroom routine.
I have one problem. My best friend is apparently addicted to DXM. A month ago he was a once-a-month shroom tripper (we both believe that is the safest and most fun schedule for shrooming) and then he discovered DXM. A lot of fucked up stuff is happening in his life right now, and he does way too much DXM. His behavior has changed to a capricious jumping between lethargy, sadness and violence, and he can't stop taking DXM.
Last Saturday, he broke down and begged me to help him stop taking it because it was fucking with his head, and I said I wouldn't let him take it again. That night, after I fell asleep, he went to the store and got two bags of Sucrets and ate them. DXM isn't metabolically addictive, isn't it? It doesn't have that uncontrolable craving like coke, does it? I don't understand why he can't resist the stuff. He told me that when it comes down to it, he'd rather just give in to DXM desires when there's nothing else to do. Can anyone help me? DXM has caused nothing but nightmares in my life and I want to rid myself of it."
In response to that, it appears that this individual is biased against DXM because A) he has seen "insights" about his life and perhaps painful memories that he doesn't like, and this has been an uncomfortable aspect of DXM for many people. DXM tends to bring out hidden memories and thoughts and can practically be a "trip through time" for some; B) his friend is addicted to DXM and this would understandably bias someone against such a drug. He doesn't speak of any nasty physical effects from the DXM, only emotional aspects which has more to do with himself than with the drug. The drug is only bringing out these emotions in him. It's like when people have permanent trips from doing LSD... it's not the drug itself, but an underlying problem that the drug only brings to light several years before it may actually happen on its own.
As far as addiction, DXM can be physically addictive. But from what he said his friend does it out of boredom. A possible solution to this is for his friend to find something new to take up his time, get out of the old environment where he would trip at, etc. Antidepressants would also help, or a build-down of taking DXM. If someone is that addicted to DXM in the first place they should seek professional help if they are serious about ending such an addiction. I myself have broken down before when talking of wanting to get off DXM, because it tends to make me more emotional. However, for the most part I have been fine. For the above person, I can understandably see why DXM has been a bad influence on his life, but his reasons are not from the DXM itself but from underlying emotional problems and problems with his friends which has caused him to become biased against DXM.
Two other people replied to this user's story:
Greendrag: It's really sad to hear this story. I have heard of DXM addiction, but nothing that causes violence and the feelings you describe. Sounds more to me like a heroin or cocaine addiction.
Is this a physical addiction...does he feel like he needs more and more to live, or to function normally, or does he just like the effects it brings on? If it is in fact physical, then he is going to have to go through some sort of treatment...not necessarily a drug program, just some sort of home treatment with his friends. Heroin addicts say that it is hard for a couple weeks, but after that, it just takes a different and changed lifestyle that has nothing to do with heroin. If it is mental, he will have to learn to forget DXM and take a different path in life.
It could have to do with many things including something that he has that might be making him depend on the DXM...like he uses it as a crutch. This is all subconscious, mind you.
My guess is that it is a mental addiction. There might be something in his life that makes him use DXM as some sort of crutch. Or, the strength of the trip might bring about a sweet/sorrowful memory that is deep and haunting (like maybe a lost love, or a death). It could be the only thing he has to stay in touch with his memory. DXM can do this to many people that have certain problems (me included). There could also be something in the trip that is telling him something, I don't know what, but it could be possible. I'm not a psychologist, so I don't know for a fact. This is just a hunch of mine.
Some people, I've found, use DXM a lot when they're bored. I've actually seen this a lot. They get really bored and need something to entertain them. DXM, admittedly, is an awesome source of entertainment. It just takes will-power to stay away from it. Easier said than done. Believe me...I've had to use a lot of will-power in my time.
In reading this post, I view DXM as fire. Fire is great for cooking, and heat, and light, but it can burn your and scar you for life. Fire, though, isn't addictive. DXM, when used infrequently (at most, once a month) is okay. DXM when used more frequently could cause problems.
As for your staying away from DXM, I think you should do it. It shows a great person to know when there is trouble and to stay away from it. If you think that it could hurt you, then run miles away from it. May I suggest that you don't use drugs in front of him and also I suggest that you support him like a good friend should. I wish you luck in staying away from it, and I wish your friend triple luck in beating his problem.
Bob Wallace: Some people might find some humor in this statement ("...that I need to get as far away from drugs as possible [except shrooms, alcohol, pot, and the occasional acid]..."), but sure, you're cutting out some materials which can be used compulsively (especially ketamine) and cutting back on frequency.
DXM may not be physically addictive like opiates, but people can get into compulsive use of anything. If reality is giving him a hard time right now, trying to escape is a natural urge, even if not the most rational approach.
I haven't heard many reports of compulsive use of DXM (a few), but I have heard many about ketamine, and the effects are similar. As dissociative psychedelics, they do tend to separate one's mind from reality and its problems.
As far as things which might help:
Personal attention, in the form of counseling or a support group, can really help.
Getting more control over one's life, fixing the "fucked up stuff," can remove the basic problem and need to escape.
Just quitting is possible, though of course hard for many people. Some people taper off; some stop completely. Doing shrooms once a month together can be a way of controlling use, and tapering off for him.
Perhaps, if he "gives in" to DXM when there's "nothing else to do," he could get involved in other projects. Picking something where some small group of kind people is involved could also provide a support group. Hang in there!
Overall, we may never know the progress of this user's friend, but we all wish both of them the best of luck, and again I stress that DXM is not for everyone, and really the only way to know if it's OK for you is to try it first - and that is a decision that is all up to yourself. We are only hear to educate and inform you of what may and may not happen as a result of your decision. Good luck!
THE DANGERS OF REDOSING
by Anonymous
The one thing that should never be done with DXM is to redose after already having taken an initial dose. It's alright to take a booster dose if you want to make the first dose stronger, but never wait until after you're tripping to take yet another dose. Many people don't heed these warnings and they don't understand until after they've done it and they think they're going to die that it is a big no-no. Two friends of mine did it one night after I warned them against it. They did it anyway.
The next time I had heard from them, they told me how they had freaked out, especially Bob, who said that he had lost all depth perception (i.e., he looked up at the ceiling and put his hand in front of his face and it looked like his hand was touching the ceiling because everything appeared flat and 2-dimensional) and he felt very disoriented and thought he was going to die. It was probably the most fucked up he'd ever been. My other friend, who was with him at the time, wasn't liking the experience either.
The first time I redosed was on Coricidin. Not only did the DXM fuck me up worst but so did the antihistamine. I went through total hell that night, and it hurt both my eyes and gave me a sore throat (from the antihistamine). I also had a nasty case of acid reflux, and my DXM trips have never quite been the same since that terrible night.
William White talks of a Plateau Sigma that can be achieved from constantly redosing after you've started tripping, but I don't suggest it and don't know anyone who would. First of all, White admits that this plateau can be very dangerous (not to mention contact with alien beings, etc.) but it is not really a euphoric plateau. If anything, it's most like the 4th plateau in its undesirable effects. White admits in the FAQ that dose "boosting" and redosing are not recommended:
Generally speaking, taking a booster dose is not a good idea and probably won't do what you want. It is possible to jump from the first plateau to the second, and from the second to the third, with a booster dose. However, it doesn't always work, and generally speaking you can't sustain a given plateau (except the first plateau, although that's difficult).
With a great degree of practice, you can probably become adept at gauging how much DXM to take for a booster dose. However, it seems to take a lot of practice. You'd probably be better off picking the dosage at the beginning and sticking with it.
Besides, as the duration of the trip is extended with dose boosting or redosing, the dysphoric aspects of this experience increase, until eventually most people report feeling like the walking dead. Not to mention by extending the duration of the trip you are increasing the chance for adverse effects and brain damage.
The one exception to all this seems to be a first plateau dose, which (with practice) can be maintained for some time, leading to a prolonged stimulant effect. This is probably due to the dopamine reuptake inhibiting effect of DXM (absent with DXO), similar to that of bupropion (Wellbutrin) or cocaine. Prolonging this will, however, intensify the "crash" and is probably not a good idea.
So not only undesirable, redosing can be dangerous, leading to brain damage and other adverse effects. Almost anyone you talk to will not suggest doing it, and I strongly caution against it given my personal experiences.
MEASURING DXM POWDER
by RoboMatt, Ythan Burstein
As i've had a fair bit of experience lately with putting DXM powder into gelcaps, i thought i'd pass along what i've found to be the simplest way to do it quickly and accurately.
The supplies:
clean, flat surface -- i use the smooth underside of a large glass cutting board most of the time, but whatever you have... the nice thing about a surface with hard edges is that you can easily scrape any unused powder back into the container from whence it came.
empty gelcaps -- call your local health food stores or co-ops. i found high-quality 'OO' size caps at $22 for a thousand locally. this size is optimal, as it's hard to get more than 200-300mg into 'O' caps and you probably won't want to put much more than 400mg in a capsule, for various reasons which i will mention later.
a plastic card -- drivers license, credit card, whatever... you want something to break up any chunks and card stray powder back into the pile.
scale -- you do want to know how much is in there, don't you? i've used a number of different kinds of scales (digital and otherwise -- including a $400 coke scale) and the one i prefer above all others is a simple plastic twin-beam scale which shouldn't cost you more than $20. check out www.balances.com for just about anything you could want if you don't already have one and can't find 'em locally.
Directions:
first, wash your damn hands and make sure they're very dry.
zero out your scale with the larger half of an empty cap.
pour out a quantity of powder on your surface (more than enough -- it's a lot harder to work with small quantities) and card it into a fine powder. card it into a pile that's not more than 1/2" deep.
now, here's the trick: you're filling the larger half of the caps. take one and push it straight down into the pile. when you pull it back out, the powder should stay in the cap. repeat this process until you have the amount of powder you want in the cap. to keep it from spilling back out, you can pack it down simply by tapping the half-cap on your surface a couple of times. weigh it (don't put the other half on yet! you didn't zero the scale with both halves) and add/remove powder as needed.
once you've got it weighing the right amount, put the other half of the cap on and there you go. as you go, you'll get a pretty good eye for how much powder is right and you'll only have to weigh 'em once or twice. i've found that by using this method, two people (one filling caps, one weighing and closing 'em) can fill 100 caps in under 90 mins without rushing.
Notes:
Almost exclusively, i only make 200mg and 400mg caps. i put candy sprinkles in the 200mg ones so i can tell them apart (after weighing, of course!). the reasons for this are as follows:
(a) with combinations of the two, you can easily experiment with dosages to most of the documented plateaus without too much hassle;
(b) it's hard to get more than about 500mg in a 'OO' cap and 'OOO' caps are pretty hard to find from my experience; and,
(c) 200mg is perfect for most people to go to the 1st plateau and likewise for 400mg and the 2nd plateau. of course, with tolerance build-up, one may begin to need 600mg to go to the 2nd plateau, but we've got that covered, don't we?
Now, personally i like 200mg caps a lot. for some reason, taking multiple caps at one time seems to hit faster than one large cap. and there's an even better purpose for them: spacing out doses for varied effects. see, when you take the whole dose all at once, your body starts converting the DXM to DXO as it is taken into the system, leaving you with the standard balance of the two and the usual trip to follow. now, you quickly build up a tolerance to converting DXM to DXO, so if you space your doses out you can end up with much more DXM than DXO in your system, giving you a quite different trip. three 200mg caps spaced over 4-5 hours is very different from 600mg dropped at once. it's not nearly as disassociating, but tends to have much stronger psychological effects. music is much more interesting that way too, especially if some THC is introduced somewhere around the second cap (smiling to myself, remembering one of the Lilith Fair shows i saw that was particularly memorable). so all of you who've gotten bored with DXM now have a new game to try...
I'm certain that a number of you reading this must figure i'm selling this stuff like crazy, but i'm not. i don't deal at all. i've got a good job that pays well and don't need those risks. however, i've
talked to several people who do sell DXM on the street and report that 200mg doses sell for $5-$7 while 400mg doses sell from $7-$15, and apparently quite well too, i might add. check out bulk pricing and do the math and you'll realize that this is a hobby which can pay for itself if needed. 200mg can be loads of fun in a club and 400mg gives even the most jaded stoner/tripper a ride that he or she will not forget any time soon. DXM in caps seems to be a lot more user-friendly than drinking cough syrup, so the percentage of enjoyable experiences is quite a bit higher.
So that's about it -- can't think of much else to add. opinions are encouraged...
Ythan Burstein writes:
I used a "Calibron Precision Twin Beam Gram Scale" to measure DXM with excellent results...it can weigh up to 4 grams with accuracy down to 50 mg (not as precise as you wanted, but scales precise to .01 grams are expensive and unnecessary for DXM, where a reasonable margin of
error is 50 mgs or more). Best, it only costs $12.50. You can read more about it at http://www.balances.com/gem7.html#calibron.
As far as dividing the powder in half with a razor, this works great for small amounts! The thing is, I never order less than 50 grams because any smaller quantity simply isn't economical enough for me. DXM doesn't go "bad" or lose potency if stored properly, so I can take my time with it. I'd be sitting there a looong time with my razor blade if I was trying to divide 50 grams into 200 mg doses to cap it. =)
Be sure to check out the scale I mentioned... you definitely should! Besides being easier, weighing is more precise. You can control the level of trip much more accurately, and it's nice
to know exactly how much you took if you start to bug out.
THE OUIJA BOARD AND OTHER SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENON
by Gravol, Amy Nagle
The Ouija board is often regarded by many people as being highly powerful, spiritual, divine, and dangerous. The Ouija is a trademark for a board with the alphabet and other symbols on it, and a planchette that is thought, when touched with the fingers, to move in such a way as to spell out spiritualistic and telephathic messages on the board. Homemade boards are said to be more powerful than the store-bought kind, and using the board by oneself is considered extremely dangerous.
I have never really played on the board while on DXM, but I'm sure the results would be quite interesting if someone did. And since information is scarce on the board, I have included below several accounts of people's experiences with the Ouija board. These people were presumed sober at the time of use:
...I have played the ouija board about 5 times and nothing bad has ever happened to me. One time a spirit put out a candle because we asked it to. The same spirit also said that it was bad and not good but my sister told me the reason why it said that was because we should not have asked it that. I think the ouija board is very mystical and fun to use...
...My experiences with the Ouija board have been rather dull. The people with me didn't take it very serious and a lot of cheating went on. However, I had a friend who experienced poltergeist activity which lasted for weeks after playing with it. Bad smells, slamming doors, dogs barking at mid-air etc...
...Ok, have you or any one else who reads this ever heard of a spirit named Zevk? He said that was his name, but he told us numerous times that he was FEAR, TERROR, DREAD and that he wanted a body...
...Never play by yourself and if he threatens he wants your body then burn the board. If u want to get out of the board, pray psalms52 and burn it. Dont listen to the spirits. make sure you have gasoline a hole dug 1ft and a cross to pray with...
...Just to let you know alittle about the ouija board. If you don't really know what you are doing, you can really get into some real trouble. I have been using the ouija board for some years now and I haven't even gotten a good spirit for long. The story is that every ouija board comes with it's own spirit. Now I don't know if that is true for every one, but I'll tell you this much: it has certainly made a believer out of me. The problem is that the same spirit followed me through three boards. I know it sounds very strange, but it is very true. I would like to talk to you more about this. If after you and I have written or talked for awhile and you still want to do it, I'll help you get really started in the right direction. Just remember to be careful in what you do. You're not going to be playing a game here. This is definately for real no matter what anybody else says...
...I played the Ouija with a group of girlfriends this weekend. It was pretty pleasant. The first time we played it we talked to a spirit that would not tell us it's name. But like to play with us. We told it that we wanted to talk to another spirit and after a little coaxing it left. Right after that I told my girlfriend that we should pray and recite the 23rd Psalm. After doing so my father got on the board and that in itself was very emotional. After that everytime we use the board we'd pray and ask only for our spirit guides to come speak to us. My girlfriends mother got on the board and told her that she doesn't want her playing the board anymore that she should concentrate on reading her bible but that she loved her...
...Ouija is DEFINATELY NOT a toy. I had an experience with a Ouija when I was young. My mother saw one it a store and told me to touch it and ask it if I was good. When I did the thing moved....needless to say, being at a young age, I was scared to death. To this day, I will not touch or go near a Ouija board because of what I saw. I also believe that they shouldn't be available in the stores as 'a game' because it is NOT A GAME. It is serious business that should not be tampered with and is especially dangerous to be used alone. Don't tempt fate! Your mother is right for you to look to the Bible for your answers to your questions.....not to the demons that will try to possess you. I am not kidding around with this...and believe what I tell you. Ouija can lead to most certain destruction...
...I had a terrible experience with a Ouija board that started out as curiosity and turned into an addiction. I couldnt get enough.This lasted for 2 months, at the end me and my friend were hysterical. I have tried the board twice since then (why? stupidity) and it would not acknowledge me. Any one who has not yet..stay away!...
Of course, we have to look at this from a scientific point of view as well. Ouija boards, OBEs, etc. are all questionable events in which we may never know the true background of. It is up to the individual to decide for him or herself...we are only passing information along to help someone base a decision. The remaining information on Ouija boards in this article was quoted from a paper written by Amy Nagle from the University of Virginia:
Actually, a Ouija board might be more than just a game. According to Harper's Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience, a Ouija is a "board and pointer used for divination and by some as a means to contact spirits or entities."
The board includes the alphabet, numbers zero through nine, the words 'yes' and 'no' and a triangular message indicator with three felt-tipped legs. Players place their fingertips on the pointer and ask questions that are answered as the message indicator moves around the board.
Encyclopedia Americana says "parapsychologists hold open the possibility that extrasensory perception (ESP) is at work" when the Ouija board is used. But the encyclopedia parenthetically notes the movement of the message indicator may be attributed to the players' voluntary finger movement.
"Similar instruments were used to communicate with the dead" as early as 551 B.C., according to Harper's. The Ouija board remained a popular pastime through the late 19th century. Now available at most toy stores, Ouija boards are still popular.
In our age of capitalism, Parker Brothers has brought supernatural messages to the masses by manufacturing the board as a game called "Ouija, the Mystifying Oracle." Ken Johnson, stock and sales associate at Toys 'R' Us in Charlottesville said, "We sell at least two [Ouija boards] a week."
Reading directly from the packaging box, Johnson explained how to use the Ouija board. You can "ask it a question, and the mystifying oracle will reveal to you the answer," he said. Claiming never to have used a Ouija board, he admitted to watching friends use it. "It's fun to watch," he added.
Although unable to verify the functions or accuracy of a Ouija board, Johnson said, "Friends of mine back in high school say it works, although I don't know if that was them or the beer. I took it as a joke. I don't believe in the supernatural." But that self-proclaimed nonbeliever quickly recalled an incident involving a Ouija board. "The curtain moved, a door closed, and something fell off the shelf," he said. Johnson attributed the occurrences to wind, adding he has not thought much of it. Nevertheless, Johnson said it was on his mind. He said he was uncomfortable with totally denouncing the preternatural. "I believe there is something out there," he added. "I just haven't had any personal experiences ... I have to see it for myself."
Radford University junior Jennifer Kuszmaul was less hesitant than Johnson to admit her feelings about past experiences with Ouija boards. "They scared the crap out of me," Kuszmaul said. Having used a Ouija board when she was between 7 and 12 years old, she said, "I knew then that it was a tool used for talking to spirits." She acknowledged what she had used was only a toy but added, "I think Parker Brothers exploited old tools that were used, and those tools should have never been made into toys. "Enough bizarre things have happened that it makes me wonder," Kuszmaul said. She recalled a time when the Ouija board told her "there was a lady with three children in an old farm house on [Kuszmaul's] property, and she was stabbed to death by her husband. "I've never checked into whether the answers were correct because I was fearful that they might actually be true," she said. Kuszmaul also recalled some funny experiences she had while playing with a Ouija board. "I remember a slumber party at a friend's house," she said. "The board told us there was a ghost on the uneven parallel bars at a local gym. We all got frightened, threw the board and ran into another room where her mom was." Remembering slumber parties when she and her friends tried to hold seances and hypnotize each other, she added, "We tried bizarre things as young children."
Although Kuszmaul said those experiences were funny, she added, "I won't play with Ouija boards any more because they do scare me."
Third-year College student Pat Setji related a story about some of her friends using a Ouija board. "The board kept spelling out 'Kat,'" the name of a girl nobody thought was in the house, Setji said. "Then the board kept spelling out 'phone.'" Sure enough, although none of the girls claimed to have known, "Kat was upstairs on the phone," she said. When Kat came downstairs to participate, the board successfully spelled out her mother's maiden name when asked, she
added. "I don't know if I believe it or not," Setji said. Setji admitted to having played with a Ouija board once, but she said, "I knew my friend was moving it."
Many students have Ouija board stories to laugh about. Third-year College student Shannon Campbell said she did not believe in the power of Ouija boards. But she also admitted she got "really freaked out" a long time ago while she and some friends were playing with a Ouija board.
"We put it in the closet," she said. "We never touched it again." Given her skepticism about Ouija boards, such a strong reaction is curious. Maintaining her disbelief, Campbell probably spoke on behalf of many hesitant skeptics when she added, "It's weird that we can get freaked out by something in which we don't even believe."
As far as other supernatural occurrences and divination devices, something many people don't know about is automatic writing. This is also known as automatism, and it is defined as "the suspension of consciousness in order to express subconscious ideas and feelings."
Basically what automatic writing is, is simply going into a trance of some sort after placing a pen in your hand and a piece of paper in front of you, and using your subconscious to write on it. To prepare, place a pen in your hand and have several sheets of paper in front of you, preferably at a desk or in your bed (perhaps using a clipboard).
You have to go into some sort of a trance (either inducing this through meditation with DXM, self-hypnosis, etc.). After you are in a trance, your hand is supposed to start writing on the sheet of paper. Keep in mind that you are not consciously controling your hand, thus you probably won't even feel it writing and if you do it should feel as if someone or something is writing through you. When you are finished, you should have a piece of paper with a bunch of strange sentences on it.
Now, you may argue that it is just your subconscious mind controling your hand to write without your conscious mind knowing, and that may very well be true, however, there are many strange unexplainable things that have resulted from automatic writing:
Often times, different handwriting comes out that does not appear that it came from you.
Words may come out backwards/upside down, which is just about impossible to do consciously. One individual could only read what he wrote by holding the piece of paper up to a mirror, upside down.
Different languages may be written out.
Pictures may be drawn, elaborately, by people that are far from having any artistic ability.
Ideas and general knowledge that the individual does not know have been known to surface throughout the writings.
What kinds of things are said? It could be anything, really. Sometimes it's coded in a different language... but usually it's written out in English. Perhaps the same stuff that comes out is also the same thing that would come out from using a Ouija board.
Despite being unheard of by most the population, automatic writing has been famous in both books and movies. Stephen King based a novel on it when he wrote The Dark Half. In it, the main character goes into trances and scribbles out writings of a murderer. Many stories of hauntings include someone using automatic writing to contact the spirits, and usually the things that come about from the writings are very negative (i.e., death threats, etc.) and may be just as disturbing as using the Ouija board.
However, besides the typical information found in encyclopedias, ghost stories, and novels, I have never actually talked to someone that has done it. It may be very difficult to do, or require a lot of practice. When I tried it on DXM, nothing came about. But I didn't exactly spend a lot of time on it. Perhaps I wasn't in a deep enough trance.
As far as automatic writing goes, it has been well-documented as being real. There is plenty of proof to support its existance. However, the real question is who is really writing the stuff: the subconscious mind or some spirit that writes through the person holding the pen.
People claim that you can also sit at the keyboard and obtain the same results (automatic typing). But like I said, it as not come easy for me and the only information I have ever read on it comes from reference information obtainable in the library, not from friends' accounts. I encourage you to try it, and if you know of anyone who has successfully been able to do it, please let me know, and I will publish their experiences in an upcoming issue.
LILLIPUTIAN HALLUCINATIONS AND OTHER UNCANNY OCCURRENCES
by Anonymous
Lilliputian Hallucinations are often associated with two different characteristics of a DXM trip. Some people refer to them as the feeling of perceiving small figures or people around them, disfigured and unparallel perspectives, or the feeling of shrinking down to a subatomic particle.
Others refer to it as a phase of the Dissociative Spiral, which will be later discussed.
The term Lilliputian refers to a satire by Jonathan Swift (1726). Lemuel Gulliver, an Englishman, travels to exotic lands, including Lilliput (where the people are six inches tall), Brobdingnag (where the people are seventy feet tall), and the land of the Houyhnhnms (where horses are the intelligent beings, and humans, called Yahoos, are mute brutes of labor). Probably the most famous image from this book is of the tiny Lilliputians having tied down the sleeping giant, Gulliver.
Some people simply report that the room's measurements and perspectives are almost cartoon-like. It's like being in a room that was originally drawn by a child. The rules of physics don't always apply, and you may have a general sense of being shrunken down to a mere atom. If this happens, the best thing to do is to stay calm. One person even noted that small little men were walking around him and he felt that he had discovered a small race of tiny humans.
Whatever the case may be, it is definitely something more substantial than just the typical dissociative effects that DXM offers. According to White, Lilliputian Hallucinations are the second phase of the Dissociative Spiral:
After shrinking down to a proton, the Lilliputian Hallucinations begin. Everything that one imagines or recalls seems grossly distorted in size. Human figures alternate between tall and thin and stretched out like taffy, and shrunken and rounded. Many people see long, thin ribbons and multicolored energy.
There is a disturbing sense of Infinity with these hallucinations. Most find this phase extremely grating on the soul, mentally painful, perhapse because one is perceiving objects to have totally opposite characteristics at once. Some people are familiar with Lilliputian Hallucinations from fevers.
After the Lilliputian stage of the Dissociative Spiral, one experiences alternating veils of light and darkness. Most people also find this stage equally unpleasant. Anything beyond this stage is extremely rare, but may also be the most amazing (a few people have reported contact with a great being, a white light, etc.).
What causes this? White believes it may have something to do with the functioning or result of some abnormal functioning of the temporal lobes. A lobe is simply a subdivision of a bodily organ or part bounded by fissures, connective tissue, or other structural boundaries. The lower lateral lobe of either cerebral hemisphere is the temporal lobe, located in front of the occipital lobe and containing the sensory center of hearing in the brain. Not a whole lot is known about this process and how it may cause such hallucinations, but White states that it may or may not be due to the release of endopsychosin.
For anyone who has experienced such phenomenon, they may find it very profound on their trip, and it is not always a pleasurable experience. Any information you may have on this should be sent to the editor of the zine, and will be published in a future issue, as not a whole lot is known about the Dissociative Spiral. Just thought I'd pass along to you some of more interesting aspects of DXM.
DXM HANGOVERS...AVOIDING AND ALLEVIATING
by William White
Hangovers from DXM trips are not common at lower dosage ranges (first and second plateau). Instead, many people report feeling energetic and refreshed the next day, although it seems that getting enough sleep is important here.
At higher dosage levels (third and fourth plateau), hangovers are more frequent. Hangover effects reported consist of lethargy, sleepiness, amotivation, mild sensory dissociation, muscle rigidity, muscle tics (especially in the jaw and hands), dizziness, loss of balance, headache, photophobia, and sharply diminished sense of taste. Some people say that everything tastes like slightly salty tepid water, or like MSG (monosodium glutamate, the flavor enhancer). Note that you're very unlikely to get all, or even most, of these symptoms.
Some of the hangover effects from high dosage trips is probably due to residual DXM or dextrorphan, especially in individuals who lack P450-2D6, or in whom it is inhibited (e.g., by fluoxetine). To my knowledge there doesn't seem to be any way to speed up metabolism; the best I can suggest is to exercise, drink plenty of water, take a multivitamin every day (don't overdo it, one is plenty) and possibly a small iron supplement (which just might increase cytochrome turnover), get enough sleep, and eat right. Don't take too much iron; iron is very toxic.
Other hangover effects may be due to neurotransmitter depletion (due to induction of 5HT and dopamine release), temporary inactivation of NMDA receptors (I doubt it, but there's been speculation), or just plain lack of sleep. Again, treating your body well is probably the best you can do.
Finally, there is evidence that, for 24 to 48 hours following use of a dissociative, certain parts of the brain are underactive (probably due to neurotransmitter depletion). There's not much you can do except tough it out. Obviously, you shouldn't use DXM unless you have a day to recover.
Preventing hangovers may be possible to some degree. Certainly, make sure you are in good physical condition to start with, and don't try to stay up too late during your trip. Drink plenty of fluids (it is possible to get dehydrated; this can slow down the kidneys), and don't mix DXM with anything that could further deplete neurotransmitters (e.g., amphetamines, MDMA, etc.). Try to avoid going to sleep while still tripping hard - it seems to reduce the quality of sleep. Eat something before you go to sleep; usually DXM kills the appetite, so you may not know your body needs food.
Another possibility is the use of nootropics ("Smart Drugs") to help prevent and alleviate hangovers. A good place to start for information is alt.psychoactives (although, like any source on the Internet, take any information with a grain of salt and ask for medical journal references); another good place is Dean and Morganthaler's text on the subject. A healthy dose of skepticism is probably a good idea here; some of it might be placebo effect. There's evidence for and against it; check Medline if you're interested. Note that unless otherwise specified, everything I mention should be available at health-food or mail-order vitamin suppliers (this is USA; I don't know about other countries).
Several people have reported beneficial effects from cholinergics, specifically choline (the precursor to acetylcholine), and DMAE (also a precursor, and a choline oxidase inhibitor). In both cases the bitartrate salt seems to be the usual (there is a liquid DMAE para-aminobenzoic acid formulation that tastes nasty and evidently doesn't work). Note that some people with depression, primarily endogenous, react very poorly to cholinergics. Also note that they can make you really, really irritable if you're susceptible. Regular use of DMAE seems to be the most effective, although that's something that you have to build up for a couple of weeks (Dean and Morganthaler suggest around 800 mg per day of DMAE in divided doses).
One-time use of DMAE or choline immediately before, during, or after the trip has also been reported to work, (in that order of preference), although not as well. Recommendations given to me have been 800 mg DMAE, or 1500 mg choline; in either case with 350 mg vitamin B-5 (pantothenic acid) which acts as the relevant cofactor here. Don't go much above that.
There is some preliminary evidence that supplementary tyrosine (the precursor to dopamine and noradrenaline) may actually be useful in the case of dopamine depletion. Normally, the rate-limiting enzyme in the process is nearly saturated, so boosting tyrosine doesn't work. It's hypothesized that more enzyme may be produced in response to dopamine depletion. Furthermore, sigma activity may enhance synthesis of dopamine, so taking supplemental tyrosine is even more likely to be a good idea.
A side note...for whatever reason, nootropics fans seem to be abnormally fond of using phenylalanine instead of tyrosine. Phenylalanine does convert to tyrosine, but it's a very slow, limited conversion, and there's no good reason for choosing phenylalanine over tyrosine.
Vasopressin might also be useful; it seems to have a fair amount of success in combating intoxicants, possibly by affecting long-term potentian (how I don't know). It's prescription in the USA, and it does have side effects.
One final note - do not take tryptophan! Although this isn't established, it's possible that NMDA receptors may be upregulated after a DXM trip (especially in chronic users). Tryptophan, in addition to leading to 5HT, also leads (along a much more efficient pathway) to a substance called quinolinic acid, which is very toxic to neurons, and acts via NMDA receptors.
Hope this helps.
THE WRITINGS OF A MADMAN...DXM WRITINGS
by various authors
Gravol writes:
I have taken some writings from Greendrag's page by several different people which were written under the influence of DXM to give you some more examples of DXM-influenced literature. I have since the last issue written two more short poems under the influence of the drug (with the first one about my former job and the second...I don't even know):
Endless nights strike my mind
A masterpiece that you may find
In the morning, only to distort,
Destroy, and confine
Me to this place of Hell, with
All your trouble and your things
Left behind for me to clean.
...
Complete. Powerful.
Totally commensensical.
Absolutely cosmogonical.
Never hypothetical.
Nor hypocritical.
Only logical, theatrical,
Mystical...critical.
...
The following excerpts were taken from Greendrag's web page regarding the creative side of DXM and are simply excerpts of essays. He states that "Some are very deep and serious, some are just hilarious, some are insane." You may also preview artwork drawn under the influence of DXM on his page, located at http://www.third-plateau.lycaeum.org.
Leather. "Twelve visions exist for the enlightened as true paths of higher spiritual guidance. In the factual mattering, spiritual guidance from a higher source can be obtained from any path. Twelve specific paths will give proven results for those searching the past. The future is given only in an un-explored path and the present is the path (Groove) you are in now."
A Short Essay on Life. "I picture...a big leather couch and a nice shiny car in the driveway and a swimming pool and sandbox and CD's and a happy yet slightly goofy family surrounding me in suburbia far far away from here with birds and squirrells and a blond haired kid that calls me dad and owning a house and liking my job and not having to worry about crime and divorce and death and how to pay for everything..."
An Essay from 10-26-97. "My brain is simply a tiny dot in this infinate universe. I am melting into my dreams. My mind is a vast plane that needs to be explored. Travel down a road of green and purple spirals, take the chance, fall from the cliff...JUMP!"
Below are simply poems, etc. taken from Greendrag's page. He coins the term "Roboetry" to describe this sort of poetry.
Mad Hatter: "And exactly then I decided to take a drink from a fountain and a knife from the night when I decided to learn to become the thing I fear most. Comatose. Coma Toast, Coma Ghost. Roller Coaster on the coast of my soul and the ghost in my bowl of Shakespeare's head and a long line of dead red bled ancestry, tread on me and I will bite you. Turn the screw and I will construct you. Destruct you. Reconstruction surgery plastic fake nail lake of fire hooker bobcat television comedy manipulate love glove sludge fudge bar diet program recipient failure fake lake bake career farmer college man guy. Ridiculous Anyway."
YeastToad: "It got to the point where I bought like 4 boxes to last me a week, and the lady started calling me dimatapp. I know what you are thinking, "what a loser, what an addict" well you're wrong so shut up! Here is an example of how it affects me creatively when on it: One night, I was on 24 tablets, which is 2 boxes (I do not recomend execeeding 2 boxes, for health purposes) and I
walked in to the local 24 hour winn-dixie, to buy some Dimatapp for the next day or so. I walked up to the counter where the same lady that always sells it to me was stationed, and she finally said to me "Boy, what on Earth are you doing with all of this Dimatapp you keep buying?" I swiftly
responded, while heavily influenced by the DXM, " well you know lady (in a King Of the Hill Mr. Anderson voice), It isn't for me, It is for my pet chimpanzee named Shela, that I keep in my basement locked up in a cage, ::::begining to Cry:::: She's my best friend". The lady interrupted me and threatned To call the animal rights bitches, for shoving Dimatapp down this monkeys throat. So I continued, still crying (fake tears, but LOOKED very real) "No, you don't understand, see, I am only 17, and I am a naturally born chemist, I have a chemistry lab in my basement, and I found a chemical in the Dimatapp that is most easily extracted from the gel caps, that could very
well be saving Shela's life from a dreadful case of sicle cell anemia." I then told her about this long extensive process that I go through each time that I buy the DXM. It was very creative if I do say so myself. I don't think that she bought it, but she doesn't ever ask me questions, when I buy items from her line anymore."
Snowman:
The toothless mouth grips the ciggarette as the spit rolls down,
And the smoke and air and water mix
Mix
Makes a sickening smell
The air grows thicker as the walls close in
The blade (the blade) has cut my skin so thin
So thin
Would you take my dare?
My dare.
The sky the sky has turned so black that even the wretched cry for the sun
Dust and dirt swirl and whirl as the damned brace for the run
The run
The sky the sky has turned so black that even the bats cry for the sun
Ring around the roses I got a pocket full of posies,
ashes to ashes we all fall down
Fall Down!
Dust to dust!
On down
On down
On down
On down!
...
Would it be odd
If I said,
I want to be God?
It's everyones dream to be
Work
Do
A bug in my ear
Too many drugs
Not enough hugs
Faking being thugs
Thinking of the past
As if it would last
Wondering when it will end
When will the past end
and the future begin?
Now?
Escape to a place
where the pen is unknown
I am
Zap
Why does everything have to be bad?
New me
She isn't she
My head says-Ho!
A voice alone
Without a phone
Will it end
Or will I kill a friend?
Kill is a bad bad word
I've gone back in time tonight
It's all good
Fantasies of a wierdo
Go-go
I will have her
I will
There is no such thing as forever
And if you're not done draining you're brain by now you're not very clever.
...
Robofreak:
i lay awake and dream.
dream of what could be,
or of what should of been.
meybe if i lay awake for ever
i will never leave this place.
the music is another place.
a highway to a distant world
where only thought can survive.
meybe if i lay awake forever
i can stay in this place.
we all gave what we had.
there was nothing left to give.
there was nothing left at all.
meybe if i lay awake forever
nobody will find this place.
it was everybody for themselves.
that world of reality was crashing
down like the evening tide.
meybe if i lay awake forever
i can die in this place.
...
Please note that the above poems and essays (with the exception of mine) are all copyrighted from The Third Plateau. I give my warm appreciation to Greendrag and trust that he doesn't have a problem with these excerpts being published.
INFO ON ORDERING PURE DXM POWDER
from compiled information
Currently, there are many DXM suppliers that will ship to private individuals. They do not condone recreational use and will only ship for research purposes. Listed below is some basic information on them taken off the Internet. For a more precise review of these suppliers,
see Issue 1.
Wanman Enterprises:
Prices
50g......$100
100g.....$180
200g.....$325
500g.....$650
1Kg.....$1000
All prices include shipping and handling.
Shipping
Will only ship to the US, Canada, and England. I ship all orders within 24 hours (Sundays excluded). USPS Priority Mail (2-3 day).
Address
WANMAN Enterprises
7620 Vance Rd.
Kernersville, NC 27284
Please send money-orders or certified checks. Please enclose a letter stating that you want x grams of DXM.
Internet
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Sunset PH:
Prices
15g..........$45
30g..........$75
50g..........$99
The price includes shipping within the US only.
Shipping
We accept international orders by payment of an international money order only. International orders must add US$5 additional for shipping.
Address
SUNSET PH.
PO Box 180684
Austin, TX 78718-0684
USA
Please send us an email with your address before you send your money so we can have your order prepared beforehand.
Internet
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Biogenesis Laboratories:
Prices
10g..........$60.00
50g..........$90.00
100g........$160.00
200g........$300.00
Forms of payment accepted (in most currencies): cash (not recommended), bank draft, postal order, IMO, SWIFT transfer, Western Union, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club. All prices include airmail delivery to anywhere in the world.
Biogenesis also sells ketamine HCl:
10g..........$235.00
This includes postage. For legitimate researchers only. May be illegal to purchase if you live in the United States...please check state laws.
Shipping
No information known.
Address
Biogenesis Laboratories
PO Box 1329
Sedgefield
6573
South Africa
Fax: 27-44-883-1007
Internet
Visit their web site at http://www.pix.za/biogenesis/. Orders can be emailed to [email protected]
Chemical Resale of Santa Barbara:
Prices
Check their web site for their current prices, since they tend to change from time to time.
Shipping
No information known.
Address
Chemical Resale of Santa Barbara
6 Harbor Way Suite #171
Santa Barbara, CA 93109-2353
Internet
Visit CRSB's site at http://www.sb.net/wirehead. Orders can also be emailed to [email protected]
DXM MUSIC AND MOVIE REVIEWS
by Gravol, William White
In this issue we will explore several types of music and even a few films that are exceptional on DXM. First, a review of what many people believe is a great album to trip on, the Beatles' White Album, simply titled The Beatles. This review was taken from the London Observer around November of 1968, written by Tony Palmer, a journalist and film-maker of some special distinction:
If there is still any doubt that Lennon and McCartney are the greatest song writers since Schubert, then next Friday- with the publication of the new Beatles double LP- should surely see the last vestiges of cultural snobbery and bourgeois prejudice swept away in a deluge of joyful music making, which only the ignorant will not hear and only the deaf will not acknowledge. Called simply The Beatles (PMC 7067/8), it's wrapped in a plain white cover which is adorned only be the song titles and those four faces, faces which for some still represent the menace of long-haired youth, for others the great hope of a cultural renaissance and for others the desperate, apparently endless struggle against cynical so-called betters.
In the Beatles' eyes, as in their songs, you can see the fragile fragmentary mirror of the society which sponsored them, which interprets and makes demands of them, and which punishes them when they do what others reckon to be evil...
It's not as if the Beates ever seek such adulation. The extra-ordinary quality of the 30 new songs is one of simple happiness. The lyrics overflow with a sparkling radiance and sense of fun that it is impossible to resist. Almost every track is a send-up of a send-up of a send-up, rollicking, reckless, gentle, magical. The subject matter ranges from piggies, to Bungalow Bill of Saturday morning film-show fame; from 'Why don't we do it in the road' to 'Savoy Truffle.'
The skill at orchestration has matured with finite precision. Full orchestra, brass, solo violin, glockenspiel, saxophone, organ, piano, harpsichord, all manner of percussion, flute, sound effects, are used sparingly and thus with deftness.
Electronic gimmickry has been suppressed or ignored in favour of musicianship. The Beatles are competent rahter than virtuoso instrumentalists- but their ensemble playing is intuitive and astonishing. They bend and twist rhythms and phrases with a unanimous freedom that gives their harmonic adventures the frenzy of anticipation and unpredictability. The voice- particularly that of Lennon- is just another instrument, wailing, screeching, mocking, weeping.
There is a quiet determination to be rid of the bogus intellectualisation that usually surrounds them and their music. The words are almost deliberately simple-minded. The music is likewise stripped of all but the simplest of harmonies and beat- so what is left is a prolific out-pouring of melody, music-making of unmistakable clarity and foot-tapping beauty.
The sarcasm and bitterness that have always given their music its unease and edginess still bubbles out. The harshness of the imagery is, if anything, even harsher. Black birds, black clouds, broken wings, lizards, destruction. And, most grotesque of all, there is a terrifying track just called 'Revolution 9,' which comprises sound effects, overheard gossip, backwards-tapers, janglings from the subconscious memories of a floundering civilisation. Cruel, paranoiac, burning, agonised, hopeless, it is given shape by an anonymous bingo voice which just goes on repeating 'Number nine, number nine, number nine'- until you want to scream. McCartney's drifting melancholy overhangs the entire proceedings like a purple veil of shadowy optimism- glistening, inaccessible, loving.
At the end, all you do is stand and applaud. Whatever your taste in popular music, you will find it satisfied here. This record took them five months to make and in case you think that's slow going, just consider that since its completion they've written another 15 songs. Not even Schubert wrote at that speed.
Gravol writes:
Of the White Album, I'd have to say my favorite songs are Glass Onion; Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da; The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill; While My Guitar Gently Weeps; Happiness Is A Warm Gun; I'm So Tired; Sexy Sadie; Long, Long, Long; Honey Pie; and Good Night. Definitely check this album out!
Melph, from the IRC channel #Dxm, is becoming a popular musician. He will be reviewed in an upcoming issue. Until then, if you'd like to contact him I'm sure he'll send you out some samples- I hear they're great to trip on. Contact [email protected] to reach him.
Here are a few music reviews:
Group: Beastie Boys
Album: Ill Communication
Info: Yet another fine Beastie Boys album to trip to. I like it better on acid... really fucks with your head.
Group: Beethoven
Album: Greatist Hits
Info: Such a generic Greatist Hits album from RCA, but it includes most of his classics like Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata.
Group: The Doors
Album: The Doors
Info: Their self-titled debut album from 1967, has a few awesome songs on it like Light My Fire, Alabama Song, and the dark epic The End.
Group: Jimi Hendrix
Album: Vol. 1 (Greatest Artist Series)
Info: Some rare instrumental Hendrix stuff. Includes Bring My Baby Back and Miracle Worker. Might be hard to find but definitely a must-get if you like Hendrix stuff.
Group: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin II
Info: Another good Zeppelin album... contains a lot of classic stuff. I still like their first one better though. Also check out the newly-released BBC Recordings... lots of previously unreleased stuff.
Group: John Lennon
Album: Imagine
Info: Probably one of the best Lennon albums... along with probably his best song Imagine. Also includes some other classics.
Group: Pink Floyd
Album: A Saucerful of Secrets
Info: A great early Floyd album from the late 60's. Includes Corporal Clegg (which sounds somehow related to Sgt Pepper) and the long, terrorizing piece Saucerful Of Secrets, which'll make you think you're in a haunted house. Contains a lot of neat classic stuff.
Group: Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Album: Live Rust
Info: The second half is my favorite. This was done live, and includes such the classics Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane, and Hey Hey, My My.
I also have some reviews of movies I have seen on DXM. Some of the more interesting include:
Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson. Won best picture for 1995 (with Shawshank Redemption coming in second). I first watched this on New Year's Day 1997, early in the morning on a medium dose of DXM and fell in love with it ever since. Probably my favorite movie of all times.
Hudsucker Proxy, starring Tim Robbins and Paul Newman. A rare film, has a distinct style all of its own which is apparent with or without DXM. However, on DXM the movie becomes very sophisticated and weird, however soothing and interesting. It's set in 1958 and not in reality. Definitely worth seeing at least once. One of the 'weirder' movies, if you will.
Schindler's List, which won best picture for 1994. A very good movie, and with DXM you'll pick up on its very striking and emotional theme. Just listening to the music alone makes you think you're back in Germany during the war. Very powerful.
The Wall, which is a movie adaption to Pink Floyd's hit album of the same name. If you want weird movies, this is definitely one. Many people trip out to this on acid, but it'd probably be cool on DXM as well.
There's also a lot of weird movies from the sixties and seventies, like Clockwork Orange and other demented delights, which will be reviewed in future issues. Jason Rudolf is an expert on weird foreign films and will be reviewing a couple of his favorites in future issues as well. The above movies are just examples of the more popular films out there. Look for more next time!
A Titanic Epic
Never when I saw the film Titanic, directed by James Cameron, did I ever expect such a great movie. It is probably now my favorite film, and it's also the most expensive film in history. But that's ok... the money that I spent to go see it was well spent.
Rolling Stone mag calls it the best movie of the year in its latest issue. Here's what else it said:
"Titanic is thrilling in ways that no other movie in 1997 dared to be. Cameron, as director, writer, producer and editor, sticks his neck out, way out, in combining his romantic fiction with a real-life tragedy. On April 15, 1912, five days after embarking on its maiden voyage, from England to New York, the unsinkable Titanic went down off the coast of Newfoundland, leaving 1,500 of its 2,200 passengers dead. Cameron wants to astonish us with the sights hitherto unseen and to fill us with pity and terror. Visually, he does both. From the moment the largest floating object ever built hits that iceberg, we are confronted with images that will leave jaws dropping in wonder that, yes, movies can do this. Cameron built a replica of the Titanic 90 percent to scale in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, and reproduced the original interiors down to the silverware, wallpaper and carpeting...
"We are drawn in by DiCaprio and Winslet, who play the lovers with vibrancy and feeling. After a contrived meeting he borrows a tux intended for the son of Molly Brown (Kathy Bates is a bawdy delight in too brief a role) and charms Rose at the captain's table with his philosophy about "making every day count." Later, Rose boldly asks Jack to sketch her in the nude, wearing only a priceless blue diamond, a gift from her fiance, Cal (Billy Zane). In a Renault touring car tucked away in the ship's storeroom, Jack trembles as he and Rose make love for the first time. When the iceberg hits, Jack has been falsely arrested for stealing the diamond, and Rose - rivaling the determination shown by Linda Hamilton in Cameron's Terminator - braves flood and fire to get him out of handcuffs. Cameron's rep as just a hard-ass director is belied by Titanic and a closer look at the tender relationships in such films as Aliens and Abyss.
"Titanic skimps on details about the ship's crew, the shortage of lifeboats and the distress signals that went unheeded, to keep the audience emotionally invested in Jack and Rose. But despite Cameron's claims that David Lean's Doctor Zhivago is his model, Titanic is far more than a sweeping romantic epic.
"The film opens and closes with present-day scenes of Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett, a treasure hunter who uses a submersible vehicle to dive two and a half miles beneath the Atlantic to shoot the rusted ruins of the Titanic. Cameron made that dive himself, using robo-cameras to shoot inside the ship. Those haunting shots of staterooms, fireplaces and chandeliers are in the film, and when Cameron dissolves from their ghostly visage to a vivid re-creation, the effect is breathtaking.
"Brock Lovett, of course, is interested in more than aesthetics. He wants to find the blue diamond that Rose wore the night Jack drew her. To that end, he enlists the aid of Rose, now 102 and played, beautifully, by Gloria Stuart. Without giving away the film's secrets, it's fair to say that Cameron sees himself in Brock the profiteer and in Jack the artist, who knows you can't be in it just for the money.
"For Cameron, Titanic is an attempt to raise pop entertainment to the level of art. The film is strongest when its images are most harsh: the great ship cracking in two, its stern standing nearly straight up with passengers clinging to its sides before plunging into the sea; Molly Brown failing to persuade the passengers in her lifeboat to risk their lives to save others; and that final moonless night, the sea teeming with life-jacketed passengers - faces blue and throats raw from screaming for help before hypothermia reduces them to silent, floating corpses.
"Cameron, the ultimate technocrat and the owner of the company that created the great digital effects for Titanic, has made a historical film that speaks to right now about the dangers of blind faith in technology. In an early scene, Jack and Rose stand on the bow of the ship, stretching their arms out to sea, oblivious of the 47,000 tons of steel beneath them. They're flying high on youthful optimism, unaware of the greed and arrogance that will bring the ship down. Cameron is aware. The sight of the said ruin of the Titanic got to him. It'll get to you, too."
I went to see the film the first time sober, and it had such a deep emotional impact on me that I had to go back and see it again with a friend on DXM. All I can say is wow. You actually feel like you're on board the ship... your heart is thumping, your fists clenched into a sweaty pulp, your breath held in utter suspense... the images are haunting, the characters so real, and to know this really happened in the past is perhaps the most striking aspect of the film. The love story will capture you, and the sinking will astound you. It may be the most expensive film ever made, but I also believe it is the best film ever made, and I hope it gets Best Picture for 1997, like my other favorite Braveheart did for 1995.
Finally...
Finally, I would like to quote one of my favorite Lennon songs not only because of its soothing melody, but of its striking resemblance to a DXM trip (how past memories come up and how you seem to lose control) and how I feel towards my current girlfriend (too many times I have made her cry)...
I was dreaming of the past
And my heart was beating fast
I began to lose control
I began to lose control...
I didn't mean to hurt you
I'm sorry that I made you cry
I didn't want to hurt you
I'm just a jealous guy.
-John Lennon, Jealous Guy
Contributions in this section by ZMalloc and William White will appear in the next issue. Stay tuned.
VARIOUS DXM SOURCES
from The Physicians' Desk Reference for Non-Prescription Drugs
Note: Acetaminophen is very deadly. DXM products which contain this substance can kill very easily. The original list contained products containing Acetaminophen but in order to shorten the list we have taken those products out and included all other DXM-containing products.
Included below are 47 non-prescription medications containing various forms of DXM. Listed are the active ingredients, any relative notes or cautions, and a rating of the medication. Ratings are based on the amount of DXM in the medication and if any harmful ingredients are available. Ratings range from one * to 4 *'s, with no *'s being the worst rating; if something is rated with no *'s, you should avoid taking it, probably because of the presence of Acetaminophen in the medication or very low amounts of DXM.
1. Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine
by Miles Consumer
Active Ingredients (per tablet): Aspirin 325mg,
Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2mg, Phenylpropanolamine
Bitartrate 20mg, DXM HBr 10mg.
Notes: In water the aspirin is converted into its
soluble ionic form, sodium acetylsalicylate.
Rating: *
2. Alka-Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
by Miles Consumer
Active Ingredients (per tablet): Aspirin 500mg,
Doxylamine Succinate 6.25mg, Phenylpropanolamine
Bitartrate 20mg, DXM HBr 15mg.
Notes: In water the aspirin is converted into its
soluble ionic form, sodium acetylsalicylate.
Doxylamine Succinate is an antihistamine.
Rating: **
3. Benylin Adult Formula Cough Suppressant
by WARNER WELLCOME
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 15mg.
Rating: **
4. Benylin Expectorant
by WARNER WELLCOME
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 5mg,
Guaifenesin 100mg.
Notes: Guaifenesin may cause nausea in high doses.
Rating: *
5. Benylin Multisymptom
by WARNER WELLCOME
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 5mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg, Guaifenesin 100mg.
Rating: *
6. Benylin Pediatric Cough Suppressant
by WARNER WELLCOME
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 7.5mg.
Rating: *
7. Buckley's Mixture
by W.K. Buckley
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 12.5mg
in a sugar-free base.
Rating: **
8. Cerose DM
by Wyeth-Ayerst
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 15mg,
Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4mg, Phenylephrine HCl 10mg,
Alcohol 2.4%.
Rating: **
9. Cheracol-D Cough Formula
by Roberts
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 10mg,
Guaifenesin 100mg, Alcohol 4.75%.
Rating: *
10.Cheracol Plus Cough Syrup Multisymptom Cough/Cold Formula
by Roberts
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 20mg,
Phenylpropanolamine HCl 25mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4mg,
Alcohol 8%.
Rating: *
11.Children's Vicks NyQuil Cold/Cough Relief
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 15mg,
Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2mg, Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg.
Rating: *
12.Coricidin Cough & Cold Tablets
by Schering-Plough HealthCare
Active Ingredients (per tablet): Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4mg,
DXM HBr 30mg.
Rating: ***
13.Cough X Lozenges
by Ascher
Active Ingredients (per lozenge): DXM HBr 5mg, Benzocaine 2mg.
Rating: *
14.Dimetapp DM Elixir
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Brompheniramine
Maleate 2mg, Phenylpropanolamine HCl 12.5mg, DXM HBr 10mg.
Rating: **
15.Dorcol Children's Cough Syrup
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Pseudoephedrine
HCl 15mg, Guaifenesin 50mg, DXM HBr 5mg.
Rating: *
16.Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps (No longer available)
by Schering-Plough HealthCare
Active Ingredients (per softgel): DXM HBr 30mg.
Rating: ****
17.Drixoral Cough + Congestion Liquid Caps
by Schering-Plough HealthCare
Active Ingredients (per softgel): DXM HBr 30mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 60mg.
Rating: **
18.Novahistine DMX
by SmithKline Beecham Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 10mg,
Guaifenesin 100mg, Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg.
Rating: *
19.PediaCare Cough-Cold Liquid
by McNeil Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Chlorpheniramine Maleate
1mg, Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg, DXM HBr 5mg.
Rating: *
20.PediaCare Night Rest Cough-Cold Liquid
by McNeil Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Chlorpheniramine Maleate
1mg, Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg, DXM HBr 7.5mg.
Rating: *
21.Pediatric Vicks 44d Dry Hacking Cough & Head Congestion
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 15mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg.
Rating: *
22.Pediatric Vicks 44e Chest Cough & Chest Congestion
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 10mg,
Guaifenesin 100mg.
Rating:
23.Pediatric Vicks 44m Cough & Cold Relief
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 15mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2mg.
Rating: *
24.Robitussin Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per softgel): Guaifenesin 200mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg, DXM HBr 10mg.
Rating: *
25.Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough Suppressant
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 15mg.
Rating: ****
26.Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough & Cold
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 15mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 30mg.
Rating: **
27.Robitussin Pediatric Cough & Cold Formula
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 7.5mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg.
Rating: *
28.Robitussin Pediatric Cough Suppressant
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 7.5mg.
Rating *
29.Robitussin-CF
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Guaifenesin 100mg,
Phenylpropanolamine HCl 12.5mg, DXM HBr 10mg.
Rating: *
30.Robitussin-DM
by A.H. Robins Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Guaifenesin 100mg,
DXM HBr 10mg.
Rating: *
31.Sucrets 4-Hour Cough Suppressant
by SmithKline Beecham Consumer
Active Ingredients (per lozenge): DXM HBr 15mg.
Rating: **
32.Sudafed Cough Syrup
by WARNER WELLCOME
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Pseudophedrine
HCl 15mg, DXM HBr 5mg, Guaifenesin 100mg.
Rating: *
33.Triaminic AM Cough and Decongestant Formula
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 7.5mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg.
Rating: *
34.Triaminic Nite Light Nighttime Cough and Cold Medicine for Children
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Pseudoephedrine
HCl 15mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 1mg, DXM HBr 7.5mg.
Notes: In a palatable, grape-flavored, alcohol-free liquid.
Rating: *
35.Triaminic-DM Syrup
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Phenylpropanolamine
HCl 6.25mg, DXM HBr 5mg.
Notes: In a palatable, berry-flavored, alcohol-free liquid.
Rating: *
36.Triaminicol Multi-Symptom Cold Tablets
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per tablet): Phenylpropanolamine HCl
12.5mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2mg, DXM HBr 10mg.
Rating: **
37.Triaminicol Multi-Symptom Relief
by Sandoz Consumer
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): Phenylpropanolamine
HCl 6.25mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 1mg, DXM HBr 5mg.
Notes: In a palatable, cherry-flavored, alcohol-free liquid.
Rating: *
38.Vicks 44 Dry Hacking Cough
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM HBr 15mg.
Rating: **
39.Vicks 44d Dry Hacking Cough & Head Congestion
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 30mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 60mg.
Rating: **
40.Vicks 44 LiquiCaps Non-Drowsy Cough & Cold Relief
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per softgel): DXM HBr 30mg,
Pseudoephedrine HCl 60mg.
Rating: **
41.Vicks 44e
by Procter & Gamble
Active Ingredients (per tablespoonful/15mL): DXM HBr 20mg,
Guaifenesin 200mg.
Rating: *
42.PediaPressin Drops
by Quintex
Active Ingredients (per drop): Pseudoephedrine HCl 15mg,
Guaifenesin 50mg, DXM HBr 5mg.
Rating: *
43.Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free DM
by Scot-Tussin
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL): DXM 15mg,
Chlorpheniramine Maleate 2mg.
Notes: This contains pure DXM, not DXM HBr.
Rating: **
44.Scot-Tussin Sugar-Free Cough Chasers Lozenges
by Scot-Tussin
Active Ingredients (per lozenge): DXM 2.5mg.
Notes: This contains pure DXM, not DXM HBr.
Rating:
45.Sucrets 4-Hour Cough Suppressant
by SmithKline Beecham
Active Ingredients (per lozenge): DXM HBr 15mg.
Rating: ****
46.Suppressin DM Caplets
by Quintex
Active Ingredients (per caplet): DXM HBr 15mg,
Guaifenesin 200mg.
Rating: *
47.Delsym Extended-Release Suspension
by Fisons
Active Ingredients (per teaspoonful/5mL):
DXM Polistirex.
Notes: DXM Polistirex is equivalent to
30mg of DXM HBr.
Rating: ****
As far as DXM sources available in Europe, one user who lives in Italy said he used Fluprim by Roche (which should be available all over the European community). It contains 300 mg of DXM per bottle of lozenges or syrup and 327 mg per box of tablets (each box contains 20 tablets), and DXM is the only active ingredient. He also mentions Vicks for Dry Cough but it only has 150 mg per bottle of syrup and has a very nasty taste (not recommended).
Also, some users in the United Kingdom pointed out Vicks Vaposyrup, which contains DXM and guaifenesin, and Robitussin Dry Cough. The other ingredients in the latter are ethanol, disodium edetate, sodium benzoate, and amaranth (not sure if these are active or inactive ingredients).
If you have any information on any other DXM cough preparations please let me know and I'll include them in this section.
Listed below are various Internet sites containing useful information on DXM.
The DXM FAQ - highly recommended
http://www.frognet.net/dxm/contents.html
The Third Plateau - highly recommended site
http://third-plateau.lycaeum.org
The DXM Appreciation Page
http://www.ugmadness.com/Ledderson/DxM/
EROWID - DXM Dosage
http://www.erowid.com/entheogens/dxm/dxm_dose.shtml
The Lycaeum - DXM
http://www.lycaeum.org/drugs/synthetics/dxm/
Infomed Drug Guide - DXM pharmacology
http://www.infomed.org/100drugs/dextfram.html
Experiences in using DXM as a smart drug
http://www.damicon.fi/sd/dxm.exp.html
Home of the DXM calculator for Windows
http://advicom.net/~chris
Dextromethorphan in the treatment of a child's epilepsy
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/1000/trdextr.htm
Hyperreal's Dissociative Page
http://www.hyperreal.org/drugs/psychedelics/dissociative/
Big Fun Glossary - gives an idea of the DXM drug culture
http://atlas.comet.net/~gus/bigfun/
Deja Vu - Confessions of a Robo Tripper
http://www.wideawake.org/robo.html
The Dextromethorphan Defense - what to do about drug tests
http://gema.library.ucsf.edu:8081/Originals/SAEMabs/z.abs63x2.html
Medline - search this for studies done with DXM
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
BURR Online - Abusing Cough Syrup article done by KSU college students
http://www.burr.kent.edu/cough/cough.html
DeeXMan's Dextromethorphan Page
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Venue/3391/dxm.html
The Happy Place in Your Brain...DXM Stuff
http://www.kelani.com/null/null.html
Official DXM Zine Web Site
http://www.alaska.net/~zorak/dxm/zine.html
Usenet - drug newsgroups on the Internet
alt.drugs hierarchy, rec.drugs hierarchy, talk.politics.drugs
A DXM Zine Web Site
http://phun.dreamhost.com/dxm/zine
DXM EFnet IRC channels - DXM chat
IRC channel #dxm
VARIOUS TRIP REPORTS
from Internet reports
Listed below are a few of the more interesting trip reports we have come across floating around out there on the Internet. Dosage and other relative information are given when available, and we made no attempt at correcting grammatical errors, so read at your own risk. Enjoy!
J. M (male). 600mg
[Note: I find this an interesting description of some of the "darker" sides of a third plateau trip. Note how J. M. felt as if he were insane, and also how it seemed to him that life was a sort of
game that he wasn't sure he wanted to continue playing. -William White]
Easter Sunday, April 16, 1995
2:15pm: I had been out on a bike ride for about 01:15 hours, and bought 2 packages of Drixoral "Cough and Congestion Liquid Caps". Each package contained 10 caplets, with 30mg of DXM
per cap. I stopped at a nearby university and swallowed the 20 caplets, for a total of 600mg DXM.
2:20pm: Finished with the caps, and done with my water, I rode home. This took about 40 minutes. The overall ride lasted 2 hours (23 miles). Bike rides usually bring me in contact with
my more positive emotions, and I was not afraid of the impending trip. This surprised me, because past experiences with LSD were usually prefaced with a good deal of anxiety.
3:00pm: Shortly before arriving home at 3pm, I started noticing a tingling sensation in my head - a "pins and needles" effect. Started keeping a diary of what takes place.
3:10pm: Taking a shower. Physical sensations are were intensified on my head: washing my hair, rinsing, and shaving my face seemed unusual. I heard myself say "wow" a couple times.
3:15pm: A heightened awareness of the opinions of my body. I was choosing clothes based on how they would sense during the day.
3:20pm: I began to notice motor control problems, similar to having a beer or two. I knew something was not quite right with my coordination but was not sure exactly what it was.
3:35pm: Detail work with my hands was becoming difficult. I had bought a thermometer with the Drixoral to make sure I could have some objective measure of my temperature during the day,
and found it quite difficult to open the case.
3:40pm: Temperature: 97.8 F. Pulse: about 156 per minute (39 in 15 seconds) (way high) It is noticeably strange to bend down and pick something off the floor. Also strange standing up again.
3:50pm: Felt like a head buzz w/herb. Sat on my futon and watched Dennis Miller on the Comedy Channel. Felt unusually comfortable there. My perception was happening at fewer "frames per
second" than usual. (In other words, if I normally experience 10 units of perception per second, it seemed like I was experiencing about 5 now.)
3:55pm: Realized that this was the definition of "lazy Sunday". Awareness of how much time was still left in the day.
4:00pm: Felt like being drunk. Saw the "Dave Matthews Band" for a few minutes in an MTV Spring Break concert, and was acutely aware of how bored they were of playing that damn song so many times. Smells are being perceived stronger than usual (i.e., the smell of my water glass.) Starting to notice a mild nausea, not too disturbing.
4:01pm: Suddenly the nausea became quite strong. Not surprisingly, TV also took a turn for the worse, and seemed unpleasant. I was probably misinterpreting my instinctive discomfort for an emotional response to the TV.
4:02pm: Threw up about three times. Hands, knees and head were reporting "pins & needles" (hereafter referred to as "P&N;"). Total effect reminds me of having a bad hangover. Had the thought, "do I really want to do this?" Noticed imagination of being found dead, choked on my own vomit.
4:05pm: Water difficult to drink, because it was reminding me of the nasty taste in my mouth. Ate four crackers, and was amazed at how incredibly dry my mouth became, literally needing water to swallow. Starting to feel better after getting sick. The crackers seemed to "ground" me and help me feel a little more normal. My eyeglasses seemed oppressive, and I turned off the TV.
4:10pm: Realized that my penis and balls had become incredibly small. There is usually "shrinkage" (in the Seinfeld sense of the word) after riding my bike, but this was spooky.
Felt the urge to have fresh air, so I went out onto my apartment's balcony (third floor). My vision was definitely affected, and I had difficulty focusing on distant objects such as houses and
clouds. It was difficult to look at the sky, it seemed brighter than usual. Emotionally satisfying to sweep the birdseed off of the balcony.
4:15pm: Definitely noticing psychological effects of the drug. (See "frames per second" and vision above.) Feel much better physically now, fully recuperated from earlier vomiting.
4:20pm: Setting on my balcony in an office chair. Heard a far away rumbling, not sure if it was from cars or thunder.
4:25pm: Realized how strange it is that we always are looking for "something to do". Riding a bike, taking a drug, going to a movie, etc...., never content to just "be" right here. Found the present moment interesting and not boring.
4:27pm: Found it difficult to follow moving objects visually (cars, people walking by, etc....). Writing seems okay. Probably down to about three "frames per second" now - this is probably what people refer to as "strobing". Found it interesting but not particularly good or bad.
4:32pm: Awareness of how alone I am in this town. Taking an effort to focus on objects visually.
4:35pm: Convinced that my awareness and sensitivity were lower than normal due to the drug. (Some drugs let you notice more perceptions, or intensify them, but I now knew for sure that DXM
was in the alcohol-class of drugs that just brings your awareness to a lower level. (For me.))
4:38pm: P&N; throughout my body. Came inside the apartment again. Ate four more crackers.
4:41pm: Starting to miss normal functional vision. Wrote "wish my eyes worked again!"
4:45pm: Temperature: 97.8 Pulse: about 132/minute (33 in 15 seconds) Tried playing guitar. Unlike herb, I felt somewhat indifferent to it, and music was not feeding me emotionally. Realized for the first time that I tend to avoid certain guitar chords because they are connected to certain sad memories in my past when I was learning them.
4:47pm: "There is a deadness to this drug." I was feeling broken, in the sense that my body and mind were operating wrongly. (Contrast to feeling of intensified sensitivity with other drugs.) Felt that I knew what deranged street people must be experiencing, with both their minds and bodies irreparably damaged. (This is not a fun thought.)
4:55pm: Staring at my face in the mirror. Realized that inside the abstract thing I call "my head" is actually a lot of bone. Fascinated briefly by my jawbone. Felt strange to "be me", as though I usually interpret my reflection in the mirror as some other person. Thought my haircut looked too feminine.
5:05pm: Stomach was feeling full, probably due to the water I'd been drinking. Listening to Peter Gabriel's "Us" album. Urge to lay on the floor and read Wired. Realization of how my glasses make me look gay.
5:10pm: Reading is quite difficult, the eyes not wanting to focus or move at the speed of my intellect.
5:15pm: Saw a phrase in an article, "our current US government", and it made me realize how I always take it for granted that I am going to live forever. It is only 1995.
5:17pm: Realizing that I had been crawling to the stereo and back from my spot on the floor. My first time crawling in a long time.
5:25pm: Realized that I like music which puts our situation in a larger scale of the planet as a whole. I felt as though I was not sure whether I liked it here on Earth. Did not like the idea
of having to die someday. Felt slightly nauseous, especially upon standing.
5:29pm: Body feels coarse, cold, meat and bones. "Not me." Feeling of not wanting to play this game anymore (on this planet).
5:40pm: Threw up a few times. P&N; in hands again, unpleasant. Noticed a purple pimple on my leg and felt as though it was "Jim's leg", not "me". Wrote, "Jim, if you read
this later, do not do this drug, it sucks!"
5:45pm: Again, felt that this was the experience of being insane. Realized simultaneously how long life is, and how short it is. The day seemed to be passing super-slowly. Brushing my teeth
after vomiting was another "grounding" event, making me feel better. Had to stop listening to music, it was too intense and was becoming oppressive.
5:50pm: Turning on the computer, hoping it will "ground" me more. Still feeling crazy in an unhealthy way.
5:55pm: Since puking, my breathing has been quite deep and has attracted my attention. Noticed a certain amount of background fear that thinks I will always be this messed up. Hard to focus
on the screen.
6:06pm: Felt sad for humanity without knowing why. Felt "bad" for being human, the same feeling of "badness" as when your father yells at you. Felt that we ought not to be human.
Felt guilty, ashamed of myself for trying DXM, felt ashamed to "something higher" or god. (I hardly ever have feelings of being in the presence of a higher intelligence, so this was odd for me.)
6:10pm: Wondered who looks out for the people on the Earth.
6:20pm: Wondered if this is how it feels to die. Time seeming to go on and on... Last ten minutes since my last entry seems like an hour. Ate eight more crackers.
6:25pm: Starting to feel as though I am heading back towards mental health. Felt strong urge to read messages on a Usenet group relating to a particular system of consciousness. Started to notice a stomach ache.
6:35pm: Stomach ache more pronounced. Feeling of coming back to psychological well-being returning.
7:15pm: Threw up. Talked to my brother on the phone for about an hour, and he said I sounded lucid and relaxed. I felt that I was being much more open than usual when talking about emotionally sensitive areas. My voice was much lower and more rich than usual. (That also happens for me with hangovers.)
8:30pm: Watching TV, laying on the couch under a blanket. Still major stomach aches.
9:45pm: Temperature: 98.9 F (above normal) Finally able to poop- had felt bloated since about 7:30pm and had wanted to pass gas or poop. When standing up (from futon and from toilet) felt light-headed and slight urge to throw up.
10:20pm: Transcribing this record from notes into the computer. P&N; in face, hands, and legs. Bobby McFerrin / YoYo Ma album soothing.
11:15pm: Finishing this document, about to post it to the net, still sensing P&N; in jaw, hands, and calves. My mind and vision seem 100% normal again, but my body still feels beaten.
Torch. 570mg + 2 friends, 675mg each
[Note: This experience can be either a good or a bad one depending on your point of view, but I put it here to illustrate Torch's friend's negative experience as a "mescalibur worm". Note that I'm fairly certain Torch miscalculated the dosage; 1/3 of 16oz of DXM-only cough syrup should be 480mg each, not 157mg each, bringing the dosages to 570mg for Torch and 675 for each of his friends, which is consistent with a third plateau trip level. -William White]
I had a very interesting experience with DXM last Friday night. I had two friends over and we split 16 ounces three ways - 157 mg each. We started watching an old movie we remembered from out childhood - The Last Unicorn. About halfway through the movie the effects set in, and the story became very hard to follow, but watching all the animation was cool. After the movie we started
talking and had all kinds of conversations... We thought about a cure for AIDS, discussed our fears of being 'big people' (growing up, going to college), and many other things I can't remember.
A few hours later my two friends split 75 mg more each; I didn't want any because I was feeling nauseous from drinking the syrup earlier. About an hour after that we each took three pills, but one of my friends took 4.
That fourth one seemed to push him over into the third plateau, because he talked about all of his weird feelings and all of the other things he could not explain. About half an hour into his being on the third plateau the sun began to rise and we decided it was time to sleep. We laid down and my friend started talking about all the strange things he saw when he closed his eyes - I don't remember exactly what he said. A little later he started saying some really weird shit - "I'm gonna ram your boat!
Watch out!" We'd say back to him, "Ram it! Ram it!"
Then he started babbling about how he was a mescalibur worm. We didn't know what the hell he was talking about but I was extremely tired so I told my other friend to tell him a story that ended
in him sleeping. At this point my tripping friend was flying through space as this worm, so my other friend told him a story about going into a space station and seeing NASA beds. He laid
down in the NASA beds, they were very comfortable, and he fell soundly asleep.
He was quiet for a little while and we thought it worked, but then he started screaming "Oh, shit! Oh, shit!" We were worried about him so we tapped him trying to wake him up but he wouldn't stop and he kept talking about how he was a mescalibur worm and his job was to go through the green tunnels very fast. We stood him up and he still thought he was that worm, so we started to freak out recalling stories about people who have tripped on acid and thought they were a dog or an orange for the rest of their life. We held him and started saying "Your name is X, and you're not a worm, your a human being. You're a HUMAN EING. Now what are you?" And he would reply "A human being." We said "Not a mescalibur worm.." and he would gasp and look really scared... It took us about 30 minutes to convince him that he was a human and not a worm.
We turned on the TV and had him watch it, explaining that the animals he saw on it were humans, just like he was. Then we started playing Piggy by NIN and let him sing along to it so he could participate in something familiar to him (we got kind of worried when the lyrics were 'nothing can stop me now, 'cause I don't care, any more' It turned out that he wasn't paying attention to the words, just singing along).
This whole time I was scared out of my mind... I didn't know how to explain to his mother that he now thought he was a mescalibur worm and all he talked about was flying through tunnels. When
he finally came out of it he told us about the experience of going through the green tunnels, and then flying through space and sleeping in NASA beds.
The whole experience was frightening but fun to look back on. After we brought him back I tried to sleep and saw some interesting things myself. I saw this strange string made up of many long,
intertwined fibers, and I was that string. I had to destroy all of the squares of the quilt I was covered with or else I couldn't fall asleep. And if I couldn't even do that, some voice told
me, I was worthless. And later as I was asleep I had to put my head on red glowing squares or else my body wouldn't metabolize the DXM. It did this, but the squares disappeared one by one
until there were none left, and then I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get rid of it.
I slept 'till two the next day and when I awoke I felt strange all day. The next day (today) I felt fine, and my bad-trip friend seemed to suffer no ill-effects from his experience, but he is reluctant to try DXM again.
S. C. 700mg
The dosage was about 700 mg - the most FOAF had ever choked down. After experiencing the normal start-up body stone and perceptual distortions, he fell asleep. Now picture yourself waking up in the Abyss. You are an amnesiac. You can remember only the following facts:
You are something called a "human being" (although you're not quite sure what that is).
Your name, and how to spell it.
The name of your employer.
The fact that it is something called "Saturday night" - or is it "Sunday night"? This is important because you must be back to something called "work" on Monday! Except for this disconcerting notion, the concept of time is irrelevant to you.
Vague awareness of the fact that the reason you are here (in this Abyss) is because you took some sort of drug.
Vague awareness that there is another reality somewhere, where your body is located (in which you belong). If you do not get back to it, eventually it will be found and taken to an place called a "hospital" and there will be much unpleasantness when at last you return.
Now picture yourself spending several hours lapsing between unconsciousness and consciousness, your amnesiac trip through the Abyss seemingly beginning anew each time you wake up. You have no idea how many of these cycles you have gone through, or how many more you must
endure. Perhaps this is the whole of existence? But no, you vaguely recall the fact numbered 6 above. This nightmare existence lasts until eventually you begin realizing you are finally coming
back to that thing called "reality". Next time you wake up, you are almost there and the amnesia is gone (for which you are most deeply relieved).
As for the physical appearance of this personal hell - well, it a series of enormous, dim dingy rooms through which you float. They look like giant basements, often streaked with stains and
filled with rubble. Sometimes you see something else to break up the monotony. FOAF won't bother describing them, but suffice it to say you don't appreciate the strangeness of them at the
time (since you've lost the memories of reality by which you could compare them). Flowing columns of streaky, stainy gunk are common, dismal sights. Yuck.
This is experience FOAF is not eager to repeat. The amnesia was definitely something he'd not experienced (at least, not to the point of crises) in previous trips. FOAF intends to lay off the
"dark hallucinogen" for a while.
AN17016. 720mg.
It hit pretty fast (within a half an hour) with light headedness and slight disorientation. After an hour there was SEVERE disorientation and depersonalization. He felt almost as if he were outside himself looking in. There weren't especially harsh visual effects as in real hallucinations. Things were very grainy and somewhat distorted. Unable to keep focus on much of anything. He got
severe itching fits several times (the only way around it was to ignore the itching, stop and wait til you forget about it). Breathing often felt slightly constricted as if you were wearing a tight shirt collar. There were severe heat flashes so that we had to turn a fan on high in an air conditioned house. Walking was very difficult. Hard to keep a balance. Time was VERY distorted. The whole trip lasted about an 1.5-2 hr. for the strong effects but it seemed like FOREVER. He was also very dehydrated and found it hard to get the damn cherry taste out of his mouth. Also,
this person has taken many trips on acid and several shroom trips and has never had anything as scary as this experience. Several times he wondered if he would make it through it alive. Probably
due to the fact that it was an unknown experience. 4 hr. after taking the tussin he was driven home from the friends' place he was at. He through up twice between the stairs and the door to his room. Apparently the car ride had disturbed his stomach. Luckily almost all he had in his stomach was liquid from drinking. Coming down took a while. Effects were very similar to coming down off of acid. Unable to sleep, small muscle jitters. All in all something he would never do again and which is really going to turn him off of drugs for a while, if not forever.
Anonymous. 720mg
By the time I finished the second bottle things started getting weird, I felt like I was getting hot flashes in my head (sort of like doing 500mg Niacin) shortly after that all hell broke loose, I was projectile vomiting, thank god I made it to the can, the next two hours were spent just trying to get over the nausea. I have been hesitant to repeat this experience.
Anonymous (male). 720mg
Needless to say, many of my would-be companions to the outer planes of consciousness faltered somewhere along this path-not many could keep up past step 2. In fact, once we were watching the "Grateful Dead Movie" and, at the first there's this little animation sequence that's kinda neat but not too heavy, and, just as the robo was beginning to take effect, one unfortunate traveler arose
suddenly, and proclaimed that he "could not take it anymore", then fled from the room at approximately 4 am, alone. To this day, neither I nor my other companions of that fateful night have seen him since. Wherever he is, may his road be clear and burdens be light.
Roto (male). 800mg
Friday evening I took about 800mg of DXM HBr. About one hour later I smoked some marihuana (I could feel the effects of DXM coming) and some minute later my heart rate jumped to almost 200 and stood there for about one hour. I was really scared and had some moments of true panic. Afterward my pulse stabilized at about 130.
Now... Since Saturday morning I feel a pain in my chest and in the back, between the shoulders. I saw three (3) doctors, had an EKG and everything seems to be OK. Anyway, I have an appointment for tomorrow with a fourth doctor and I wanna ask for a EKG under load. Today my situation seems improved a bit.
By the way, I weigh about 98 Kg, am pretty fit and absolutely healthy (until Saturday, at least). During this experience I've never lost consciousness, I never felt any acute pain (at least not acute enough to be felt in the conditions I was), I didn't bleed from the nose neither I had blood in the urine/feces or broken blood vessels in my eyes.
[Note: it's my general conclusion that Roto suffered from a panic attack, and that the chest and back pains were a combination of muscle soreness and possibly indigestion. The physicians basically came to the same conclusion, and eventually told him that he had probably not been in any serious danger. One physician pointed out that stomach pain can appear to come from the chest area. -William White]
Guru. 14.5mg/kg DXM
I have done DXM about ten times, from 3.5 mg/kg up to 11 mg/kg. I have always had a good time. Then, one Friday night, I decided to try 14.5 mg/kg. At 8:30pm I swallowed the stuff, despite my
not feeling totally at ease, bodily as well as mentally. I might simply have been too nervous. Shortly before 10pm, the effects began. I already felt a bit sick at that time, but I didn't blame
the DXM, because before I have never been nauseous from it. Other than that, I was also wondering why it took almost 1.5 hours to start; normally it would take just over an hour.
Suddenly, I had to concentrate very hard on breathing. I felt that if I didn't will myself to breathe, I would stop and die. Then, I started thinking about my life - I was feeling guilty and ashamed for so many things. For things I had said to my friends; for things I have done, or have not done but should have. Looking back, the reasons for feeling bad look ridiculous to me now, but at the time, I really decided that my time had come, and I was ready (but not willing) to die.
From time to time, I would get myself together and think, "Hey, this is not real, this is a bad trip. I needn't have these bad feelings". This would help for a short while, but then I would fall back into endless loops of thinking.
During the whole trip, I was in complete darkness. On other DXM voyages, I have always had nice visual impressions, fractals floating by, or when I was listening to music, it converted itself to beautiful images in my field of vision. But not this time. No lights, no sights at all. This wasn't really helping to improve my mood, too.
Several times, I felt the presence of "beings". Some of them seemed to watch me; well, not really watch, because it was all dark, but I could feel their stare, or rather their interest in me. They knew what I was experiencing. Others didn't seem to bother at all. Those were just there.
When I finally got back to this world, I immediately took some notes. It was 1:10am. I was still tripping hard, but I suddenly remembered that I had puked at some point, and I had spilt the rest of the drink which I had used to wash the pills down. I sat up on my bed in order to see whether there was a mess... Somehow, I had managed to reach the dustbin before shouting buick.
For the rest of the night, the flight went on; I was having a rather good time again. I listened to some music for a while, and finally fell asleep. The next morning, I was perfectly myself again.
SDS (male).
I have to share a little bit of my past with you; I grew up in a smallish town here in Wisconsin where drinking Robitussin, "robing" it was called, was quite popular, this being about 5 years ago.
Punk rock was also unusually popular, we had a lot of punks, and they all drank Robitussin. It became quite a phenomenon, making the front page of the local newspaper a number of times, until
it got to the point where you had to be 18 to buy cough syrup anywhere. "Swan" was the generic brand, most popular, of course. The downtown of the city was littered with Robitussin bottles, and quite a lot of kids ended up in the hospital rehab unit over it. There was talk of it causing sterility, etc., (standard bullshit), as well as "eating holes in your intestinal walls". The regular dose for regular users was 12-16 ozs. I drank it a number of times, large doses, and it had _no_ effect whatsoever, save heavy perspiration and giddiness. Was my town unique, or was "robing" something most kids in the 80's did?
P. M. (male). 1200mg per day
I'm up to 40 gels (30mg or 1200 per trip) per day (or every other day). I've since passed the hallucination stage, and it's pretty much white light proper, and no more of that endless infinity
stuff.
I certainly don't tell people (other than a few on the net) about this stuff, and I don't recommend it in the kind of doses I do. I've had maybe 5 out of 300 trips go slightly bad. Usually these happened when I was in need of sleep. Essentially I lost my core identity and was basically fair game for whatever entity wanted to possess my being. This also bought grand delusions of making me think a lot of stuff was happening that really wasn't (even though I was sitting in a chair the whole time).
I used to meditate a lot, and I'm sure that is why I've had such great success with this stuff - it is really a drug that forces one to stay in the moment if it is to be enjoyed properly. Oh, and I used to take acid a lot, so that also did a good job of lubing my mind.
Anyway, I'd probably sum-up the effect by saying it causes unused brain cells to be accessed by the conscious mind. Cells which are strongly linked to creativity and pure animal senses. And what gets blocked out is all the worry-type thinking stuff.
And far as damage goes ... I have noticed that if I don't take it for a couple days, I feel these sudden momentary spurts of being pulled to an unconscious state. It is as if all these new areas of my brain that I've opened-up are no being closed down when the DXM catalyst is removed. Pretty scary.
Azathoth (male).
At any rate, the first truly psychoactive drug I ever ingested was DXM in the wonderfully aromatic form of cherry flavored Robitussin. This occurred at age 15, and, at that age, it produced an effect
which was characteristic of what you describe as a "second plateau" high, at its most intensive levels, without actually reaching the "third plateau" (by the way, I agree with your distinctions between the types of highs produced by DXM). Later in life, I was introduced to LSD, and actually found it to be a let-down as compared to the third plateau DXM experience. It was neither as euphorically pleasing nor did it (and I say this with a bit of skepticism, now) seem to offer the insight into the inner workings of the universe that DXM seemed to afford at times.
However, I found that the experiences that I sought from DXM became fewer and farther between as I grew older. Eventually I stopped using it altogether because my trips no longer had the shamanic quality that I sought, but rather became dull, shallow highs that had little if any psychedelic character at all- in fact, the effect was almost like codeine, and not as intensively euphoric.
C. D. (male).
The second point that I would like to bring up is a hacking dry cough as a result to chronic usage. I've had this happen to me from using the drug twice a week for two to three months. I also
know personally several other people who experienced this exact same reaction to repeated close range usage of the drug, one of whom who actually had to visit a doctor about it. Unfortunately
I don't know any details about this doctors visit, I just used it to illustrate DXM's cough inducing affect.
Listed below are Internet references to the article Out-of-Body Experiences and DXM:
Treatise on Astral Projection. http://www.execpc.com/~vjentpr/rbastral.html.
Astral Projection Web Page. http://a-o.com/astral/astralp.htm.
Monroe Techniques for Astral Projection. http://shell.rmi.net/~grymntl/bos/astral.html.
Adventures Beyond the Body book. http://www.out-of-body.com.
Astral Projection articles. http://users.aol.com/MuseforU/ap.html.
Out-of-Body Experience FAQ. http://www.spiritweb.org/spirit/obe-faq.html.
Skeptics' Dictionary on AP. http://wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us/~btcarrol/skeptic/astralpr.html.
Possible Explanation of AP. http://diablo.onthenet.com.au/~kiradive/chap28.html.
Listed below are references (books) to both the Out-of-Body Experience FAQ and the article Out-of-Body Experiences and DXM:
Blackmore, S. J. Beyond the Body: an Investigation of Out-of-Body Experiences (London: Heinemann, 1982)
Brennan, J. H. Astral Doorways (Wellingborough, Northants: Aquarian Press, 1971)
Crookall, R. The Study and Practice of Astral Projection (London: Aquarian Press, 1961)
Crookall, R. More Astral Projections (London: Aquarian Press, 1964)
Crookall, R. The Techniques of Astral Projection: Denouement After Fifty Years (London: Aquarian Press, 1964)
Crookall, R. The Mechanisms of Astral Projection: Denouement After Seventy Years (Moradabad, India: Darshana International, 1969)
Crookall, R. The Jung-Jaffe View of Out-of-the-Body Experiences (World Fellowship Press, 1970)
Crookall, R. Out-of-the-Body Experiences (New York: University Books, 1970)
Eastman, M. 'Out-of-the-Body Experiences' (Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1962, 53, pp. 227-309)
Fox, O. Astral Projection (New York: University Books Inc., 1962)
Gurney, E., Myers, F. W. H. and Podmore, F. Phantasms of the Living (2 Vols. London: Trubner & Co., 1886)
Green, C. E. Out-of-the-Body Experiences (London: Hamish Hamilton, 1968)
Muldoon, S. and Carrington, H. The Projection of the Astral Body (London: Rider & Co., 1929)
Muldoon, S. The Phenomena of Astral Projection (London: Rider & Co., 1951)
Monroe, R. A. Journeys Out of the Body (New York: Doubleday, 1971)
Moody, R. A. Life after Life (Covinda, G. A.: Mockingbird, 1975, and Bantam, 1976)
Ophiel. The Art and Practice of Astral Projection (New York: Samuel Weiser, 1961)
Rawlings, M. Beyond Death's Door (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Co., 1978)
Smith, S. The Enigma of Out-of-Body Travel (Garrett Publications, 1965)
Tart, C.T. On Being Stoned: A Psychological Study of Marijuana Intoxication (Palo Alto, CA.: Science and Behaviour Books, 1971)
Tart, C.T. Introduction to Journeys Out-of-the-Body by R. Monroe (London: Souvenir Press, 1972)
---
Credits: Once again I wish to thank anyone and everyone who either contributed to the zine or helped provide useful information on DXM. I also would like to thank IRCers and Usenet gurus in their endless efforts to shed light on DXM use and experiences, the people at Lycaeum for the info on other legal highs, Ditran for helping to put up the official webpage, Greendrag and William White for their assistance and cooperation in posting some of their compiled information (I owe you guys), Larry for his help from Wanman Enterprises, and finally my girlfriend Mandi for finally giving in to my tedious demands and trying DXM... not once, but twice so far, and loving it each time (she didn't even get sick)... :)
Last Issue: DXM...The New Wave - Extrasensory Perception (ESP) and DXM - DXM Withdrawal - My Third Trip - The Trip From Hell...Punderson Manor - The Effects of Smoking on DXM - The Doors of Perception - LSD vs. DXM - My Experiences with DXM - DXM Writings - DXM Drug Culture and the Future of DXM Use - Beware of Bromide Poisoning - DXM Extraction...A Method That Works - Moron of the Moment...And My Response - Tips for Downing Cough Syrup, and many more articles.
Next Issue: Punderson Manor revisted, continued analysis of out-of-body experiences and astral projection, and much, much more! Due out in February 1998.
About the Editor: Gravol, also known in reality as Jeff Sothen, is 20 and works on the zine in his spare time. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, and having lived in Akron, Ohio, for most of his life, he is moving to Florida early this year. He is also the author of the Dramamine FAQ, found at lycaeum.org. He currently works at a rent-a-car agency.
If you'd like to contribute an article or any information to the DXM Zine, simply mail to the address below, or email to [email protected] The Zine for now is free, but any contributions to reduce the tremendous amount of time it takes to complete would be helpful in maintaining its free distribution. Thank you and have a Happy New Year!
Jeff Sothen
2550 Connecticut Ct.
Uniontown, OH 44685
Built by Text2Html