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    1. Too Many Negatives

      by , 04-30-2012 at 03:22 AM
      Too Many Negatives [Trip Report]
      Cannabis, 5-HTP, Valerian Root, Ginger Root
      Date: April 27th, 2012

      Dose:
      repeated, smoked, Cannabis
      T+0:00: 200 mg, oral, L-5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
      T+0:55: 450 mg, oral, Valeriana officinalis (Valerian Root)
      T+1:15: 1100 mg, oral, Zingiber officinale (Ginger Root)

      A couple days ago, against my instinct, I decided to see if there was any recreational or experimental value in 5-HTP. I've taken it before, but not in a long time, and my memories from back then are hazy. I had originally planned to use it with EGCG, from green tea, as an aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor so that it would only metabolize into serotonin in the central and not peripheral nervous system, but I assumed I could probably take it safely enough as is for a test run without having to worry about too many physical side effects. I was wrong.

      I smoked a small amount of weed shortly before taking the 5-HTP, and just a little bit more right afterward. Within an hour I was starting to feel some tingling and was yawning occasionally, something I'm used to having as a come-up sign for serotonergic drugs like MDMA. However, I was also starting to feel significantly nauseous, and it was starting to make me very dissociated and anxious as well. I took one capsule of valerian root in the hopes that it would combat the anxiety and help get rid of the nausea by increasing GABA activity and lowering serotonin activity, but it didn't do very much other than make me a little more sedated. Not long after I took two capsules of ginger root as well, since I believe it relieves nausea by antagonizing 5-HT3 receptors, an antiserotonergic mechanism. It helped a little bit, but not much.

      The experience overall could be classified as almost psychedelic as far as the mindset goes, but in a very negative and dissociated way. There was some change in my sensory perception, but it was hard to put my finger on. I imagine this effect could be viewed positively without all of the side effects. It took quite a while for the nausea to finally wear off, but it eventually did. The rest of my day was pretty normal, and then I went to bed and had two lucid dreams. So at least that's nice.