Magic mushrooms Category: Hallucinogens

Also called: magic mushrooms, liberties, magics, mushies, shrooms.

How they are used

Magic mushrooms are small hallucinogenic mushrooms which grow in Ireland. You can eat them raw, dried, cooked or stewed. Psilocybe and Amanita Muscaria are the two most common varieties, but they are different types of mushroom with different effects.

Psilocybe mushrooms (psilocybe semilanceata, psilocybin)

Short-term effects:

Effects vary and begin 30 minutes to two hours after you take them
Effects can last up to nine hours
Your experience depends on how you are feeling when you take them so it may be good or bad
They can distort colour, sound and objects
They can speed up and slow down time and movement
They can make you feel more creative and enlightened
You may feel sick, tired and disorientated

Amanita mushrooms

(A muscaria and A pantherina, panther cap, amani agaric, fly agaric)

Short-term effects:

You will start to feel the effects after 30 minutes, and peak after 2-3 hours
Powerful hallucinations
Amanita can give a sort of out of body experience, you may ‘smell words’ and ‘taste colours’
Alcohol-like euphoria
Deep sleep with vivid dreams
Slurred speech and poor coordination
Convulsions, muscle twisting
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea

Long-term effects

Flashbacks
Anxiety

Other dangers

There are hundreds of varieties of mushroom and some are highly poisonous so you could get sick or die if you eat the wrong ones
As with all drugs, magic mushrooms can trigger underlying mental health problems

If you are pregnant

Do not use if you are pregnant as we don’t know enough about the risks to your baby.

Addictive

Not physically addictive but you can build tolerance so you need to take more to get the same effect.

What help is available?

Self-help support such as Narcotics Anonymous
Counselling or psychotherapy
Complementary therapies, such as acupuncture
Support from your doctor (clinics)
Residential treatment programmes
Aftercare
One to one or group family support
Contact the Drugs Helpline 1800 459 459 to find out about options in your area

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