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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