Physically, the risks of psilocybin are small: the Jellinek cites estimates that a lethal dose is at least a thousand times the effective dose, and no lasting organ damage has been reported. The real risks of a strong truffle are psychological and situational: panic, confusion, accidents, and in people with a vulnerability, a psychosis (Jellinek). Most of these risks can be made much smaller.
Who should not take Dragon truffles
- Anyone with a personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Truffles can set off a psychosis in people who are susceptible, and people who have had one can relapse. Dutch-Smart gives the same warning on both Dragon product pages.
- People who are not doing well. DRUGSinfo notes that people with psychological complaints such as depression, anxiety or psychosis run a much greater risk, and advises them not to use truffles (DRUGSinfo).
- People with heart problems. Psilocybin can cause a mild rise in heart rate and blood pressure.
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Anyone under 18. The shop only sells to adults.
- First-time users. A Dragon strain leaves little room for learning how your body reacts. Start with a milder truffle.
Dangerous combinations
Lithium. In an analysis of online experience reports, 47% of 62 reports of a psychedelic taken with lithium described a seizure, and 39% involved medical attention (Nayak et al., 2021). Do not combine them.
MAO inhibitors. These include some prescription antidepressants and the plant compounds in certain ayahuasca preparations. Dutch-Smart warns that MAO inhibitors can intensify the effect of psilocybin dangerously. With a strain rated as strong as the Dragons, that is not an experiment to try.
SSRIs and SNRIs. These antidepressants mostly weaken the effect. In a large survey, the chance of a weaker than expected effect was 47% with SSRIs and 55% with SNRIs, and weakening was reported up to three months after stopping (Gukasyan et al., 2023). The risk here is taking more to compensate. Never stop prescribed medication in order to take truffles; talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Cannabis. The Jellinek warns that cannabis lengthens and strengthens a trip, and can turn a good session into a difficult one. That includes smoking a joint on the way down.
Alcohol. Alcohol adds nausea and makes an unpleasant trip more likely, according to the shop. Leave it out.
Stimulants and other drugs. Combinations with stimulants, other psychedelics or anything you do not know well add unpredictability to an already strong experience.
When it gets difficult
Most difficult moments pass. The Jellinek recommends an approach developed at the Haight-Ashbury clinic in the United States, known as ARRRT:
- Acceptance. Accept the person as they are, without judging. Make sure they trust you.
- Reduction of stimuli. Go somewhere quiet, turn off loud music, dim the lights.
- Reassurance. Tell them they are having a difficult experience, that it comes from the truffles, and that they are safe with people who want to help.
- Rest. Help them relax, sitting or lying down.
- Talk down. Talk calmly and softly about pleasant, quiet things. Avoid topics that may cause fear, make no sudden movements, and do not leave them alone.
If the person can still swallow well, water or juice can help. For the person in the middle of it: do not fight the experience. The Jellinek's advice is to go along with it; difficult parts get easier with time.
When to call 112
Call 112 straight away if someone remains very restless, becomes aggressive or does dangerous things, and also if someone has trouble breathing, has a seizure, loses consciousness or is injured. Tell the ambulance staff what was taken and how much. For questions outside an emergency, the Drugs Infolijn of the Trimbos Institute answers on 0900-1995.
Driving and the next day
Driving under the influence of truffles is forbidden in the Netherlands and dangerous everywhere. After the main effects wear off you are not yet sober. Dutch-Smart advises not driving for at least 24 hours. Plan the next day free.
After a session
A small share of people who use psychedelics report lingering effects afterwards, such as flashbacks (vivid memories of the trip, sometimes set off by stress, tiredness or cannabis) or visual disturbances such as visual noise, floaters, afterimages and trails, which can fit a condition called visual snow syndrome (Jellinek). If anything like this worries you, talk to your doctor or contact the Drugs Infolijn.
Storage
- Keep unopened packs in the fridge at 2 to 4 °C and use them before the date on the package, as Dutch-Smart advises.
- Once opened, use them as soon as possible. Close the rest tightly and keep it cold.
- Blue patches where a truffle is cut or damaged are oxidation of psilocybin, according to the shop, and not a sign of spoilage.
- Truffles that are slimy, smell sour or show mould go in the bin.
- Do not dry them to make them last. The legal status of dried truffles is not settled, see legal status.
- Keep them out of reach of children and pets.
Next: how much to take or set and setting.