The doctor who wanted to treat his depression by smoking DMT every day

Mood and anxiety disorders They are two of the most frequent mental problems in the western population today. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of methods that allow those who suffer from them to reduce or even make their symptoms disappear. However, in many respects these solutions are not entirely satisfactory.

Often the use of psychotropic drugs is required, that allow to control the symptomatology while the psychological therapy is carried out. However, in some cases, the medications prescribed to combat these symptoms are not effective enough or take a long time to start working. so that even today the effects of new substances or possible applications of elements not used so far continue to be investigated. therapy.

This is what happened to a retired psychiatrist, afflicted with Bipolar disorder with a high proportion of depressive episodes, than given the infectivity of conventional methods decided to try to treat his depression by smoking DMT every day.

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What is DMT?

Dimethyltryptamine or DMT is a psychodysleptic-type substance that generates alterations in perception in the form of hallucinations. These hallucinations are generally of a brief nature and often have a mystical and existential content. It is considered one of the most powerful hallucinogens, and is usually consumed orally or smoked, having almost immediate effects.

This substance is part of the well-known ayahuasca, a concoction that some indigenous tribes in America use ritually to experience different "mystical" visions. It is an illegal drug and has the potential to cause psychotic episodes., confusion and anxiety. At present, the consumption of DMT appears to be linked to that of MAOI-type antidepressants, which allow its effects to be enhanced and prolonged (since it is naturally metabolized quickly).

DMT can be found in various plants, although in small amounts it also appears in some regions of our brain. sometimes called mystic or god molecule, has been popularly linked to the experience of extracorporeal phenomena and sensations in near-death experiences. It has sometimes been speculated that it also occurs during sleep.

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The possible antidepressant effects of this drug

Although it is not considered to produce feelings of euphoria like other psychodysleptics, there has been speculation about the possibility of using this substance or derivatives of it in the treatment of depression or addiction to other drugs, and for this reason different investigations have been carried out in this regard.

The results of some of them reflect that DMT has a potentiating effect on serotonin, mimicking the behavior of this hormone in different brain receptors. One of them is 5-HT2C, whose activation can lead to an improvement in mood. Likewise, the activation of other serotonin receptors could explain the presence of hallucinations.

In controlled studies it has been found that the administration of DMT can produce relaxation and a decrease in depressive symptoms at low doses, although this effect needs to be replicated and potential complications from it discussed (trials had very few participants).

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The case of the ex-psychiatrist who took DMT

Suffering from a bipolar disorder in which the existence of depressive episodes predominated and for which conventional medication is not effective, and in Based on the results of previous studies carried out on ayahuasca and DMT, a forty-year-old ex-retired psychiatrist decided to try Treat your depressive symptoms through daily consumption of this substance.

starting treatment

The subject in question acquired the substance illegally, through the deep web, and began a treatment in which DMT was administered daily.

The doses were extremely high, about a gram daily. Despite this, due to a slight improvement in his mood, the subject decided to add phenelzine to his treatment, a MAOI or monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitor used in the treatment of atypical depressions despite the fact that it requires control exhaustive of aspects such as diet as it can very easily cause liver failure and sudden and dangerous increases in blood pressure sanguine.

This second substance greatly enhances the effects of DMT. During this period, the family would later report that the experimenter began to manifest hypomanic and erratic behaviors, as well as to show a significant increase in their level of religiosity. He also had decreased sleep, which the former psychiatrist treated with clonazepam.

Abstinence syndrome

However, six months after starting his self-medication, the individual had to catch a plane out of state and was forced to stop taking it for a few days. This sudden cessation of supply of the substance caused him a severe withdrawal syndrome that he would have him taken to the hospital.

The subject he suffered a severe psychotic episode and also manifesting manic symptoms, aggressive behavior (having to be reduced and contained) and communication difficulties. then collapsed, suffering from seizures and even needing to be intubated for a day while he was stabilized. Once stabilized, he began to show logorrheic behavior, presenting powerful religious hallucinations in the course of which he went so far as to demand that an exorcism be performed on him.

After administration of a treatment that lasted for a week, the symptoms seemed to subside. Finally, an outpatient follow-up of the patient's condition was proposed, whose current condition has not been disclosed.

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Case Implications

The case of this ex-psychiatrist has important repercussions that should be considered. DMT is a substance that must be studied carefully and that currently does not have an approved therapeutic use, requiring further exploration of its effects and risks.

It has been stated that it can also generate manic and psychotic episodes due to its hallucinatory effects in cases in which previous psychopathologies are suffered or other substances are consumed. In the case that gives rise to this article, moreover, the dose used (1 gram daily) was excessively high, which increases the risks.

In addition, the investigations carried out previously worked under controlled conditions in which the volunteers manifested severe and chronic depression, but not bipolar disorder. In bipolar disorder there have been at least episodes of hypomania, and in the case of ex-psychiatrist, the clinical history reflects the existence of a previous manic episode. By this we mean that the use of DMT could cause an increase in manic symptoms (as would actually occur in this case).

In the same way, as with other substances, it must be taken into account that the acquisition of dependence and tolerance to a substance means that in the event of a sudden withdrawal, withdrawal syndromes of variable severity may arise which could even end in the death of the subject. Whenever a substance is withdrawn, it must be gradual and controlled.

Finally, another of the issues that we can see in this case is that of self-medication carried out by this former psychiatric professional. Although in the case of this subject it was someone who had training related to the world of psychotropic drugs, the self-prescription and self-administration of drugs can have severe consequences in those who carry it out, especially if it is done without knowledge of the matter or of the possible adverse effects, interactions or doses indicated.