Know the facts and connect with support to help you address known or suspected substance use with your child.
Psilocybin and psilocyn are the hallucinogenic compounds contained in certain mushrooms. These “magic” mushrooms (other names include caps and shrooms) are generally grown in Mexico and Central America and have been used in native rituals for thousands of years. Psilocybin is structurally similar to the brain chemical serotonin, and produces its effects by disrupting normal functioning of the serotonin system.[1]
Ingesting these mushrooms can cause a person to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Their effects typically begin within 20 to 90 minutes of ingestion and can last as long as 12 hours. They are generally eaten, brewed or consumed as tea.[2]
Once ingested, mushrooms generally cause feelings of nausea before the desired mental effects appear. Other effects can include nervousness and paranoia. Effects can be different during each use due to varying potency, the amount ingested, and a person’s expectations, mood, surroundings, and frame of mind. On some trips, people experience sensations that are enjoyable. Others can include terrifying thoughts, and anxiety, fears of insanity, death, or losing control. A person using magic mushrooms is often unable to discern what is fantasy and what is reality.
Some people using magic mushrooms experience “flashbacks,” or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), which are reoccurrences of hallucinations long after ingesting the drug. The causes of these effects, which in some people occur after a single experience with the drug, are not known.[3]
If you think that your loved one is using mushrooms, talk to them. Here are some useful ideas about how to approach the conversation.
The best course of action is not to use mushrooms. If your loved one insists on using it despite its downsides, consider sharing ways to reduce the risks. Remember that the most important thing is to keep them safe. Reducing the risks is not encouraging the use of substances. Instead it recognizes that there are ways to minimize the consequences of mushrooms use.
Here are some risk reduction measures you may wish to share with your loved one. The recommendations are from a survey of people who use mushrooms and what they do to reduce risks:[4]
Last Updated
May 2023
[1]NIDA. “Hallucinogens.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/hallucinogens. Accessed 3 Dec. 2018.
[2]National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Commonly Abused Drugs Charts.” NIDA, 2 July 2018, www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-drugs-charts#hallucinogens.
[3]“Get Smart About Drugs.” Find Help | Get Smart About Drugs, www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/drugs/psilocybin.
Additional Sources:
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)