[tingles]

Throughout my high school and college years I was a typical pot-smoker who enjoyed experimenting with recreational drugs on occasion, especially psychedelics. I have used recreational drugs more times than I can count, and had never had any adverse health reactions, that is, until sometime in July 2009. Here is my story....

It was probably 3 years ago when I began seeing articles and posts online about a magical chemical called DMT. This is one of the most powerful psychedelic drugs known, and when smoked, it is supposed to send people into a psychedelic trance that only lasts a few minutes. So being the curious person that I am, I decided that one day I would try it. I ordered the root bark which contains high amounts of the substance online (mimosa hostilis), and followed a recipe for extracting it. The chemicals used for the extraction were Naphtha (a hydrocarbon solvent bought from a hardware store) and Lye (Sodium hydroxide used sold as drain cleaner, also bought from a hardware store).

So after performing the extraction, I collected the crystals, let them dry, and smoke some out of a glass pipe. I closed my eyes expecting to be thrown into another world, but nothing happened. I stood up after a few minutes, and I only felt slightly light-headed. A few minutes later I felt a strange tingling on the top of my head, but it went away. I thought that I probably didn't smoke enough of it to feel the effects, so I smoked three times as much of the substance, but still only felt the same effects as before. I didn't think much of the experience, and went about my day feeling a little light-headed.

The next morning I woke up completely numb from head to toe. It was then that I realized that whatever it was that I had smoked had damaged my body. I went to see a doctor, and all she could tell me was that I must have poisoned my body, and to wait a few days to see if my symptoms subsided once the toxins had left my body. The numbness eventually subsided, but I soon started getting very strange sensations in my body, particularly on the top of my head and the bottom of my feet and lower legs. It was the strange tingling sensation I had felt before, although now the feeling was accompanied by a feeling of being stabbed with a needle from time to time. I eventually started feeling tingling and hot/cold sensations throughout various parts of my body at random.

About two weeks later, I was referred to a neurologist, and was diagnosed with having sensory neuropathy. I saw two different neurologists, and they both ordered some tests, and told me that the symptoms would eventually go away on their own. But here I am, almost a year and a half later with no improvement. I also tried amitryptyline, and lyrica but could not stand the side effects of either. I asked to try a drug for anxiety, as my symptoms worsen when I get nervous. I found that xanax really helps, as long as I don't take it all the time and develop a tolerance to it. I was also advised to take a B-complex with 100mg of thiamine per day, but that doesn't seem to have helped any. I have recently read about alpha lipoic acid, so I decided to give that a shot, taking 600 mg per day.

So this is how I introduced myself to the terrible world of neuropathy. Every day I wake up and think of how much better my life would have been had I never experimented with drugs, but then I thank God that he didn't let my experience turn out any worse than it could have.

Thank you all for reading my story, and I hope that one day I will be able to turn this negative experience into a positive experience for all neuropathy sufferers. I am now planning to pursue a career in neurological research.

[cyclelops]

That there Xanax isn't gonna help much either....when it wears off, the neuropathy will be quite pronounced.

It probably isn't a good idea to smoke unidentified substances.

Sorry you aren't well.

[tingles]

I couldn't agree more with you about it might not being a good idea to smoke unidentified substances. It's just that when so many people have tried it with no negative effects, it really surprised me that I reacted to it in such a negative way. I can promise you that will never happen again.

The xanax really does help though, but like I said, if I take it all the time I develop a tolerance (and potentially become addicted) to it, and it doesn't relieve my symptoms. But from time to time I take it, and it'll mask my symptoms almost instantaneously with no terrible side effects as I have experienced with drugs used to treat neuropathy.

I hope your last sentences wasn't insinuating anything about my mental status, but if it was, I couldn't agree more. If it was a sincere remark, which I'm sure it was, I wish you the best of luck in your life. Peace, friend.

[glenntaj]

--given the rather global and sudden onset of your symptoms, have you had any testing done to see if the source of this is the central nervosu system, not the peipheral--that is, the brain and spinal cord? An MRI of the brain and EEG testing, at least, should be on the list to see if what you are experiencing is akin to a seizure condition (which a number of toxins can induce, and which might produce symptoms difficult to distinguish from weird parasthetic sensations caused by peripheral damage).

[mrsD]

There are precedents to CNS damage from various recreational drugs.

Unfortunately some are permanent like this one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPTP

This link suggests a serotonin action for DMT...(and X is also a serotonin poisoner), and its effects may last a long time too.
http://www.enotes.com/drugs-substanc...t/effects-body

Messing with neurotransmitters in the brain and the sensitive receptors, is always a danger...either with recreational drugs, or FDA approved ones.

This wiki article goes into biochemical detail...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyltryptamine

Since understanding of brain chemistry is still in its infancy, there is really no established treatment for damage like this.

[tingles]

Thank you all very much for your input. I was always afraid that I may have caused CNS damage, but my neurologist keeps assuring me that I have not. I basically had to force him to let me have an MRI because he didn't believe it would show anything. The MRI results came back negative, not to his surprise.

I also forgot to mention that I had done a lot research into whether or not DMT can cause any harmful effects before partaking in the experiment, and found that it is supposedly quite safe. My doctor and I both believe that the DMT itself didn't cause the damage, but it may have been due to impurities in either the root bark or the chemicals used for the extraction.

Do you all know if there is anywhere I can go to have extensive testing done to determine exactly what damaged I have caused? I was thinking about making an appointment at the mayo clinic. What would you suggest?

And also, should I convince my neurologist to run an EEG?

[cyclelops]

Insinuating?

No, I said what I meant, I am sorry you are not well....period.

[Brucergoldberg]

Do your ears ring? Is the tingling in your head more like an electrical buzzing?

[tingles]

I was just trying to make a joke, apparently a poor one.... Thank you for your input.

[mrsD]

Originally Posted by tingles

Thank you all very much for your input. I was always afraid that I may have caused CNS damage, but my neurologist keeps assuring me that I have not. I basically had to force him to let me have an MRI because he didn't believe it would show anything. The MRI results came back negative, not to his surprise.

I also forgot to mention that I had done a lot research into whether or not DMT can cause any harmful effects before partaking in the experiment, and found that it is supposedly quite safe. My doctor and I both believe that the DMT itself didn't cause the damage, but it may have been due to impurities in either the root bark or the chemicals used for the extraction.

Do you all know if there is anywhere I can go to have extensive testing done to determine exactly what damaged I have caused? I was thinking about making an appointment at the mayo clinic. What would you suggest?

And also, should I convince my neurologist to run an EEG?

The only test that may show something is a Spect scan. Dr. Amen's group does these, and he has the most experience interpreting them.

http://www.amenclinics.com/

Dr. Amen appears on PBS now and then with his series, "Change your Brain, Change your Life". And he has some books, one of which I have read. The books do show brain damage from drugs, smoking, trauma, etc.

His scans show uptake and function, rather than anatomy.
So take a look. There is a gallery of scans on his website to give you an idea.

Take care, and let us know what you find out!