LSD-induced seizure

[bortmackie]

not sure where to begin with this one, around 1:00 some friends and i took multiple hits each of what was presumed to be pure lsd. Everything was going fine for a while, enjoying the beginning of what was sure to be a profound trip. My friend and i decided to play some music. He plays guitar, i play the cello. around this time, my one friend stopped making sense. She was speaking gibberish, literally glossolalia, and yelled to us to stop playing the music. at this point it was apparent that she was having a bad trip, and i sent my friends out of the room so that i could hopefully calm her down with some basic "you're tripping, it's going to be okay" stuff, at which point she began to bite me. every time she came near me she would bite at me, to the point where i literally had to restrain her. I ran to get my one friend who knew her well, hoping she would be able to talk some sense into her. When we got back into the room, things took a turn for the worse. She appeared to be having a seizure, and was having trouble breathing. We immediately called the paramedics, who had to restrain her and put her into a stretcher to take her to the hospital. As of right now, she's still in the hospital, having had two gran mal seizures, and does not recognize her parents or anyone. What the fuck happened? She has a long history of mental illness, something that must have played a part in these events.

TL;DR: Friend with bipolar disorder took acid, started speaking in tongues and biting me and had a seizure. Meanwhile i'm stuck trying figure out what the fuck happened today

[Vizier]

Giving some bipolar bitch acid while on the rag is NOT a good idea man.

[bortmackie]

Well yeah, i know that NOW. but how do you make sense of a trip whose peak consists of you trying to talk some sense into your friend who is yelling gibberish and biting the fuck out of you, and then having to call an ambulance because she had a seizure?

The people across the street from us were blasting this when it happened:

YouTube - Kanye West - All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi

YouTube - Kanye West - All Of The Lights ft. Rihanna, Kid Cudi
Video: click to display

[Headspin]

How long after you dropped the tabs did she started acting strange?

[bortmackie]

She took two hits, and about an hour in, i stupidly let her take a third. that's when it went bad.

[Retard Synrdome]

Wow. You're a shithead.

[King Owl]

You are a goddamn idiot. You're lucky nobody got hurt, or killed.

[yawanur]

Originally Posted by bortmackie

She has a long history of mental illness

Care to go into detail? I would imagine it might help in reasonably speculating what exactly happened...

[bortmackie]

Bipolar disorder, i believe. she was taking lithium, i know that much. Yeah, i'm sure this all looks rather foolish, but she had taken 'acid' before, whether or not it was legit i'm not sure. And i was there the last time she took it, and nothing out of the ordinary happened then. So reasonably, i expected that this time would be no different.

[bortmackie]

Apparently she's now talking and responding to people. I'm sure it's easy for you guys to point fingers and say this is all my fault, but this was a horribly traumatic experience, and i did what i had to in order to make sure nothing happened to her. And yes, that includes calling 911 and directing them to my house while tripping balls, which required me to disregard my own freedom in order to help her

[Om Namah Shivaya]

she's taking LITHIUM???

that's a toxic metal that should never be ingested by any living organism. It's only going to damage her brain even further. I don't give a FUCK if her doctor said it will help. Do her a favor and convince her to stop taking it.

Oh, and use your own brain next time. You should never let someone trip on acid if they're not mentally stable. Acid shows you what you truly are. If you're mentally unstable, you'll probably have a bad trip. Oh, look what happened! I hope you both learned from this.

[Zanick]

She didn't have a seizure. She does have Bipolar Disorder. She lied about taking lithium because it makes her feel like a robot. She had a psychotic break and now is coming out of it. I strongly recommend that you do not let her touch your acid again because you cannot be held responsible for her safety or the safety of people around her. You acted accordingly to the situation by manning up, realizing that it wasn't worth escaping the law if your friend would die, and that was the best thing you could have done. If anybody tells you otherwise, tell them not to take LSD from you because it's a pain in the ass dealing with people who insist on doing your drugs, but refuse to inform you what medications they take even though they have no idea what the fuck they're doing. She put you at unnecessary risk, not vice-versa. Next time you may want to avoid the situation by not trusting people, but it probably would have been better for you if your friend had been on her medication and/or just been honest and abstained from a powerful mind-altering drug until she was in the right state of mind.

[bortmackie]

She definitely did have multiple seizures, if the word of several medical professionals counts for anything. Apart from that, i agree.

[Bale]

Like Zanick said, good job on calling for an ambulance. Too many times people worry about their safety and neglect other's, definitely a tough decision.

Other than that, keep us updated on what happens. That's a bad situation all around. Hopefully she comes out of it and functions well, but acid is a serious thing. One has to be very, very comfortable in their skin when taking it, or atleast when taking it with other people.

[kingOfCrash]

The lithium and the LSD did it. I read on wikipedia that lithium affects cluster headaches, and that's all I need to know. LSD affects cluster headaches as well.

Now we know.

[Om Namah Shivaya]

Originally Posted by kingOfCrash

The lithium and the LSD did it. I read on wikipedia that lithium affects cluster headaches, and that's all I need to know. LSD affects cluster headaches as well.

Now we know.

Are you seriously going to compare LSD to lithium? Kids these days.....

[Flatland]

Originally Posted by Om Namah Shivaya

Are you seriously going to compare LSD to lithium? Kids these days.....

I don't know what cluster headaches are but it sounds like he's saying that they affect the same part of the brain. Two substances affecting any one part of the human body usually causes some kind of unforeseen effect, good or bad. Mixing a psychadelic with an anti-psychotic. I could see how that would really skew some brain function.

[Headspin]

Bi-Polar break.

[King Owl]

Originally Posted by bortmackie

Apparently she's now talking and responding to people. I'm sure it's easy for you guys to point fingers and say this is all my fault, but this was a horribly traumatic experience, and i did what i had to in order to make sure nothing happened to her. And yes, that includes calling 911 and directing them to my house while tripping balls, which required me to disregard my own freedom in order to help her

You did the right thing by calling 911, I know it's never easy to deal with that kind of situation. But if you're going to distribute strong psychedelics to people, you NEED to use common sense. Make sure you know their relative medical history. Ask questions. Double-check. And when in doubt? Don't give it to em.

Take it from a guy who's seen the good and the bad of acid more times then he cares to count. You need to be careful, or you need to not be involved.

[King Owl]

Originally Posted by Phoebus

I don't know what cluster headaches are but it sounds like he's saying that they affect the same part of the brain. Two substances affecting any one part of the human body usually causes some kind of unforeseen effect, good or bad. Mixing a psychadelic with an anti-psychotic. I could see how that would really skew some brain function.

Anyone who doesn't have a background in neuropharmacology needs to butt the fuck out of this conversation before I choke myself to escape the goddamn logical fallacies that are being shared out like hallowe'en candy.

[Headspin]

Well all I know is she's alive, so you can tap dat ass.

[Flatland]

Originally Posted by King Owl

Anyone who doesn't have a background in neuropharmacology needs to butt the fuck out of this conversation before I choke myself to escape the goddamn logical fallacies that are being shared out like hallowe'en candy.

I'll butt out. And I'm not being pretentious here because I'm actually curious. Can you tell me what my logical fallacy was?

[Headspin]

It's inexplicably obvious that you were illogical.

[Minotaur]

Originally Posted by Phoebus

Two substances affecting any one part of the human body usually causes some kind of unforeseen effect, good or bad.

This is the main reason here.

[Flatland]

Originally Posted by CableRock

This is the main reason here.

Well, I figured that much. I guess I was looking for like a more "technical" reason/explanation.

[Iskalla]

What the fuck caused the seizure? How would LSD cause a seizure? I don't consider myself to be entirely stable, I've had years of anxiety, periods where I've suffered panic attacks and often feel depressive symptoms, I've used LSD, DOI and magic mushrooms, and yeah, I've had bad trips, but that doesn't mean I can't tell myself 'I'm having a bad trip, just gonna wait this one out'. Well, I took low doses and generally keep to low doses in everything other than weed, I'm not sure how I'd handle three hits of acid, I just imagine the bodyload would be uncomfortable and would probably detract from the trip and my mind to have to work a little harder to keep things in perspective if I started getting nervous, that's all...

As far as chemicals go I'd consider LSD to be one of the safest, I wouldn't choose to drop three hits within an hour, but I don't think I'd be transformed as a person if I did, and I can't imagine how anybody would be? Was she on Lithium during the trip? Another thing, I take it with a pinch of salt when people say they got acid, there's so much shit out there on the market that nobody in their right mind would consume given the choice that I always consider the possibility the drug wasn't even LSD.

[Daily]

Did you/your friend/she tell the doctors she took acid?

[Dandamano]

Set and Setting

Did you know she had these mental issues?
You shouldn't have dosed her if you did, psychedelics & mental disorders don't mix.

[Iskalla]

I've been reading about seizures and LSD. Apparently it just lowers sensory thresholds, causing potential for seizures in those who are tripping. Anybody can have a seizure, whether they're tripping or not, LSD can just make them more likely, particularly around flashing lights and whilst under stress. This just makes me feel even more strongly about a service being available for those who want to use acid, a peaceful, controlled, maybe spiritual environment where people take take LSD in a completely safe place, enjoying the benefits whilst completely minimising or potentially doing away with the negative side.

[Dandamano]

Originally Posted by Iskalla

This just makes me feel even more strongly about a service being available for those who want to use acid, a peaceful, controlled, maybe spiritual environment where people take take LSD in a completely safe place, enjoying the benefits whilst completely minimising or potentially doing away with the negative side.

QFT, unfortunately as long as there's a "war on drugs" logical ideas like this one & many others will never be done

[Retard Synrdome]

Originally Posted by Phoebus

Mixing a psychadelic with an anti-psychotic. I could see how that would really skew some brain function.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorazi...roversial_uses

[Snoopy]

Did you stick your penis in her while she was having those seizures? I reckon that would make up for some awesome fucking. Like fucking a chick with Parkinson's on steroids.

[kingOfCrash]

Originally Posted by Retard Synrdome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorazi...roversial_uses

Thorazine =/ Lithium

And thanks, Phoebus. That was my point.

[Retard Synrdome]

Originally Posted by kingOfCrash

Thorazine =/ Lithium

I never said they were the same thing...

Originally Posted by Phoebus

Mixing a psychadelic with an anti-psychotic. I could see how that would really skew some brain function.

I'm just saying not all anti-psychotics works the same.

[bortmackie]

Yes, my friends and i informed the paramedics that she was under the influence of LSD. Although it's possible it could have been some sort of RC, they looked to be professionally made perforated blotters. I've had many experiences with LSD and non-LSD blotters, and the effects of these left no doubt in my mind that this was in fact pure LSD. One other thing, i noticed that when she arrived, her pupils were already quite enormous (before she dosed). I'm almost positive that she took her lithium that day and that the lithium was the cause of her seizure. She's still in the hospital, but reportedly doing much much better. Unfortunately i think her parents are going to send her back to rehab...

[Zanick]

Lithium is an odd drug in that for some reason it is still being used, and this is probably because it is still effective for treatment of mood disorders, although many newer drugs have less potential for detrimental side effects. What likely causes these seizures is the ratio between therapeutic levels vs. toxic levels of lithium in the body because they are pretty damn close. A doctor prescribing it will generally keep close tabs on the patient's progression for this reason, as well as to document side effects, but largely to monitor those which may actually be signs of a building toxicity. Any drug affecting the metabolism of lithium in an antagonizing manner could easily cause a rise to dangerous levels of the mood-stabilizer. Symptoms of an acute overdose may include seizures and tremors, and so if she did take her lithium that day, it isn't surprising that an interaction could lead to this kind of emergency.

While little is understood about LSD in the brain, lithium is probably more of a mystery in terms of its mechanisms of action. (go figure; thanks, doc )
But it sounds as though we have quite a bit of anecdotal evidence to back up the idea that an interaction between these two drugs is more than likely to exist.
In fact, one of them includes a death resulting from the combination, however would attribute this to the lithium being a rather 'disagreeable' drug, if you will.

http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/...ractions.shtml
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/...html#anecdotes


I'm sorry to hear about your friend, OP. Are you in any trouble?
This also makes me want to be far more cautious in the future, in regards to who I talk with about tripping, so that I think I will only trip with people who I know don't take psychotropic medications or at least people responsible enough to tell me they shouldn't take it due to potential interactions.