A period of abstinence often results in improvement, but prolonged and severe use can lead to ongoing challenges. While we eagerly wait to see the results of new research into cannabis and psychedelics, and their combinations https://sober-home.org/ and interactions, caution is advised. Use the minimum dose required to achieve your desired effect, stay in a safe environment with people you trust, and avoid mixing with alcohol and prescription medication.
What Happens to Your Body and Brain When You Combine Different Drugs?
About 9% of those who ever use cannabis and 50% those who use cannabis daily will develop CUD over their lifetime (1, 2). Recently, it has been estimated that ~5% of those 12 or older in the United States met criteria for CUD in the past year (3). Although cannabis has increasingly been sought to treat conditions including nausea, pain, and psychiatric disorders including anxiety, those seeking to use cannabis for medical benefits are also at increased risk for developing CUD (4).
Marijuana and hallucinogen use among young adults reached all time-high in 2021
Therefore, we essentially assessed what substance(s) the participants believe they used. After each drug session, rats were retrained drug-free to a criterion of three or less errors within a single session. The criterion was regained by 84% of the rats after one retraining session, and the remaining rats gained criterion after two retraining sessions. Notably, longer retraining was not necessarily required after administration of the high-dose combination which was behaviorally debilitating, but tended to pertain more to individual learning patterns of the animals.
MDMA attenuates THC withdrawal syndrome in mice
Almost 60% of people who use Ecstasy report some withdrawal symptoms, including fatigue, loss of appetite, depressed feelings, and trouble concentrating. Because use promotes trust, closeness, empathy, and enhances sexual desire, the risk of unsafe sexual practices may increase, resulting in HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, or other sexually transmitted diseases. Also, there is evidence that people who develop a rash that looks like acne after using this drug may be at risk of severe side effects, including liver damage, if they continue to use the drug.
I hypothesized that perhaps regular cannabis consuming psychonauts would be able to handle the mix, and those new to either substance should probably just stick to one to avoid getting overwhelmed and making their trip more challenging than it has to be. While many of my survey participants agreed with me (nearly all of whom were regular cannabis consumers), it wasn’t that clear cut. Even daily cannabis consumers who use psychedelics occasionally told me they stopped mixing the two because they’ve experienced increased anxiety, especially smoking weed on the come-up of a psychedelic experience. Smoking weed when you’re in the midst of a psychedelic experience is common, whether you’re on shrooms, LSD, MDMA, or another hallucinogenic substance. Like with all things psychedelic, the main concern is for users’ mental and spiritual well-being because cannabis can have an unpredictably strong effect when mixed with psychedelics, according to Tripsit.me. Taking an adulterated drug can lead to unexpected and unwelcome side effects and may increase its potential health risks.
- Other say that sometimes MDMA takes you right back into the LSD trip, which can be good or bad.
- Ecstasy, on the other hand, is most commonly consumed at nightclubs, parties, and raves.
- Unlike marijuana, which is primarily used to relax and unwind in low-key settings, MDMA, also called ecstasy, E, or molly, is a party drug.
- Their effects and their intensity can be different every time you take them, even if you’re taking the exact same dose.
- With some antidepressant drug classes, such as SSRIs or MAOIs, the effects of LSD are diminished or don’t come on at all.
There’s some evidence to suggest that ecstasy isn’t traditionally addictive, but regular users may develop an attachment to the behavioral aspects of use. Sign up for bi-weekly updates, packed full of cannabis education, recipes, and tips. Ecstasy is generally taken in capsule or tablet form and may begin to take effect within 45 minutes. The effects tend to wear off almost as quickly as they started, with many people feeling the high fade within a few hours.
Other say that sometimes MDMA takes you right back into the LSD trip, which can be good or bad. LSD is a powerful hallucinogenic drug that can make you feel either amazing or miserable. Some older research suggests that the combo results in very intense MDMA-like experience. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach.
If you already have a pre-existing heart condition, this combo could be potentially dangerous. For instance, on higher doses of LSD it may be too overwhelming, but on micro to moderate doses, it may enhance the experience for people who are comfortable consuming cannabis. Both substances can have significant impacts on neurotransmitter systems, particularly serotonin, and prolonged or heavy use may increase the risk of adverse effects. Research suggests MDMA is potentially addictive, although more research is needed. Some people who use MDMA do report symptoms of an MDMA-related substance use disorder. These symptoms include continued use despite negative side effects, tolerance—which is needing to take increasingly larger amounts of something for the same effects—withdrawal side effects, and craving.
The resulting compound—which could look like any combination of THC, CBD, psilocybin, psilocin, and many other cannabinoids and mushroom derivatives—could be used to treat “psychological disorders,” according to the patent application. Like with other psychedelics, a popular time to use cannabis is at the end of an MDMA experience, but more as a way to even out the comedown than to elongate the trip. But again, I would caution against inexperienced users trying this before they know how each substance affects them individually.
Over the past decade, illegally made opioids like fentanyl have been increasingly found in the drug supply, and have contributed to a dramatic rise in drug overdose deaths in the United States. While cannabis has undergone a renaissance and expansion in its use for a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, psychedelics have similarly been recently reconsidered and undergone an explosion of interest for treating psychiatric disorders and SUDs. Promising research in the 1950’s through 1970’s showed potential in the therapeutic use of hallucinogens in the treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence, before psychedelic research was largely extinguished until the last decade (27). During that time, studies provided preliminary data on the safety and feasibility of psychedelic use in treatment of SUD and smoking cessation (28), but assessment of psychedelics in the treatment of CUD has largely remained unexplored. Trials of medications aimed at reducing cannabis use or cannabis withdrawal symptoms, including antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers among several others, have also been largely ineffective.
A compulsion to mix these drugs to feel satisfied can be a sign of a substance use disorder that needs professional treatment. Both marijuana and ecstasy can impact memory; ecstasy affects long-term memory while marijuana can compromise short-term memory. Users may also make questionable decisions and employ poor judgment, leading to potential emotional, social, and legal problems. Blending these drugs can also worsen problems with cognition, including processing information.
We surveyed 679 nightclub and dance festival attendees via an electronic tablet survey in New York City during the summer of 2015. A variation of time-space sampling was used (i.e. parties are randomly selected [specific venues on specific nights] and potential participants were surveyed outside of these parties (MacKellar et al., 2007). Participants were eligible if they identified as 1) ages 18–25, and 2) were attending the randomly selected electronic dance music party.
Indeed, poly-drug use appears to be the norm for ecstasy users, with up to 93% of ecstasy users falling into this category (Schifano et al, 2003; Smart and Ogborne, 2000; Topp et al, 1999; Turner et al, 2003; Winstock et al, 2001). Cannabis is the illicit drug most commonly co-used with ecstasy, presumably because of its overall high popularity and also its reputed effect of reducing the unpleasant after-effects (Topp et al, 1999). An Australian survey (Topp et al, 1999) reported that 45% of MDMA users took cannabis concomitantly with MDMA, and 64% used cannabis when ‘coming down’ from MDMA. Winstock et al (2001) reported 82% of MDMA users in the UK using cannabis both concomitantly with ecstasy and to ‘come down’. Its principal psychoactive ingredient is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Gaoni and Mechoulam, 1964). In humans and in animals, cannabis or cannabinoid receptor agonists generally alter mood and impair short-term memory (for a review, see Ameri, 1999).
Although, even among those with HPPD, not everyone is distressed by its symptoms, and some folks even seem to enjoy them. Mixing cannabis and psilocybin-containing mushrooms is one of the most popular poly-drug combinations among psychedelic users. While reporting this piece, I surveyed nearly 90 people who mix weed https://sober-home.org/guide-to-kratom-addiction-and-abuse/ and psychedelics, and just under half reported using mushrooms and weed together. People had all sorts of reasons for consuming cannabis while they were on shrooms, many similar to why they use cannabis in general, like to relax and to combat the nausea that can sometimes be a part of a mushroom experience.
While some people report having great experiences with this combo, the two substances are generally better off apart, especially if you don’t have much experience with them. LSD can also increase your heart rate, putting extra strain on your cardiovascular system, which could put you at risk for heart attack or stroke. This may not be an issue at manageable doses, but you may end up doing more of a drug than you intended. “When you mix these two drugs there’s a risk of losing track of what you’re doing and then ending up taking too much,” Romano said.
Marijuana can also increase the psychedelic effects of ecstasy, creating a more intense high. Some users may try to extend the high of molly—a relatively short-lasting drug compared to others—by mixing it with weed. As MDMA and weed are social drugs that are regularly used in mixed company, it’s not uncommon for both to be available at parties or other group events. Weed laced with molly, or molly and weed taken simultaneously, can cause a strange blend of the side effects of marijuana and ecstasy when taken independently. Users may feel relaxed and euphoric, as with general marijuana use, but may also enjoy the heightened elation of MDMA and increased energy.
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. The DEA considers MDMA an illegal schedule I drug with no recognized medical uses. In addition, fentanyl has been increasingly found cut into other street drugs, often unknown by the user and leading to fatalities. “The comedown from crack cocaine is very unpleasant; heroin is used to mellow that out.” According to Bowden-Jones, “[Cocaine is a] stimulant and [alcohol is] a sedative. Co-ingestion leads to the formation of cocaethylene, which itself has a psychoactive property.”
While the combination of Ecstasy with one or more of these drugs may be inherently dangerous, users might also voluntarily combine them with substances, such as marijuana, alcohol, or opioids, putting themselves at further risk of physical harm, overdose, or death. The neurochemical basis for the observed synergistic effect of the combined drugs is an interesting matter for speculation. Evidence regarding direct interaction of cannabinoid and serotonergic systems in impairment of memory is very limited (Egashira et al, 2002; Molina-Holgado et al, 1995). MDMA has direct action on the serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine neurochemical systems (Climko et al, 1986), suggesting that an interaction of the two drugs may occur within the dopamine system. Both THC and MDMA are also known to strongly affect cholinergic release in areas critically involved in acute mnemonic function (Acquas et al, 2001a, 2001b; Fischer et al, 2000; Nava et al, 2001), and their combination may have a complex effect on its production. The administration of MDMA alone did not affect choice accuracy at low or medium doses, and impairment at high dose was modest.
Three quarters (74.5%) of participants reported that ecstasy increases body sensitivity, followed by marijuana (49.1%), and alcohol (38.3%). In fact, over a quarter (27.8%) of alcohol users reported decreased sensitivity on alcohol (compared to fewer than 1 out of 10 reporting this for marijuana or ecstasy). Most (85%) users of alcohol reported having a sexual encounter after drinking, followed by marijuana (74.7%), and ecstasy (56.8%). There has been extensive research on substance use as a factor that leads to sexual risk behaviour (e.g. sex without a condom), but more studies are needed to examine how specific drugs relate to sexual risk behaviour. First, our analysis used aggregated data at the state-year level, rendering us unable to observe changes in opioid use within individual patients over time or to examine the estimated effects of laws on subgroups of patients. However, our sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust to different ways of coding the treatment dates.