5.4 The Second Plateau

With the second plateau (around 2.5-7.5mg/kg, 6.4mg/kg suggested from regular users) several new effects become evident. The most profound is that DXM begins to take on a heavier "stoning" characteristic, and senses and cognitive function are affected accordingly. Closed-eye hallucinations start for some people on the second plateau. Some of the first plateau effects, e.g., the music and motion linked euphoria, may diminish or stop entirely.

Second plateau trips usually take between 30 and 60 minutes to start (on an empty stomach), peak about 2 to 3 hours later, and last about 6 hours. Again, gel capsules take up to 1 hour additional to dissolve. Hangovers are not common with lower second plateau trips, but some people experience them.

A general narrative of the second plateau: The trip beings identically to the first plateau trip, although the alert and early effects may be noticed earlier. After passing to the music and motion euphoria stage, the first plateau sensations begin to be overshadowed by disruptions in sensory processing, as sensory input begins to get "choppy". Both sight and sound take on a dreamlike characteristic and one begins to feel increasingly detatched from the outside world. There may be bursts of sensory deprivation where the outside world seems to go away, but overall one maintains contact (somewhat incoherent) with the outside world. After a few hours of an overall "stoned" feeling, the sensations begin to subside. A slight hangover consisting of lethargy may be noted the next day.






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5.4.1 Sensory Effects

The most general sensory effect of the second plateau is "flanging". Flanging, also called phlanging, phasing, stop-action, framing, strobing, etc., is the sensation that continuous sensory input has been chopped up into frames (as if you were watching a badly animated cartoon), often with some echo effect of each frame. There does not seem to be any loss of sensory content; instead, it is as if the ability to keep sensory input time-continuous were disturbed. The best analogy from other drugs may be the effects of nitrous oxide upon sound. The best analogy from non-drug experiences is listening to a voice through an echo/delay effects box (which is where the term "flanging" comes from).

An interesting and probably associated sensory phenomenon is that it seems as if one is aware of several temporal stages of sensory processing all at once. In other words, a sentence may be heard not sound for sound or word for word, but all at once (this is difficult to describe). Similarly, visual images may be jumbled together with previous images. This may be due to an excessive persistence of sensory buffering.

Vision in particular is changed on this plateau. Depth perception is often lost, and the ability to keep both eyes focused on the same thing is diminished (leading to slight double vision). This is most noticeable in people without a dominant eye.

Sound, as already mentioned, tends to be flanged. With the sense of touch, there is not necessarily flanging so much as a noticeable delay between the stimulus and recognition of it. Pain especially tends to be somewhat dissociated. Taste is usually simply dulled. Many people report a vastly improved sense of smell though some report that it is dulled as well.

The sense of balance is severely disrupted, as is body position and kinetic sense. Keep in mind that dissociation of pain and the disruption of body sense together make physical exertion somewhat risky, as it is possible to over-exert and not notice.

Closed-eye hallucinations tend to begin at the second plateau (and in fact are the reason I distinguish this from the first plateau). Usually these are not "true" hallucinations, but instead are considerable enhancement of imagination, up to fully eidetic imagery (i.e., you experience lucidly what you imagine). This is especially powerful with memories; some users are able to re-experience past events, or "simulate" future events, as if actually there, interacting with the environment (I call this the "Holodeck Effect"). Many users report this to be quite useful for introspection.

Actual hallucinations, if they do exist, tend to be abstract and cartoon-like. There seems to be an emphasis on linear structures - long, thin lines, or long queues of simple objects. There may also be Lilliputian hallucinations (everything seems either way too big or way too small, or both). Some people find considerable similarity with fever hallucinations; this can be unpleasant.

Your experiences throughout the day will influence the hallucinations you see and the imagery you can create. For example, if you have spent the day playing DOOMTM, your hallucinations are likely to involve scenes and elements from the game. Eidetic imagery works a little different - you can conjure up images, but they are likely to have a "DOOMTM-esque" feel to them (bitmapped textures, ugly walls, etc.). This is an interesting effect, and my hunch is that DXM hallucinations and imagery may be very dependent upon what's already stored in intermediate term memory. So it might be worth planning the events of the day with your trip objectives in mind. This may also be possible to some extent during the trip itself; e.g., if you want to imagine yourself in space, go to a planetarium.






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5.4.2 Cognitive/Emotional Effects

Higher reasoning is still not appreciably affected at the second plateau; in fact one of the more interesting aspects of DXM at the first and second plateau may be its ability to disturb one function of the mind while leaving another almost untouched. On the other hand the content of one's thoughts may become increasingly abstract as the outside world is ignored.

An interesting cognitive effect that is pronounced at the upper second through the third plateau is a change in self-referential thinking. Self-referential thoughts or ideas (e.g., "this statement is false") may seem both more understandable and more profound, both in the abstract and on a "gut level". Thoughts can, in fact, get quite abstract, sometimes to the point of seeming meaningless to other observers. Quite a few people have reported some sort of self-referential or abstracting aspect to thoughts, such as a "self-creating and self-invoking meme" that consists of the concept of itself. Another example is abstracting the concept of abstraction (and abstracting that, and so on and so on). There may be an overall blurring together of cause and effect, and causality may become an alien concept (I've spoken to more than one quantum physics student who enjoyed DXM).

Language becomes difficult, partly due to cognitive changes (as in the first plateau), and partly due to difficulty in coordinating the mouth and tongue motions. There may also be a direct effect on the language-producing centers of the brain. Interpreting spoken language is difficult due to sensory flanging. However, thinking in language is still fairly easy.

The curious detachment from painful or embarrassing topics of conversation that occurs at the first plateau continues and is much stronger at this plateau. Again, this is generally viewed as a positive event, although if you're not prepared to encounter and possibly discuss your deepest, darkest secrets, you might want to avoid higher doses until you're comfortable with DXM.

Another major defining characteristic of the second plateau (as well as closed-eye hallucinations and flanging) may be the motivational aspect. Repetitive, mundane, boring tasks suddenly become doable, and (if one can avoid distraction) may be easily accomplished, even if they take hours. There may be a considerable behavioural stimulant effect remaining at the second plateau without other feelings characteristic of stimulants. The euphoria from the first plateau continues but diminishes as dosage across the second plateau increases.






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5.4.3 Motor Effects

The first-plateau effects on motor skills continue to exist, and may be considerably stronger. Some users find themselves contorting their limbs into rigid positions (and in some cases with general muscle rigidity), others may extend and stretch themselves. These effects are not always immediately apparent; when they are, the user usually reports that it just "feels right" to be in that position. It is still possible to override this.

Another accentuation of first-plateau motion effects that sometimes occurs is that the large, sweeping motions, once initiated, may continue for considerable time (looking somewhat like a cross between modern dance and Huntington's disease). Again, it just "feels right" to do.






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5.4.4 Memory Effects

Intermediate-term memory and working memory may be severely disturbed, although experience with DXM seems to help people compensate. Possibly because of the changes in memory, it may be very difficult to get bored, even with repetitive tasks. At this plateau, a lot of time may get lost, and the more mundane aspects of the trip are easily forgotten after it is over.

5.5 The Transitional Phase

Between the second and third plateaus lies a transitional phase. Not everyone experiences it; it seems that about 70% of DXM users have reported at least one aspect of it. In some senses it seems to be "programmed", in that the content of the experience, although varying from individual to individual, does not change much from one trip to another.

Overall these experiences are probably the crossing of a threshold in dissociation. The hypothesis is this (although it is by no means proven). Generally speaking, sensory input competes with "feedback" input from the brain (you've probably noticed this from being deep in thought and not noticing what is going on around you). As sensory input becomes sufficiently inhibited, networks where sensory and feedback information are combined and reconciled begin to gain a larger and larger proportion of their input from internal feedback sources. Eventually, there is enough attenuation of sensory input (and probably intermediate-term memory as well) that the feedback loop becomes "free-running", leading to internal states (or models, if you prefer) that are increasingly detatched from the outside world.

During this time, people generally report that they can experience the process or they can discuss, relate, write about it; it does not seem possible to experience it while attempting to maintain contact with the body in any way. Unfortunately, memory of the experience is often impaired, so one gets the feeling of having taken an incredible ride without remembering it. Fortunately, the threshold experience may repeat itself throughout upper plateau trips (see Section 8.2.1).

If you want a very rough model for the threshold experience, get a video camera and a television, and feed the output of the camera into the TV. Point the video camera at the TV, turn on the date display on the camera (to provide some sort of "sensory input"), and turn the brightness down on the TV. Adjust the zoom on the camera to roughly include the entire TV screen. You will notice one or two copies of the date/time digits appearing, but overall the picture still looks like a video of a TV screen inside a screen (or two).

As you increase the brightness on the TV, however, something interesting begins to happen. Eventually, the feedback becomes self-sustaining, and you can get extremely complex, self-reinforcing patterns which take hold and maintain themselves. The entire picture begins to turn into abstract blobs and colors. As you adjust the zoom, you will find a stable point where you can wave your hand in front of the screen and the effects of this "sensory input" will ripple through the system, mutating constantly but never really leaving. This also makes a fascinating trip toy, by the way.

Overall there are some common features to most people's threshold experiences. The first is a sensation that has been described as the opening of nasal passages, being full of helium, losing one's body, or having one's heart stop beating. The actual effect is most likely a sudden cutoff of sensory input from within the body - everything from all the little aches and pains to the awareness of one's own heartbeat go away. This can be very disturbing if a naive user interprets it as heart failure!

The second transitional effect is a temporary loss of all sensory input (this does not always occur), as if one were in a sensory deprivation tank. This is often accompanied by severe Lilliputian hallucinations, probably because there is no internal size reference (since the rest of the universe has just gone away). One person reported feeling as if he shrunk down to the size of a proton, and the rest of the world were light-years away.

This transitional phase often repeats itself between the third and the fourth plateaus.

5.6 The Upper Plateaus

The upper plateaus are considerably less "recreational" than the lower plateaus, and are more introspective, spiritual, and shamanic. Most people who use DXM for psychonautical exploration or spiritual work do so at the upper plateaus. The upper plateaus generally take more out of the user, with more frequent hangovers and moments of dysphoria.

Unlike the lower plateaus, most upper plateau experiences do not lend themselves to moving around much. Most people find it better to find someplace comfortable and stay there. Trying to move too much can induce nausea in some people.








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5.7 The Third Plateau

The effects at the third plateau itself tend to be very intense, and often very different from earlier plateaus. Keep in mind that a third plateau trip can be terrifying to people who are not psychologically comfortable and prepared. Because the third plateau is so individually variant, I don't feel comfortable in trying to come up with a narrative.






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5.7.1 Sensory Effects

The flanging of visual effects, coupled with the loss of stereoscopic vision, becomes so strong that the brain seems to completely give up trying to process vision, leading to a sort of "chaotic blindness". Simple images (e.g., a candle flame) are still recognizable, although given the loss of stereoscopic vision one tends to see two of everything. More complex images, especially images that are not sharply defined, are difficult if not impossible to recognize. Vision, when possible, has a very dream-like quality to it.

Simple sounds are still understandable, and one can usually comprehend language, although it may be necessary for the speaker to phrase it in a complex rhythm (see Section 5.7.2). Music euphoria is rare. Touch and taste are subject to considerable anesthesia, and pain especially may be completely dissociated (it's still there, it just doesn't seem to apply). Body position, kinetic, and balance senses are similarly disrupted.

Some people continue to report an enhanced sense of smell on the third plateau; in a few people almost all smells are overpowering, and subtle elements of scents may be recognizable. This can affect taste, and ordinary foods or drinks can take on peculiar tastes as previously unknown odors are noticed. Even the type of container can affect the smell, with faint scents from paper cups, plastic, and even metal noticeable.

Hallucinations may continue, although they tend to be more abstract and "pre-sensory" rather than being predominantly visual. Oftentimes there is an overall sensation of being surrounded by "grey-ness", which brightens to white light as the dosage increases. There do seem to be more frequent moments of "virtual world" experiences, where one can construct an imaginary sensorium with the eyes closed.

At the third plateau, the flanging of sensory input occurs both on a raw level (sounds, images) and on higher levels (words, phrases, faces, etc.) This is, to my knowledge, unique to DXM. Flanging may slow down and speed up, leading to periods of lucidity alternating with periods of semi-consciousness.






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5.7.2 Cognitive/Emotional Effects

Cognitive function becomes severely disrupted at the third plateau. Complex tasks, such as arithmetic, may be very difficult (though some report little or no difficulty with simple skills). Reaction time is significantly delayed. Decision-making is somewhat degraded, although conceptual thought is less affected than concrete thought. Generally speaking, mental tasks which do not require changing context are far less impaired than tasks which require one to change one's decision-making approach.

Those who study this sort of thing will be interested to know that I have done some preliminary tests which show impaired results on the "Brain Warp" toy in "combo" mode (which is a basically a simplified Wisconsin Card Sort for kids). This probably indicates impaired prefrontal lobe function, a hypothesis supported by some research (226,326).

Language changes can be quite significant. Sentences may stretch on and on, or alternately be very terse (I call this the "Hemingway Effect"). Words, syllables, and phrases are commonly repeated. This may be related to problems with working and short-term memory. Speech may occur in a very rigid (but not necessarily simple) rhythm, and the user may not respond to speech unless it is in a similar rhythm.

The normal "chatter" that goes on inside everyone's brain tends to slow down or stop at this plateau, leaving a feeling of mental peace and quiet. One person reported this as "it felt like the top of my skull was opened into a clear blue sky".

Mood can range from absolute mania to panic. Many people have independently reported feeling as if they were dying, with some sense of fear, although some people do not seem to associate fear with this. Some people report a great increase in approach behavior, as if every event and object were a new experience; others find irrational fears occurring (possibly due to body load).

Panic attacks have occurred at the third plateau. This can be a scary experience, especially if one finds one's heart rate skyrocketing due to the panic attack and doesn't know why. The best way to cope with this is to try and calm down, much the same as one would with a bad trip on any other hallucinogen.

DXM on the third plateau has a very "shamanic" feel to it. Part of this is due to the sense of rebirth, part from the recall of suppressed and/or partially forgotten memories (some similar effects which I formerly placed on the third plateau (e.g., feelings of contact with other beings) I now place on the fourth plateau as they tend to occur at substantially different dosage levels). Complete annihilation of self can occasionally occur (rarely up to the point of forgetting one's identity, but more commonly just psychedelic ego-annihilation).

Note that, to sober observers, the effects of a third plateau trip can seem very unusual and unpleasant (often much more than to the person tripping).






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5.7.3 Motor Effects

At the third plateau it may be impossible to perform coordinated movements. The large, sweeping motions of the first and second plateau are no longer present. Instead, many users lack both the desire and ability to move at this plateau.

Well-learned motor tasks (e.g., speaking and typing) are still possible at this plateau, provided the user doesn't attempt to think about them. In particular, some users have reported that they were able to express their thoughts via typing, without even thinking about it or realizing they were doing so; however, when they looked at the screen or keyboard, they were no longer able to type. This is evidently a phenomenon unique to dissociative anesthetics.






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5.7.4 Memory Effects

Short-term memory is seriously impaired; working memory is less impaired. Thoughts may get stuck in a loop. Memory encoding of the more mundane experiences of the trip tends to be very bad; expect to forget a lot of the trip itself (a few people report that they begin to recall events from the trip a few days after it has ended; I know of no mechanism for this). The sense of time can be quite distorted, both in terms of chronological placement of events and in the sense of the passage of time.

The day after a third plateau DXM trip, some users feel as if there were a break in the continuity of their memory, almost like the close of one chapter and the beginning of another. Some find this a very positive feeling, like a rebirth or rite of passage. It can be disconcerting if experienced without adequate foreknowledge and preparation.

One of the most significant memory effects that can occur at the third plateau is the spontaneous recall of memories, often memories which were hidden (consciously or not). This can be a positive experience if one is prepared to review the darkest secrets of one's past; otherwise it range from somewhat embarrassing to very unpleasant and disturbing. The user may also feel compelled to tell her or his companions about these memories (not always a good idea).

5.8 The Fourth Plateau

Information pertaining to the fourth plateau (roughly, above 15mg/kg) is limited, and what I have gathered will be presented as a general overview. Fourth plateau doses are similar to fully dissociative (but pre-anaesthetic) doses of ketamine.

Please note that dosages in these ranges are approaching the danger zone, and under no circumstances should anyone take this much DXM without a sober assistant who can take you to the hospital if the need arises! Many people neglect "trip sitters" with psychedelics. While you can probably get away with this with LSD (provided you remain in control enough not to do something stupid), with DXM there may be moments of such total confusion that you can wander into trouble without knowing what's going on. Additionally, the danger of adverse physiological effects, although not great, is worth paying attention to. Finally, psychotic breaks are most frequent at fourth plateau doses (and of course increase as the dosage increases).

Generally, people entering the fourth plateau report that they lose all contact with their bodies, often suddenly. This can be somewhat frightening. In particular, the sense of breathing is one of those missing, and people have occasionally interpreted this as evidence that they were dead. The surrounding environment may be evenly colored (usually grey or white), or it may appear vividly realistic, or cartoon-like, or anywhere in between these.

Many users have reported experiences very similar to "out of body" and "near death" experiences. In such cases, many report that they have contacted other beings, whose reaction to the user is usually somewhere between curiosity and amusement. Contact with "superior being(s)" has also been reported, sometimes as a raw force, sometimes personified in some way. In the reports given to me, the "superior being" image is more often female than male.

Delusions can become fairly involved at this plateau; the crucial factor seems to be whether or not the individual realizes that the belief or thought is drug-induced. Some people, especially those more experienced at this level, have reported that although they were aware that their thoughts were delusional, they didn't really care at the time. In general these delusions are fairly harmless (e.g., "I am a flower in the middle of a field").

Typically an individual in this plateau won't be moving at all, which can be frightening to observers. In many ways this state resembles dreaming. If someone in this plateau does attempt to move, his or her attendants should be very sure that he or she is conscious of these actions, and not responding to a delusional environment.

Somewhat surprisingly, many cognitive abilities are still intact. Basic computational skills and long-term memory recall do not seem to be particularly affected. It is also possible for the "body" (actually body and some parts of the mind) to undergo fairly complex tasks while the conscious mind is dissociated.

One individual wrote the following of the fourth plateau trip, and I think it is a good explanation both of the trip and of its possible origins:

I've come to the conclusion that DXM is almost unique in it's ability to create a truly "alien" experience - one in which major aspects of one's humanity can become entirely irrelevant. Most obviously, one's body can be left behind; even forgotten. The experience of becoming or encountering bizarre life-forms seems at least somewhat common, as are weird, horizonless landscapes or space-scapes. I think alot of this "alieness" comes from having so many of one's ties to the familiar severed. When your body is gone, your mind loses its sense of how "big" or how "small" you are in relation to your surroundings. Hence hallucinations of huge things like galaxies, or of being as large as a mountain, as small as an atom, etc. I think the brain also misses subtle clues like the sensation of breathing, blood flowing through the veins, etc. - things which help remind you that you're human. And at some point, even your memories of the familiar may be suppressed.






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5.9 Plateau Sigma

A few people have independently contacted me about an additional plateau -- one reached not by increasing the dosage but by prolonging the experience. I searched for some time for a name before settling on "Plateau Sigma", both because it seems to be related to sigma activity (see Section 10.2) and because it occurs as one sums up small doses (sigma being the mathematical symbol for summation). This summation may lead to a strong potentiation of the psychotomimetic effects of DXM (227). Over half the people who had a Plateau Sigma experience have said it was extremely unpleasant and that they would never repeat it.

The most commonly reported dosage regimen for Plateau Sigma is given below. However, before giving it, I warn you strongly against making this sort of attempt. DXM at high dosages is probably hard both on the brain and the body, and extending the experience is likely to increase the chance for dangerous side effects. Furthermore, one must be experienced enough with DXM, with the psychedelic experience in general, and with one's own mind, to be able to understand the experience. Everyone who has reported a successful experience with this dosage regimen has been at least 23 years of age. While I do not doubt that some younger people may be capable of having a good experience at this plateau, most seem to be unable to understand it and unable to control it, and there may be a real danger of psychotic breaks. Finally, the experience is in some ways acutely uncomfortable, as one's contact with inner and outer reality seems to break down entirely.

Combining suggestions from others I have come up with the following dosage regimen. Start relatively early in the day (the experience degrades if one is too fatigued), at about 6 to 10 hours after awakening. It helps tremendously if one is in good physical shape and not under emotional stress. Take a low second plateau dose. In three hours (or about 1 hour after the peak), take a second low plateau dose. At three more hours (or, again, 1 hour after second peak) take a high second plateau or low third plateau dose. After coming down from the third plateau, instead of going back to the second plateau and down to baseline, you may be left in Plateau Sigma. Drugs which inhibit cytochrome P450-2D6 seem to enhance the duration and intensity of the experience. Nicotine is reported to inhibit it, and may even prevent it entirely.

At Plateau Sigma interesting things happen to reality. Some have reported vivid, entirely realistic contacts with alien entities, spirits, gods and goddesses. Unlike the fourth plateau, these contacts often take place with eyes open, immersed in everyday reality. Although none of the people who reported these experiences to me had bad trips, most related that the experiences were so real that they felt they easily could have.

Vision suffers a curious change, seeming to consist of well-processed but highly strobed images; so strong is the effect that it seems as if one is looking at the world under a fast strobe light. The eyes don't seem to track in synch with the inner 3D model of the world, so that when one looks to one side or another, the world lurches back and forth for a moment. Interestingly, it almost seems as if one is looking at the world from an inner vision with the eyes closed (see Section 5.11).

Finally, thoughts can be totally deranged. Connections between entirely unrelated ideas form, causality goes out to lunch, and one's personality seems pretty much dissolved into the universe. Expect to hear a lot of voices; some people find themselves totally obedient to them. There seems to be a "tireless" quality to the experience, as if one does not feel either fatigue or emotion directly, but only receives information from the inner voices ("sit down now, you're tired"). There are interesting comparisons both to accounts of acute schizophrenia and to Jaynes' postulated bicameral mind (350).

Again, let me warn you of the dangers here. You are probably stepping head first into psychosis, and unless you've got a very good trip sitter, you might end up coming back to reality in a padded room. Or, if you're really unlucky, you might freak out, have a hypertensive crisis, and end up in the hospital. Chronic high-dose use of PCP has been implicated both in deterioration of some brain areas and in cerebral hemorrhages. While PCP stands somewhat alone among dissociatives due to its additional and peculiar pharmacology, one should always be cautious when blazing trails in uncharted territory.

One last time: Be Careful!








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5.10 Is There Anything Beyond the Fourth Plateau?

There may be yet another plateau beyond the fourth. One individual took 3000mg (I don't know his weight) and survived, although he regained consciousness in a strange location and remembered nothing of the trip. Beyond the fourth plateau probably lies full anaesthesia, then respiratory collapse, coma, hypoxic brain damage, and death. Given the toxicity of DXM at doses much higher than the fourth plateau, I don't think anyone should try and go there. You might not be able to come back.

More recently, one user accidentally went beyond the fourth plateau and had a rather unpleasant (to say the least) experience:

Now, and interesting experience to relate. several months ago, I accidentally took 3060mg of dxm, which at my weight then of 150lbs, translated to about a 46.6mg/Kg 9I believe) dose.

Now, I won't go into the details of how I managed to take this much, but in a nutshell, I took 1100mg and three hours later felt nothing, so I took another 900mg. Then, once it hit me, I somehow cleaned out the rest of my stash, for what reason, I don't know.

Anyway- for the first 6 hours following my first dose, I felt normal. Then, I experienced a normal high 2nd trip until the point when I took the remaining 1060mg. After that point, i recall the following things:

falling face down on the floor in my room.
wondering why my rug tasted like burned nylon, when it was cotton.
feeling myself float past the 3rd and even 4th plateaus, they were clearly defined for me, with differing emotions and feelings for each one. The last thing I remember before passing out was looking up and seeing a 5th plateau, which was very dark and most definitely not happy looking. Then darknss.
dropping in and out of consciousness for a period of 15 hours, while hearing the voice of what I thought to be some higher being telling me repeatedly "do not do this to me again"
Approximately 25 hours after the first ingestion, I woke up, for the first time realizing where I was and what I'd done. I crawled to the bathroom, and found I'd lost about 4lbs due to sweating, and was severely pale and shaky. I crawled back to my room, and found the floor absolutely soaked with sweat, which smelled like coricidin. I then passed out again, and woke up 6 hours later completely refreshed, but with a slight stomachache. I grabbed come chocolate milk and that gave me some energy back. Enough to reflect, at least. It was then that I counted the empty foil wrappers and learned what I'd done. I laid back and thought about this, and couldn't remember much, but did come to believe that the 'divine voice' I'd heard was nothing more than my brain screaming at me.
Since then, the trip has faded from my mind, but every time I look at coridicin, be it in a friend's hand, or in the store, I hear that voice again, and almost always puke instantly. As such, this dose is NOT recommended,and will probably prove fatal to someone not as lucky as I.








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5.11 What is the "DXM Third Eye Camera"?

The "Third Eye Camera" (or "DXM Wacky-Cam" as one person called it) is a strange sense of vision that occurs sometimes after vision re-integrates in upper plateau trips. It is most prominent in Plateau Sigma experiences. There is a very pronounced strobing of vision without afterimages. As one moves one's eyes, the world seems to zoom back and forth (it seems that the inner model of the world isn't staying in synch with the outside; it may be that the brain has lost track of where the eyes are pointing). Vision is heavily dream-like and almost seems to persist with the eyes closed.

Somewhat more specific is one person's explanation that the "strobe light" seems to consist of regular pulses at roughly 8Hz, with small duty cycle (i.e., the "pulse" phase of the strobe is considerably shorter than the "non-pulse" phase). The frequency suggests theta rhythm, and there is research to back this up and potentially explain it (see Section 9.2.7). One person suggested that the strobe pulses seemed to be a negative image of the world, or perhaps an alternative view of it. It may be a strobing between an inner model of the visual space and sensory input. It might also be a flashing between the left eye's view and the right eye's view (another person suggested this). In any case, it seems to persist only until one goes to sleep, regardless of how much DXM is still hanging around in your body when you wake up.








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5.12 Tussin Space, Tussin Consciousness

One of the more interesting phenomena that occur after one has gained experience with DXM is the development of a state-dependent memory. As the DXM experience starts, one finds onesself in comfortable, familiar territory, a space and consciousness unique to the DXM experience. Memories of former DXM trips can become easier to recall and more vivid. To many, this phenomenon is associated with a physical construct, a "Tussin Space," as more than one person has called it.

The exact nature of this space varies from person to person. Many find it to be a vast, open space, full of exotic and alien constructs, buildings and shapes. Some see crystalline towers and cloud-like lifeforms; others see the Tussin Space as a forest, desert, or other natural setting. Your Mileage May Vary. Many if not most don't really see it as a physical space at all.

Along with this space comes the unique but consistent changes in consciousness that lead to the state-dependent memory of the DXM experience. Called Tussin Consciousness by some, it becomes more and more familiar as one learns familiarity with DXM and becomes able to compensate for the memory inhibition.








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5.13 What is the "Tussin Euphoria" and What Makes it Unique?

People do psychoactive drugs because in some sense they are pleasurable or beneficial. In some cases, such as cocaine and opiates, this takes the form of a "body high" or general euphoria resulting from stimulation of the brain's reward centers (the pathways of the ventral tegmental area, to be more specific). In other cases, like marijauna and LSD, the benefits are more emotional and intellectual. Many lab animals do not self-administer marijuana, and to my knowledge none self-administer LSD or related psychedelics.

DXM seems to lie somewhere in between; exactly where seems to depend on the individual. There is a definite DXM euphoria (called the "Tussin Euphoria" by the same people who refer to Tussin Space and Tussin Consciousness), but not everyone experiences it. Some in fact find DXM so profoundly disturbing that they never repeat the experience. A very few seem to find such incredible meaning and profundity to the DXM experience that it becomes psychologically addictive.

The Tussin Euphoria is totally unlike the euphoria from "body drugs" such as cocaine or heroin, and equally unlike the euphoria from MDMA (ecstasy). Instead, it is a sensation of being totally at peace with onesself, the universe, and other people. Ordinary cares and concerns seem to vanish as one enters a world where anything is possible, and the body becomes increasingly irrelevant. "Meat pleasures" such as food and sex are no longer relevant.

For those susceptible to it, the lure of the Tussin Euphoria can be significant. One person compared it to "The Nexus" from Star Trek: Generations; when in the Tussin Space, time has no meaning, and anything is possible. Basically it comes down to whether or not you enjoy being a discarnate entity, roaming around in a mental/spiritual world without physical interaction. Conversations are, of course, still a part of one's interactions, and many find great comfort and pleasure in group tripping. However, don't expect physical contact to be particularly profound; DXM is not a substitute for MDMA.

If you find yourself particularly susceptible to Tussin Euphoria, keep in mind that with frequent use of DXM it goes away and leaves one only with a sense of discomfort and dysphoria. In a very few individuals, this can continue into full-blown depression. Like all other drugs, you never get something for nothing.

5.16 How Does DXM Compare With Other Dissociatives?

Third and especially fourth plateau DXM experiences seem to resemble ketamine experiences, and based on reports of people who have done both, the similarity is considerable. This is not surprising, since both DXM and ketamine block NMDA receptors. Since v3.0 of the FAQ I have heard from PCP users who have tried DXM; all of them say that the two share little in common except at very high doses of DXM, and that even then the experiences are significantly different. PCP stands somewhat alone among dissociatives due to its unique neuropharmacology.

The lower DXM plateaus seem to show a number of differences from other dissociatives. This is most likely due to DXM's unique potency at the dopamine reuptake site (the PCP2 receptor) and the sigma receptor. DXM's ability to block dopamine reuptake is probably the biggest factor in its popularity at lower plateaus; neither ketamine nor PCP have substantial ability to do this.

When DXM is taken in divided doses, or when it is taken with an inhibitor of the P450-2D6 enzyme (e.g., fluoxetine), its sigma agonist activity becomes much stronger in comparison to its effect at the NMDA receptor. As expected, DXM taken under these conditions differs from other dissociatives, and is sometimes reported to induce schizophrenic-like thought processes and other unpleasant effects.

13 Mixing DXM and Other Drugs
from the DXM FAQ
used at Third Plateau with the permission of author William White


Beware of mixing DXM and other drugs, legal or not. Any time you do, you risk an adverse reaction with your own physiology that cannot be predicted. Nonetheless, people have asked about it and here are the results from people who have combined DXM and other drugs. In addition to the sections below, you may wish to consult Section 14.4 to see what people have written about their experiences with DXM and other drugs.








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13.1 Alcohol

Some users report that a small amount of alcohol (a beer or two) before the DXM can both enhance the trip and prevent some nausea. Alcohol following the DXM trip seems to be reduced in some, but not all, of its effects. Note that large doses of alcohol combined with DXM often cause prolonged vomiting (up to 2 hours!) Alcohol after the end of a high dosage DXM trip has been reported to temporarily bring back many of the dissociative effects (cannabis and nitrous oxide also do this). This seems possible up to five days after the DXM trip, depending on your metabolism and brain chemistry.








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13.2 Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines

Barbiturates ("downers") include drugs like seconal and nembutal; benzodiazepines include drugs like diazepam (ValiumTM), LibriumTM, and other antianxiety drugs. Generally speaking most but not all prescribed sedatives, antianxiety drugs, and recreational "downers" fall into this category.

Some people have reported that combining DXM with a low dose of a benzodiazepine can prevent some of the more annoying side effects (mostly related to overstimulation, high blood pressure, and tachycardia). Clonazepam (Clonopin[tm]) in particular has been reported to have specific effects in combination with DXM, different from other benzodiazepines. These effects include enhanced CEV's (closed-eye visuals) and, of course, limiting or preventing sympathomimetic effects (high blood pressure and heart rate, sweating, etc.). I can't recommend this, and these drugs are of course prescription-only, but it doesn't seem to me that a low dose would be harmful. Just don't do it regularly.

I strongly suggest you avoid barbiturates, and be careful with benzodiazpeines; both barbiturates and benzodiazepines tend to be dangerous enough by themselves and are frequently fatal when combined with other depressants (such as alcohol).








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13.3 Amphetamines and Other Psychostimulants

This is probably asking for high blood pressure problems, strokes, brain hemorrhages, and the like. While a few people enjoy this combination, most find it unpleasantly speedy anyway. Most who've tried it reported that DXM will potentiate other stimulants. Since DXM inhibits dopamine reuptake, combining it with a dopamine releasing agent (amphetamine or methamphetamine) will naturally produce a combined, synergistic effect. I'd suggesting avoiding this at all costs.

Combining DXM, a psychostimulant, and a monoamine oxidase inhibitor is a sure way to make your blood pressure skyrocket and will probably kill you (if you're lucky) or leave you with severe brain damage (if you aren't lucky).








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13.4 Cannabis (Marijuana)

DXM and cannabis is a frequent combination, which most people seem to enjoy, at least at lower doses of DXM. High doses of DXM (third plateau and up) mixed with cannabis can be very, very dissociative and sometimes unpleasant. A few people have reported that cannabis with DXM makes them feel very stupid.

One user reported that 360mg DXM followed 3.5h later by "a bowl or two" produced a very profound, and unique, intoxication. Severe flanging of all sensory input was present, and there was an overall "vibration" feeling present in the muscles. With eyes closed, he could think fairly clearly, and solve simple and complex tasks much easier than on DXM or cannabis alone; however, with eyes open (or other sensory distraction) cognitive abilities deteriorated rapidly. Motor skills were possible only when performed automatically; any attempt to focus on them led to difficulties.

Several users have reported that cannabis and DXM generally "go well" together. Note that cannabis after the DXM trip is over seems to bring back some of the dissociative effects, much like alcohol and nitrous oxide.

DXM probably interacts with marijuana at a pharmacological level. Dissociatives decrease the analgesic response to THC (214) and downregulate THC receptors (218).








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13.5 LSD, Psilocybin (Shrooms), and Other 5HT Hallucinogens

I've received a limited number (about 20) of reports of mixing DXM with 5HT hallucinogens, primarily LSD and mushrooms. While one person said this combination was "not recommended", most have had incredibly profound experiences. On the other hand, very few of these have said they would ever repeat the combination, as it was simply far too powerful and terrifying. One person told me that DXM helped him avoid unpleasant cognitive effects and "bad trips" he might otherwise get from LSD alone. Regular use of DXM may alter the effects of LSD due to overall increase in 5HT binding (252) and decreased 5HT2 receptor binding (212).

A good description of the DXM + LSD experience was provided by one person:

Anyways that day I had been up about 18 hours when I took the lsd. After doing some fingerpainting and noticing how the visuals were pretty good for only 1 hit and just having recently tripped I decided to give the dxm another whirl. So I took 300mg.
At first I felt slightly out of it a bit drunk. As I sat in the chair however I began to feel like I was sinking deep within myself. It became very hard to focus on anything so I closed my eyes. Whew-wee what a mistake. The visuals were *intense* blinding lights, zooming, it was unlike anything I had ever seen. I opened my eyes and when they couldnt focus I began to feel horribly sick. So I went and threw up it lasted about 30 seconds and after I threw up (instantly) I began to feel incredibly fucked up. I was very depersonalized. I felt like I was nothing more than a dot inside my head. Focus on anything was next to impossible and my eyes began to shift a lot. The vertigo was immense if I looked at any repeating pattern. Enigma was playing on the stereo and it sounded so full and deep it was hard to listen to. I layed down and closed my eyes and began another rushing trip. This one was much more intenst than the first so intense that my brain began to feel very overloaded. I suddeny had to throw up again becase of the *music*; it was just too much to handle. At this point I felt incredibly horrible. My head felt like it was pulsating, as did my whole body. It was as though I was showering the room with excess energy. The music was turned off and I gained some composure. This time after thorwing up (just water) I felt wonderful. I relaxed and layed down again and then it began. The most wonderous experience of my life. There just are no words to describe the nenxt 4 or 5 hours. I would close my eyes and the visuals were so lifelike. It was like a waking dream where I had full control. Soemtimes it was hard to tell if my eyes were close or open. When they were open I was having mass hallucinations. Walls with paintings that werent there etc... It was just incredible...to sum up the pros and cons.
Dont do lsd+dxm if your not VERY stable. The possibility of a bad trip is easily much higher than the possibilty of a good one. Dont do dxm+lsd if you've ever had a bad trip due to repressed memories. Dont do dxm+lsd if your afraid of seeing wierd shit when you puke (if you puke on dxm) this I see as being extremely tramatic for a number of people. Dont do dxm+lsd if your worried about it. You will at time prolly feel like you are dying/or dead (the upside is you feel so content you dont really care).
Do dxm+lsd if you can take it and want the trip of your life. Quite simply I have never seen anything else that even came close to comparing.
Will I do it again? I doubt it. I achieved what I was looking for in the whole trip thing; complete and total fooling of my mind.






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13.6 Opiates

One person says that small amounts of opiates tend to "mellow out" the DXM trip, and reduce the possibility for panic attacks or anxiety. Another user said opiates should only be taken after the peak of the DXM trip, because otherwise they would cancel each other out to some degree.

On the other hand, this may be a dangerous combination, and I'd recommend against it. Both DXM and opiates can depress respiration and high enough doses, and there might be a synergistic effect.

Recently, a new product has appeared on the streets containing heroin, scopolamine, dextromethorphan, cocaine, and thiamine. Called "Homicide" or "Super Buick", it presents extraordinary problems due to its high toxicity. Even worse, when naloxone is given for overdose, the toxicity of the other drugs can become apparent (371-372).








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13.7 PCP and Ketamine

The few reports I have received have indicated that ketamine plus DXM was not much different from ketamine. One person said that a small dose of ketamine can boost the DXM experience by one plateau. I expect that most of DXM's particular effects on sigma receptors are overshadowed by ketamine's NMDA antagonism. Ketamine is a much more potent NMDA antagonist than DXM, and since they both compete for the same site, DXM isn't going to affect this much.








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13.8 Nicotine

This is a combination I hadn't considered before, but which evidently is fairly interesting. Nicotine seems to vastly potentiate DXM's effects for some people, enough so that one user reported that one cigarette could floor him on a second plateau trip. Another user reported that nicotine helped him overcome some of the memory problems with higher doses of DXM, but tended to induce nausea.

On the other hand, several people have told me that DXM should be avoided if one smokes cigarettes regularly (even if you don't smoke during the trip), because of nausea, hot flashes, and other unpleasant interactions. This might be due to inhibition of MAO by cigarettes (378,379) and if so, cigarettes should be avoided.








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13.9 Phenethylamines (MDMA, MDA, 2CB, etc)

I have very limited data on mixing these drugs with DXM. One person mixed DXM and 2CB ("bees") and had a wonderful experience:

Ever since I first read D.M. Turner's excellent Essential Psychedelic Guide and saw his glowing reports on the combination of Ketamine and bees, I have had quite a hankering to try an entheogenic cocktail of that variety. Bees have been plentiful lately, but Ketamine is as hard as ever to come by for me. Recently I had an interesting idea - since DXM is relatively close chemically and experientially to K, as well as being cheap, legal, and easy to acquire, why not use it as a substitute in the combo?
So the other night I took 300 mgs. of DXM in the form of Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps, a preparation that contains no other unwanted active ingredients like acetaminophen, guafinesen, or pseudoephedrine and has the added advantge of being low on sugars and syrups that can cause gatsric distress in large doses. This dose of DXM alone would not be sufficient to evoke a fully dissociative episode for me, but I decided to err on the side of caution as I usually do when trying a new mix. After an hour or so, I began to feel the euphoria that is my first alert with this particular material and took 20 mgs of bees. I was chatting on IRC at the time and within twenty minutes typing became much too complicated to deal with, so I lay down and relaxed into the trip.

There were some uncomfortable somatic symptoms at first, such as a feeling of physical heaviness similar to that induced by alcohol, minor stomach upset, and hot flashes (which had me a little worried until I took my temperature and found it to be normal.) Fortunately, these passed quickly as my consciousness dissociated from my body. I began to feel as if my soul was a soaring kite that was connected to my physical form by only the thinnest etheral guide rope. Then my physical awareness seemingly vanished, and I found myself in a state that was nearly identical to the experience of Ketamine that I had on the two occasions I was lucky enough to acquire some. I felt that I reverted back to the ground of being, the original undifferentiated oneness, the primal monad. Everything was perfect, all was one, and it was me. Then something fantastic happened. I felt as though I was given an opportunity to experience the original creation process that produced the material universe. I saw/felt/percieved the monad make love to itself and give birth to what we know as the manifest cosmos. I was the monad making love and giving birth, and it felt incredible, like multiple orgasms of universal proportions. This was a very meaningful episode for me, because it seemed to afford a pointed insight into one of the main philosophical questions I've been thinking about for quite some time. The question was: why did the monad split in the first place? Why disturb that original pristine oneness at all? As I shivered and shook with the pleasure of the birthing process, the answer seemed very clear: simply for the joy of the doing, not because of any kind of expected result. The universe is a work in progress, not a finished product, and it is the process of creation that is most important.

That episode lasted maybe half an hour or so, and then I began to gradually regain my physical consciousness. I spent the rest of the trip in a lovely state that I can only describe in terms of post-coital glow on a cosmic scale accompanied by the lovely visuals that are characteristic of the bees. Near the end of the experience, I had the opportunity to smoke some salvia, and had the feeling of communing with the spirit of the plant. It felt great; very warm and comforting. Ska Maria definitely likes the bees, and she seems to like me too! I slept about four hours and awoke the next morning feeling reborn and refreshed, enjoying a quite delightful afterglow that lasted the entire day. I reccomend the combination of bees and dissociatives highly, and will most definitely be doing further exploration along these lines in the future when the opportunity presents itself.







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13.10 Nootropics (Smart Drugs)

A few regular users of dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), around 800mg per day, have reported that the regular use of DMAE prevents a lot of the memory and cognitive problems associated with DXM use, while still leaving the rest of its interesting effects. One user also reported that lecithin prevented some of the confusion associated with DXM.

A similar effect has been reported for piracetam. See also information on use of nootropics to limit hangover in Section 6.1.7.








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13.11 Miscellaneous Other Drugs



Several people have reported to me that nitrous oxide goes well with DXM, especially towards the end of the trip. This seems to be consistent with nitrous oxide's effects in combination with other hallucinogens. Specifically, nitrous oxide seems to intensely multiply the flanging, "stoning", and dissociative effects without added adverse side effects.

Do not under any circumstances use DXM with yohimbine or any other alpha-2 adrenergic antagonist. This combination could vastly potentiate the danger of Olney's lesions (see Section 6.3.1).

It might be a good idea to avoid tetrodotoxin, given DXM's sodium channel blocking ability. (This is a joke! No, don't go out and try zombie potion).

information overload! wooo!

Well, I didn't bother to read the novel posted above (ass), but I like drugs. Marijuana, shrooms, opium (only three times), and pills (Namely Percaset, but there are others). Liquor as well, if we're counting that as a drug (Which it is).

i have the very occasional joint but thats it for me. i'm not keen on the majority of drugs, although i do drink, though mainly in moderation. i dont like not being in control, being tipsy and a bit wobbly on my feet is one thing, not remembering what ive done the following day is another!

i actually prefer smoking some hash to drinking, at least when i smoke a joint, i can get a nice high, a fit of the giggles, some munchies and relax with no hangover when it wears off!

no drug since the very end of high school. I used to do coke quite often, but thankfully I'm not one who easily becomes addicted to things. I stopped when I returned to NH for a while, and haven't touched it since. That's been almost 5 years. ... I think I'll just stick with my alcohol, even though it's worse.. it kills by far more people per year than illicit drugs.