Hallucinogens: Harm Minimisation Strategies

General safety tips

Understand your substance

• Effects vary: each hallucinogen differs in duration, intensity, and impact. Research what you're taking and familiarise yourself with the effects and risks so you can prepare mentally and physically.
• Unregulated supply: drug supply is toxic and unregulated. You can't be certain what you're taking or how strong it is.
• Test your substance: use reagent testing kits to confirm the purity and identity of your substance. While not foolproof, they help reduce the risk of ingesting harmful adulterants.

Set and setting

Your mindset (set) and environment (setting) significantly shape how a hallucinogen will affect you.

Set = Your body and mind

This includes:

• Current mood and mental health
• Life stressors or emotional load
• How safe and supported you feel
• Your physical state (sleep, food, hydration, illness)
• How familiar you are with the substance
• Any prescribed medications or other substances you've taken

Hallucinogens can amplify your internal state. If you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or not in a good headspace, it may not be a good time to trip.

Setting = Your surroundings

Think about:

• Where you are: is it a familiar or unfamiliar space?
• Lighting, sound, temperature, and smells
• Who you're with and whether you trust them
• The time of day, if you're indoors or outdoors, the weather

Mixing and masking

Knowing what happens when you mix certain substances is important, to help minimise harm when you’re using hallucinogens. Some combinations cause unpredictable effects, while others can mask how intoxicated you really are—making it easier to misjudge your limits.

• Mixing: avoid mixing hallucinogens with other drugs, especially alcohol, stimulants, or depressants.
• Masking: mixing a depressant and a stimulant can ‘mask’ effects of each drug, making you feel less intoxicated than you are. Because hallucinogen effects often come in waves, it can be tempting to re-dose or add another substance. But this increases the risk of overamping, bad trips, or physical complications when one drug wears off before the others.

Risky mixes with hallucinogens

• Hallucinogens and alcohol: this mix increases confusion, nausea, and the risk of injury. It can also mask how intoxicated you feel, which can lead to risky behaviour.
• Hallucinogens and stimulants (like MDMA or cocaine): this mix can lead to severe anxiety, panic attacks, and increase the strain on your heart – especially when combined with the intense sensory effects of hallucinogens.
• Hallucinogens and depressants (like benzodiazepines or opioids): this mix can cause heavy sedation and increase the risk of overdose, especially at high doses.
• Other hallucinogens: combining multiple hallucinogens (e.g LSD and ketamine) can create an overwhelming and disorienting experience.
• Prescribed mood medications: different antidepressants and antipsychotics affect the intensity of hallucinogens. SSRIs, SNRIs, benzodiazepines and antipsychotics can dull the effects. MAOIs can dangerously amplify them and should not be combined.

Safer use tips

• Stick to one substance at a time, especially if you're new to hallucinogens.
• Start low, go slow. Use small amounts and avoid frequent re-dosing to prevent building tolerance. This can also help you prevent ketamine-related cystitis, which can be caused by frequent use or high doses of ketamine.
• Know how long each drug lasts—hallucinogens often have long or delayed effects.
• Avoid mixing downers (like alcohol or benzos) to "come down" during or after a trip. This can be risky and suppress breathing or awareness.
• If you're combining substances, make sure someone you trust knows what you’ve taken and is able to help if needed.

Ways to use hallucinogens: from lower to higher risk

Oral

• Eating, drinking, or swallowing hallucinogens means the drug is slower to start working. This will give you a more gradual experience which can be easier to manage.
• Examples: eating psilocybin mushrooms, swallowing LSD tabs, drinking ayahuasca.

Smoking or vaporisation

• Inhaling hallucinogens produces a fast, intense onset and may irritate the lungs. Effects are often short but overwhelming.
• Examples: smoking or vaporising DMT.

Snorting

• Snorting leads to a rapid onset and can intensify effects, but may damage nasal tissues and makes dosing harder to control.
• Examples: snorting ketamine.

Injection

• Injecting produces an immediate, intense effect and carries high risks, including overdose and infection. Hallucinogens are rarely used this way. Injecting is not recommended for hallucinogens due to the high risk of complications.

Ways to use hallucinogens: lower risk recommendations for certain types

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

• Dosing: start with a low dose, especially if you’re unfamiliar with LSD. Information on standard doses can be found here, but remember, this amount can vary.
• Taste check: LSD is tasteless. If it’s bitter, it may be an adulterant (like NBOMe), which can be dangerous and have unpredictable effects and duration compared to LSD.
• Aftercare: effects can last up to 12 hours with potential after-effects. Plan for rest and recovery the next day.

Psilocybin (magic mushrooms)

• Dosing: Information on doses can be found here, but remember, it depends on body weight, tolerance, frequency of use, and recent meals. Always adjust based on your experience and sensitivity.
• Preparation: 'lemon tek' or mushroom tea can bring on effects faster and shorten the duration compared to eating mushrooms. These methods may also reduce nausea.
• Integration: allow time after your experience to think about the insights and emotions that came up. Journaling or talking with someone you trust can help process the experience.
• Sourcing risk: never forage wild mushrooms unless you're with an experienced mycologist. Some toxic mushrooms look very similar to psilocybin varieties and can cause serious illness or death. Always source from someone you trust.

Ketamine

• Dosing: start small – opt for small bumps rather than snorting large lines to better control intensity and reduce risks.
• Hydration: drink water before and after use to avoid dehydration and protect your bladder health.
• Setting: use in safe, seated or lying-down environment to prevent injury due to dissociation or loss of coordination.

DMT (Dimethyltryptamine)

• Environment: use in a calm, quiet space. This is an intense experience (lasting 5-30 minutes) so it's important to have a setting where you can lie down and not be disturbed.
• Support: having a sober sitter is crucial due to the powerful and immersive nature of the experience.
• Safety tip: motor skills decline rapidly once you experience the effects of DMT, so have your sober sitter ready to take the bong, pipe or joint from you to prevent burns or accidents.

Hallucinogens overdose

Signs of a hallucinogens overdose:

• severe confusion or agitation
• persistent, distressing hallucinations
• risk of self-harm or aggression towards others
• sudden, big changes in blood pressure, heart rate
• loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness.

What to do if you’re with someone who has overdosed

Call emergency services (000) immediately: tell them clearly what substance was taken, and what symptoms are showing.

• Stay with the person: keep them calm and monitor their condition. Move them to a calming, familiar environment if possible. Reassure them, and remind them that what they’re feeling is temporary and help is on the way.
• Put them in the recovery position: if they are unconscious but breathing, turn them on their side to keep their airway open.

Other resources

For further information and support, consider resources like Erowid, MAPS, or local harm reduction services.