The use of 5-MeO-DMT as a sacred traditional in the Americas goes back hundreds – perhaps thousands – of years. It was used as a purge for the sickand as a medium through which to obtain medical diagnoses from spirits.
It is found in the venom of the Bufo alvarius (Sonoran Desert or Colorado River toad). In its crystalline form, 5-MeO-DMT is often vaporized or snorted. Effects from vaporizing are usually felt within the first 30 seconds, peaking any time in the next 15 minutes and lasting for up to half an hour. A threshold dose is around 1-2 mg, whereas a moderate-to-strong dose will be 5 to 10 mg.
Effects are strong, sometimes with a loss of physical control and coordination. Commonly moving environments, bright colors or recursive patterns are experienced and even “environmental orbism” at higher doses. Nonetheless, visual effects are limited that is a remarkable difference with DMT. The experience is generally described as a “perspective shift” with emotional, physical, and conceptual effects.
Amongst the features of the 5-MeO-DMT experience is an enhancement of tactile awareness to the point of feeling sensory overload. The body may feel heavier as well. Intensity in the emotions is a recurrent pattern, swinging from extreme fear to euphoria. The concept of the ego as a separate entity is typically lost. Some effects may be auditory hallucinations, nausea, time distortion, and memory loss. It’s also common to feel an overwhelming sense of oneness with the universe, a sort of sense of being outside time and space while seeming to experience the totality of both.
PRECAUTION:
5-MeO-DMT is a substance of unpredictable nature therefore a sitter is recommended. Short-term unconsciousness, delusional interactions and respiratory depression, are some of the things to watch out for. It should be taken in a comfortable seated or lying position to avoid falling over.
5-MeO-DMT cannot be taken with MAOIs, this including some antidepressants. If combined may cause serotonin syndrome, long-term kidney damage, severe hypertensive symptoms (elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature), seizures, and death.
So it is better to start out 5-MeO-DMT with a low dose, since reaction is different to the same doses (and it’s not entirely clear why) from individual to individual. Caution is advisable even if you have prior experience of tryptamines.
Ego loss when on 5-MeO-DMT is described in a positive way—even if the experience was hard at the time. Many have described it as a process of death and rebirth with lasting self-improvements, such as increased motivation, mental clarity, joy in living, enhanced awareness, and a sense of inner peace. Other people have also experienced empowering “enlightenment” experiences through a sense of inseparability from the universe or of being “all that exists.” These experiences come and go in waves along the following days or weeks.
The idea to let go of the ego is what draws many people to 5-MeO-DMT. The experience of dissolution can bring an understanding and acceptance of mortality that means a natural way to overcome the fear of death. It is also a valid tool to break attachments with negative behaviors, past trauma, and habitual negative thought patterns.
FAQ
Can it be detected in a drug test?
5-MeO-DMT can´t be detected in any drug tests, nor are there any specialized tests for it. Besides, since it’s so different from other drugs tested for, it shouldn’t trigger a false positive.
Can I develop a tolerance?
Yes, tolerance develops almost immediately and takes two hours to return to baseline. But there is no cross-tolerance with other psychedelics.
Will it make me go crazy?
Most people find the effects overwhelming. Consensus reality, the physical environment, body, and self tend to fall away, and behavior can become irrational.
“White-outs” and memory suppression are also common during the trip itself, negatively affecting users’ ability to form memories of the altered state.
However, everything falls in place during the following days.
Can I mix it with other drugs?
5-MeO-DMT shouldn’t be mixed with RIMAs or IMAOs, including certain antidepressants, due to the risk of serotonin syndrome and death. Due to this reason, using 5-MeO-DMT with alcohol or other psychoactive drugs is generally discouraged