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Near Fatality
Huasca Combo (Syrian Rue & M. tenuiflora)
Citation:   dumb college junkie. "Near Fatality: An Experience with Huasca Combo (Syrian Rue & M. tenuiflora) (exp61120)". Erowid.org. Mar 1, 2007. erowid.org/exp/61120

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
4.0 g oral Syrian Rue (tea)
  T+ 0:15     Mimosa tenuiflora (tea)
BODY WEIGHT: 117 lb
A friend took mimosahuasca back in november 2006 and said friend, who will be called S, almost died from a severe allergic reaction. She would later describe this as 'I think it is easily the worst experience of my life.'

Set and setting: S had heard of other people taking mimosahuasca and having standard trips. S had taken mushrooms before. S followed all dietary precautions for a day preceding the trip. S was a little antsy to trip and taking mimosahuasca may not have been the best idea that night, but I am not here to report about psychological effects but rather that S went into anaphylactic shock which very well could have masked itself as a bad trip and killed her if she had not gone to the hospital. S has some strange allergies to things like avocados and melons.

On the night of the incident, four individuals drank ayahuasca in a dorm room. It was brewed on a hot plate with water and lemon juice and filtered through a clean dishrag (she is not allergic to laundry detergent) and paper towel. It was then split into four equal portions, the rue was drank (4g ea), the individuals waited 15ish minutes and began drinking the mimosa (14g ea). S drank hers faster than the rest, but did not completely finish. The rest of the drinkers threw up very quickly after drinking, but S did not throw up much at all.

While the effects of the drug began to come on for the others as normal, S looked like she was beginning to have a bad trip. She stated that something wasn't right, but could not express herself very well. She started talking more and more adamantaly about how something was not right and eventually got up and started running around the room, screaming. The trip sitter and another sober individual believed she was having a bad trip and so got her alone and tried to calm her down. This was effective for very short durations of time and panic would always set right back in. It climaxed to the point that she was thrashing on the ground, flailing and screaming 'i'm dying' when the cops/paramedics were called. It should be noted that it took two 150lb males to hold her down to prevent her from hurting herself, and 6 EMTs.

When the paramedics came, they were informed about what was happening. She was sedated and taken to the hospital, after being strapped down on a board. She was informed that she stopped breathing for 3 minutes in the hospital and could have easily died. The doctors told her that she had an allergic reaction to something in the brew and that she had gone into anaphylactic shock due to it. The only thing that she remembers is feeling as if she couldn't breathe at the beginning, when she originally began to complain that something wasn't right.

This report stands as a staunch warning towards anyone considering using mimosahuasca, and against the philosophy that sitting a bad trip out is fine. If someone is adamant that something is wrong then for god's sake take them to the hospital. I urge anyone reading this to be very careful when considering whether or not to take psychedelics, had this been done while camping or solo, not much could have been done to save her life. I have gotten a lot of shit about the fact that it was taken in a dorm room but I once again remind my readers that although she had a terrifying experience, she did not have 'a bad trip'. She had a physical, allergic reaction to the brew which caused her lungs to restrict airflow and her body to nearly die.

BE CAREFUL

p.s. having an allergic reaction and nearly dying is very bad. having a bad trip is very bad. Having an allergic reaction while you are tripping, having your words go unheeded because your trip sitters believe some crap like 'she thinks she's dying, but it's really only her ego', being sucked into hell, strapped down to a board after 6 emts sit on top of you, and losing the ability to breathe for 3 minutes, while you are tripping, does not have a word to describe itself.



Follow-up report, added Jun 22 2007:

When she started screaming, the RA heard it and came to the door. He was told that she was having a bad trip and he said he would have to call the police, and the person who answered the door then told him to call the paramedics. The two tripsitters then went back to holding the one who was having the bad reaction down and told her help was on the way and that she'd be okay, etc. When the police came, they had to ask permission to come in the room, which was granted. They then came and questioned the sitters while the sitters held the one who was having the allergic reaction down, then the paramedics took over (there was only a small time delay between the police and paramedics coming). One of the sitters told the paramedics to give her benzodiazepenes, but they wanted to know what she was on etc. so we told them how much and from what plants of each of the plants, that the rue was an MAOI (with harmaline?, not sure if that was mentioned, probably). The sitters basically refused to talk to the cops but answered any questions the paramedics had. It was left out that it contained lemon juice. They then strapped her to a board and took her out. The police made the sitters track down the others who had ingested it so they could question them then put them under protective custody and take them to the hospital (I believe against the advice of the paramedics at the scene), and two of them had tests run on them (which they had to pay for as well as ambulance rides) while one was not admitted.

As far as campus level, there were all sorts of rumors around the dorm but the story never broke in the paper or anything. Everyone involved that were known by the campus were brought up on charges. The sitter who provided the substance was put on disciplinary probation (you get in a lot of trouble if you fuck up again and it stays on your record for six years after you leave the school) and was also kicked out of the dorms. The two punishments didn't have any bearing on each other as they are separate systems that handed them out. Disciplinary probation is the next worse punishment than suspension. The other sitter was given warning probation (same thing as disciplinary probation, but does not stay on your record after you leave the school). I believe the three others were made to do some sort of rehab program and got warnings, but I am not sure. This is arguably against university policy because the university does not have a policy against illegal drugs, so people were charged with creating a hazardous situation/safety hazard, or helping to create one (which they apparently created by ingesting), and also with causing or threatening to cause harm to another.

Further, the police collected samples of vomit from trashbags, as well as a bit of mhrb powder left over in a bag, but nothing has been heard from them. There were wet paper towels and tupperware with the tea and mimosa sludge in them laying around the dorm when the police were there, but they did not notice them, although they were looking as they thought a decorative coke-bottle full of sand was 'it' until the imbibers who had not had bad reactions corrected them.

Exp Year: 2006ExpID: 61120
Gender: Female 
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Mar 1, 2007Views: 48,742
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Huasca Combo (269), Syrian Rue (45), Mimosa tenuiflora (74) : Hospital (36), Second Hand Report (42), Train Wrecks & Trip Disasters (7), Health Problems (27)

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