DXM

(Dextromethorphan, Cough Syrup, Robo, Dex)

TrippyWiki score: 3.8/10

What is DXM?

Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant medicine with stimulant, depressant, and dissociative qualities. Although DXM is a popular recreational drug with a relatively high potential for abuse, it remains widely available without a prescription in a variety of cough syrups.

Long-term benefits & side effects

Many of the benefits will only occur if you take this substance the right way.

DXM…

Can be an effective way to lower depression (based on anecdotal reports + the fact that the effects of DXM are comparable to ketamine and ketamine treatment’s success rate is 85% while regular antidepressants only have a success rate of 45%)
Starts working instantly, therefore it is a great tool for preventing suicides
Can cause temporary ego-dissolution at higher doses
Increases neuroplasticity
Makes you more creative and open-minded
Helps you look at your life from a different perspective
Allows you to heal your childhood trauma and forgive people who’ve hurt you
Makes you more conscious and loving
Makes you appreciate nature more
Has some neuroprotective abilities
May suppress cough
Decreases pain
Could play a role in treating diabetes
Reduces dependence on opioids and tobacco
…

Is often mixed in a cough syrup with other drugs and the combination can be lethal at strong doses (the combination has already killed multiple people)
Can be lethal by itself at extremely high doses (LD50, the fatal dose for 50% of users, is around 7 grams)
Might impair your memory, especially if you take the substance every week or more often
Might speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Might cause bladder pain and can lead to long-term bladder-related problems
Can cause HPPD and physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Could cause you trauma due to bad set and setting
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis if you’re predisposed to it
Can be psychologically addictive (but only if you use the psychedelic recreationally)
Can lead to depression for those who take the substance regularly
Causes liver damage to those who take it on a regular basis
Can damage your kidneys over time
…

How to take DXM

Administration

There are 2 main versions of DXM: HBr vs polistirex.

The HBr form is shorter-acting and kicks in faster while the polistirex form lasts for longer.

With polistirex, slightly less of the substance is required to reach the same state.

The best way to take DXM is to take it orally.

Other methods may be dangerous and cause neurotoxicity. Taking the drug orally does not lead to neurotoxicity.

Dosage

75 mg = Threshold
100-200 mg = Light dose
200-400 mg = Regular dose
400-700 mg = Strong dose
700+ mg = High dose

LD50 (where the substance would be fatal to 50% of users) is estimated to be around 7 grams.

Unlike most other dissociatives or psychedelics, the effects of DXM change greatly when you increase the dosage.

This is why users use plateaus to describe different levels of experiences.

Plateaus:

Plateau 1: 1.5 to 2.5 mg/kg; 105 to 175 mg for a 70 kg person
Plateau 2: 2.5 to 7.5 mg/kg; 175 to 525 mg for a 70 kg person
Plateau 3: 7.5 to 15 mg/kg; 525 to 1,050 mg for a 70 kg person
Plateau 4: Over 15 mg/kg; ~Over 1050 mg for a 70 kg person

These dosages, however, are just estimates since everyone reacts to the substance differently.

If you are taking the substance for its potential benefits and you wish to minimize the side effects, never take a plateau 4 dose or higher.

Plateau 4 doses are enough for you to completely dissociate from this reality and the potential insights you will receive are almost impossible to retain and incorporate into your life.

Such doses can also be extremely unpleasant and dangerous if you take the substance the wrong way.

Never start with a strong dose. You may be more sensitive to the substance than others and it might cause you irreversible damage if you don’t take it responsibly.

Those who need less of the substance to reach desired effects include older and extremely lean people.

Safety checklist

Maximize the benefits

Keep in mind that integration is even more important than the trip itself. Taking the drug would be almost useless if you didn’t retain any lessons in your day-to-day life.

What will help you the most is contemplating about the experience – be it by journaling, thinking about the trip, or sharing your memories with a trusted friend.

Distracting thoughts can get in the way, which is why you want to spend the day after your trip without TV, social media, and other distractions.

If you can, spend time in silence and solitude. Meditate, go for a walk, contemplate the experience.

Duration

Onset = 30-120 minutes
Come up = 60-120 minutes
Peak = 3-6 minutes
Come down = 2-4 hours

You should notice the first effects within 60 minutes after you take the psychedelic
You will reach the maximum effect around the 3-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 6-12 hours
At high doses, your trip may last for even longer

What does DXM feel like?

DXM is sometimes called Robo or robotripping because it makes you move around like a robot when you’re on the substance.

Blurred vision is almost inevitable and some visuals may occur, although the main visual phenomenon is that things around you will appear smaller or bigger than they actually are. The shape of objects will also seem different.

The effects change as the dose increases.

At lower doses, DXM mostly acts as a stimulant. Most users report having a pleasant experience at these doses because the drug is not too overwhelming.

At high doses, the drug more so acts as a dissociative. You may experience depersonalization, out-of-body experiences, ego death, and gain spiritual insights at this dose.

Everything may feel like a distant memory, as if it happened 100 years ago.

The dissociative effects of DXM are comparable to those of ketamine.

The drug is likely to make you nauseous or vomit if you eat before taking it. This is why it’s best to take DXM on an empty stomach.

Other common short-term effects include:

Euphoria
Increased creativity and open-mindedness
Mindfulness, being present
Higher capability for love and compassion
Pain relief
Sedation
Memory suppression
Visual effects (weaker than those of most other psychedelics)
Confusion
Inability to talk
Increased body pressure
Worse thermoregulation
Difficulty urinating
Anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability

With all that said, it is impossible to accurately describe the experience through human language.

Compared to other psychedelics, DXM usually feels calm and isn’t likely to cause you an extremely unpleasant experience. Bad trips can happen but you can prevent them by following the tips below.

But that doesn’t mean that everyone will enjoy the experience. around 30% of those who tried DXM did not like the state.

DXM can also lead to a comedown similar to that of MDMA.

Bad trips

Bad trips mostly happen because people take the substance irresponsibly. If you take this psychedelic the right way, there is virtually no chance you’ll get a bad trip.

In case you still do, that’s good! A “bad” trip isn’t bad, it can actually be the most healing and insightful moment of your life!

During a “bad” trip, negative emotions are coming up from your subconscious mind. They have always been there whether you are aware of it or not. They have been damaging your life and a difficult trip is an opportunity to process these traumas and unpleasant feelings and let go of them.

The more painful the experience, the more you can heal.

So instead of calling bad trips bad, call them challenging.

If you understand that bad trips are awesome in the long run, not only will you feel more comfortable diving into these challenging states, it will actually excite you!

Why they happen

The most common reasons for getting a bad trip are:

Tripping in an unsafe environment (in public, at a party, even nature doesn’t feel safe if you take higher doses)
Facing difficult times in your day-to-day life (a break-up, death of a loved one, …)
Rejecting to let go and trying to hold on to your ego and control the state
Being afraid of the trip (either because of the stigma around psychedelics or because you are not sure how pure your substance is)
Mixing the psychedelic with alcohol, weed, or other drugs
Expecting a bad trip (it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy)

How to cope with a bad trip

Do not perceive this experience as something bad, remember that facing these difficult emotions is extremely healing
Fully surrender to the experience, do not try to feel good
If you’re alone, call a trusted friend to come over and keep you safe

How to end a bad trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons yet, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

Interactions

Qualia Mind
This nootropic is comprised of 28 ingredients designed to support and maximize your brain function. These ingredients act synergistically and many of them will protect you from the side effects of DXM. Qualia will also make your trips more pleasant and help you retain more benefits from them.
Herbs
Herbs can help calm you down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
Weed
Marijuana will intensify the effects. While some users enjoy combining weed with DXM, we have very little data on its long-term safety.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide will multiply the intensity of your trip.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
The combination may lead to a loss of consciousness and vomiting. Vomit aspiration is the most dangerous risk.
Alcohol, GHB, GBL, Opioids
Combining these with DXM can be fatal
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects, such as serotonin syndrome, which could be fatal.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems.
Psychedelics
The mix of MDMA and DXM could be fatal. That doesn’t seem to apply to tryptamines or lysergamides but the combination has lead to many terrifying trips in the past.

Legality

As of 2021, DXM is legal in every country except for UAE, France, Sweden, Estonia, and Latvia.

FAQ

Regular use of DXM has been shown to cause multiple health problems.

Taking the drug every 2-4 weeks is therefore a safer long-term strategy.

If you suffer from depression and you’re taking DXM with a purpose of lowering it, take DXM when you feel a need to do so. Over time, you will need to use the substance less and less often. Eventually, you should get to the point where you won’t have to rely on DXM.

As NMDA receptor antagonists, dextrorphan and dextromethorphan inhibit the excitatory amino acid and neurotransmitter glutamate in the brain. This can effectively slow, or even shut down certain neural pathways, preventing areas of the brain from communicating with each other.

DXM is not recommended for kids because it may have serious health side effects, especially at higher doses. If you’re under the age of 21 or you have a kid, try to find a safer alternative to DXM.

If you are a mentally stable individual who does not suffer from psychosis or have a predisposition to schizophrenia, there is virtually no way you would develop any mental illnesses because of taking the substance.

Users report that the taste is bitter and unpleasant.

Keep your powder or liquid in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

If you don’t do this, DXM will lose potency over time.

You can microdose with DXM but drugs like LSD, psilocybin, and ibogaine are more suited for this. DXM may damage your liver if you take it on regular basis.

It is recommended to stop eating 2-3 hours before taking DXM.

Alcoholics
Brain cancer patients
Those who have uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)
People with a history of heart attacks
People with thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism)
Immature psychonauts who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are going through a manic phase of bipolar disorder

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