Memantine

(Memaxa, Ebixa, Namenda)

TrippyWiki score: 4.2/10

What is Memantine?

Memantine is a dissociative drug of the adamantane class. It is by far the longest-lasting dissociative substance in the world with a duration of 1-3 days. Memantine produces effects comparable to those of ketamine, DXM, and PCP.

Long-term benefits & side effects

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

Memantine…

Might lower depression for up to 2 weeks after taking it
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
…

Appears to be neurotoxic for those who take it regularly
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 (especially if you use the psychedelic recreationally)
Can be lethal at extremely high doses
Can damage your kidneys over time
…

How to take Memantine

Administration

You can either snort the drug, swallow it, or take it sublingually.

While snorting Memantine would lead to a fast onset, it can be quite painful. Snorting the drug can also block your nostrils and make your eyes watery. If you are going to go this route, use a saline nasal spray to soften the load on your nasal cavities.

When you take the substance sublingually, it will kick in even faster. The only downside to this method is that the taste is unpleasant.

You could probably inject the substance as well but it may not be safe.

Dosage

10 mg = Threshold
30-70 mg = Light dose
70-110 mg = Regular dose
110-170 mg = Strong dose
170+ mg = High dose

Never start with a high 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 = 1-3 hours
Come up = 2-3 hours
Peak = 3-12 hours
Come down = 18-48 hours

You should notice the first effects within 90 minutes after you take the psychedelic
You will reach the maximum effect around the 3-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 1-3 days
Although the half-life of Memantine in your body is around 80 hours, the effects will not be too intense after 1 day
You can reduce the duration by acidifying your urine (with cranberry juice, for example).

What does Memantine feel like?

The effects of Memantine are somewhere between those of ketamine and DXM. Some users also compare them to PCP and its analogs.

Compared to other dissociatives, Memantine allows you to stay very clear-headed.

Memantine acts as a mild stimulant. It raises your heart rate and gives you a sense of weightlessness. It feels encouraging to be physically active at low doses.

If you wish to reach the K-hole, Memantine is not recommended. It may not be possible to reach K-hole on the substance since it’s less dissociative than ketamine and most of its analogs.

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

The higher dose you take, the more intense these effects will be.

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

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

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 neurotoxic effects of psychedelics. 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 greatly intensify the trip.
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
Just like benzodiazepines, these drugs can cause vomit aspiration if you combine them with dissociatives.
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. You may also go unconscious and die from vomit aspiration.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems.
Tramadol
Combining the two can cause seizures.

Legality

Memantine is only available through a prescription in the vast majority of countries.

FAQ

Memantine is an uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, a Dopamine D2 agonist, a non-competitive Serotonin 5-HT3 antagonist, a non-competitive nAChRs antagonist with similar potencies to NMDA antagonism and the Sigma σ1 receptor with potentially negligible activity.

Always take the substance in a safe place and keep a trusted friend nearby to take care of you in case something goes wrong.

If you are a mentally stable individual who does not suffer from psychosis or have a predisposition to schizophrenia, there is not a high chance you would develop any mental illnesses because of taking Memantine. With that said, it certainly can happen if you take the substance irresponsibly.

Memantine stays in your blood for around 24 hours, in your urine for 14-30 days and in your hair, the substance can be detected for a few months.

This drug usually isn’t tested for by the police, special tests are needed to detect the substance.

The taste is bitter and unpleasant.

Keep the substance in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

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

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

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
Patients who were given Memantine and noticed unpredictable side effects

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