Participating in psychedelic research?

[Identity]

This interesting opportunity has presented itself to me. At my university there is about to start a small research on psychedelics, and I have the chance to participate. At first, I was very excited. However, now I have gotten more information about it I am not sure whether it's a good move. Really, what bothers me, is the lack of information.

The procedure is quite straightforward. I first undergo some medical and psychological tests (a few hours). On a different day the trip will take place, under controlled circumstances with medical and psychological professional support (few hours in total). A few days afterwards, some short written tests are done determining my well-being. This is all nice and good, and in addition I would get payed 120 euros.

However, for the sake of minimalizing the effects of expectations, they do not reveal what specific substance will be used. Also, you don't know the dosage.

Here is what they say about the substance:

GH001 is a potent, fast-acting and short-lasting psychedelic substance of the tryptamine class producing alterations of consciousness and perception (so called “psychedelic effects”). The active substance in GH001 has been used outside the medical context for decades in recreational or self-exploratory settings. The aim of the present study is to explore the safety, tolerability, and the cognitive and psychedelic effects of different doses of GH001 in healthy subjects. Each subject will receive a single dose of GH001, administered via inhalation after vaporization. Up to 7 dose levels, ranging from doses expected to cause mild psychedelic effects to doses expected to cause strong psychedelic effects, will be tested. Each dose level will be given to a group of 4 participants. The study will start with a group that receives the lowest dose level. A higher dose level will only be given when the prior dose level is considered to be safe. The dosages that will be investigated with GH001 are based on dosages reported for recreational use of the active substance of GH001. However, participants will not be informed about the actual dose level they receive to avoid expectation effects. For the same reason, subjects will not be informed about the actual active substance in GH001. Dose information and information about the actual active substance can be provided to participants after the study has been completed.

Related psychedelic substances such as LSD, psilocybin or dimethyltryptamine have been administered in contemporary research settings in healthy and patient populations with a low risk of adverse reactions, however GH001 differs from them in terms of nature, time to onset, intensity and duration of the psychedelic effects, and it may have a different side effect profile.

You will be administered a single dose of GH001 via inhalation after vaporization. The present study is the first clinical study to determine the safety, tolerability, the psychedelic and cognitive effects of different doses of GH001 in a controlled environment. That is why the information regarding possible side effects below is based on available data from the prior recreational use of the active substance of GH001. The dosages that will be investigated with GH001 are based on dosages reported for recreational use of the active substance of GH001 and are expected to provide anything from a light psychedelic experience to a full peak experience. The type and intensity of symptoms can vary significantly between different people. GH001 may influence your feelings (euphoria, joy but also fear and panic) and perception. During the experience, GH001 may also cause visual and auditory hallucinations, a distortion of time and space and alter the perception of your own body. A peak experience can consist of spiritual, mystical experiences such as feeling one with the universe and a sense of losing self-control or ego dissolution. The psychedelic effects of the doses used in the current study are expected to startimmediately after inhalation with peak effects within 1 - 15 minutes, overall duration of effects of about 30 minutes and some after effects for about 1 hour. Anxiety and/or nausea are common at the onset of the experience and trembling and dilated pupils may occur. At doses that cause a peak experience short term unresponsiveness or unconsciousness are common. After higher doses, the ability to form memories of the altered state of consciousness may be affected. Some users of the active substance of GH001 from recreational use have reported psychological difficulties, including anxiety, sleep disturbance, and resurfacing of some of the acute effects, which can last for several weeks after the experience. In recreational use of the active substance, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, blurred vision, high blood pressure, increased heart rate (pulse), coughing, and difficulty breathing have been observed. Further, there are very few reports of fatalities where the active substance of GH001 was administered in unknown doses of unknown quality in combination with other potentiating psychoactive drugs in an uncontrolled environment. That is why this study has a number of precautions taken to minimize the risk for you. These precautions include administration of a qualified study drug, following strict procedures around dosing and providing higher doses only once lower doses have been shown safe, and only in the dose range which has been previously described in the recreational use of the active substance of GH001. Importantly, no additional medication or other psychoactive drugs will be allowed, and GH001 will only be administered in a supervised setting with presence of a medical doctor.

At this point, I am leaning towards not participating. Although it's a cool opportunity, and I would like to contribute to the research on psychedelics, the fact that I don't know what substance it is, and what dosage I will get, puts me off.

Let me know what you think, and whether you know what substance they are describing! 

 

 

 

[Leo Gura]

LOL, how clinical and heartless.

Likely 5-MeO-DMT or DPT.

Try reading that wall of text but replace GH001 with "sex".

[Identity]

Oh, to add to that, my experience so far with psychedelics is around 30 trips with psilocybin truffels. All pretty low doses (15 grams max).

[Girzo]

I also think it will be either DPT or 5-MeO-DMT.

I don't recall other tryptamines being popular enough to have deaths reported on them. Also matches with short duration and vaporization being the route of ingestion.

[Identity]

Thank you. I decided not to participate.

[Forestluv]

On some trips, not knowing what you ingested or the dose could cause a really bad dynamic. . .