Psychedelic mushroom-containing chocolate exposures: Case series.
Hayley T Gartner, Herbert Z Wan, Reeves E Simmons, Dawn R Sollee, Sophia Sheikh
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2024.09.038 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Patients exposed to mushroom-containing chocolate products reported to three poison centers |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Drugs-substances-narcotics Youth-teens-adolescents Public-health-safety Candy Children Chocolate Edibles Mushrooms Psychedelics |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Most patients experienced minor clinical effects, but some developed serious effects such as mental status changes, paranoia, hallucinations, dysrhythmias, and seizure after ingesting mushroom-containing chocolate products. |
Abstract
The recreational use of psilocybin or psilocin-containing products, a chemical found naturally in certain mushroom species, is on the rise across the United States. Several cases of serious clinical effects related to mushroom-containing products have recently been reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The emergence of these new products and their health consequences are not yet well understood. This case series aims to characterize exposures to mushroom-containing chocolate products, including patient characteristics, clinical effects, treatment(s), and clinical outcome severity, reported to a poison center network. This was a retrospective case series conducted in patients exposed to mushroom-containing chocolate products across three poison centers between January 2023 to August 2024. Patients were identified via a database search of ToxSentry®. Patients were included if they were exposed to a mushroom-containing chocolate product. Patients were excluded if they ingested an unrelated product or if there was insufficient information documented within ToxSentry®. The primary endpoint was to describe clinical outcome severity after exposure to mushroom-containing chocolate products. A query of ToxSentry® identified 164 cases; 36 cases met study criteria. The median age of patients in this case series was 17 years old. For most patients (23, 64 %), the reason for the exposure was intentional, with 20 reporting intentional abuse or misuse of the product. Common clinical effects reported included mental status changes (26, 76 %), paranoia/hallucinations (10, 28 %), dysrhythmias (7, 19 %) and gastrointestinal discomfort (6, 17 %). There was one report of seizure. Most clinical effects lasted between 3 and 24 h after ingestion (29, 81 %). Intravenous fluids (18, 50 %) and benzodiazepines (7, 19 %) were the most common treatments given. No fatalities were reported. While most patients in this series experienced minor clinical effects, some developed serious effects after ingestion of a mushroom-containing chocolate product. Findings from this study further characterize the limited patient demographics, clinical effects, and outcomes published thus far. Further characterization in a larger cohort of patients could expand on our initial findings and is needed to better identify factors that may influence clinical outcomes.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin Mushroom (Psilocybe semilanceata) Intoxication with Myocardial Infarction 18-year-old man | 1998 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Relief from intractable phantom pain by combining psilocybin and mirror visual-feedback (MVF) Person with leg amputation and phantom-limb pain | 2018 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study 18-year-old man with HPPD after mixed psilocybin and cannabis intoxication | 2005 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Microdosing psilocybin for chronic pain: a case series Individuals with chronic neuropathic pain | 2022 | Case series | n = 3 |
| Psilocybin and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Individual with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | 2014 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin Molecules May 15, 2021
- Efficacy of psilocybin for treating symptoms of depression: systematic review and meta-analysis BMJ May 1, 2024
- Role of Psychedelics in Treatment-Resistant Depression. Psychiatric Clinics of North America June 1, 2023
- Psilocybin Exposures Reported to U.S. Poison Centers: National Trends Over a Decade. Journal of Adolescent Health May 1, 2024
- Psilocybin for clinical indications: A scoping review Journal of Psychopharmacology August 13, 2024
and 1 more in the library