Unpredictable Behavior Under the Influence of “Magic Mushrooms”: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Emma Honyiglo, Angélique Franchi, Nathalie Cartiser, Charline Bottinelli, Anne‐sophie Advenier, Fabien Bévalot, Laurent Fanton
Journal of Forensic Sciences December 12, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13982 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report and review of literature Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A young man who died after jumping from a balcony under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms |
| Intervention | psilocybin mushrooms |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Mushroom poisoning Solid phase extraction Toxicology Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 33 |
| Key findings | Isolated use of psilocybin mushrooms by a regular consumer without psychiatric history can lead to a fatal outcome. |
Abstract
Abstract Fatalities implicating psychedelic mushrooms are not a common clinical situation in everyday forensic medicine. Despite classification as an illegal drug in many countries, psilocybin mushrooms have the reputation of being safe. We report the case of a young man who jumped from a second story balcony under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms. The psilocin assay was performed by gas chromatography coupled to an electron‐impact ionization time‐of‐flight detector ( GC ‐ EI ‐ TOF ) after solid‐phase extraction. Total psilocin was quantified in peripheral and cardiac blood as 60 and 67 ng/ mL , respectively, and in urine (2230 ng/ mL ), bile (3102 ng/ mL ), and vitreous humor (57 ng/ mL ). This case report and review of literature highlights the danger of psilocybin mushrooms. Isolated use of psilocybin mushrooms by a regular consumer without psychiatric history, even under “safe” circumstances, can lead to a fatal outcome.