Shrooms
“Shrooms” (psilocybin mushrooms) contain psilocybin, which the body converts to psilocin. Psilocin produces psychedelic effects primarily by activating serotonin 5-HT2A receptors (with involvement of other serotonin receptors as well). Acute effects can include intense changes in mood and perception, and in some people anxiety or panic. Longer-lasting adverse outcomes are less common but have been reported after hallucinogen exposure, including hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) and prolonged distress in some cases.
In PFS/PSSD/PAS discussions, psilocybin is a debated, high-variance exposure: some people report short-term mood or anhedonia relief, while others report flares/crashes or feeling destabilized afterward. A plausible reason for this variability is that psilocybin delivers a large, direct perturbation to serotonin signaling (especially 5-HT2A), and the “after-effects” can include sleep disruption and anxiety in susceptible individuals. Mainstream reporting and clinical commentary also emphasize that harms appear more likely in unregulated/recreational contexts and in vulnerable users, and that adverse experiences can be misunderstood or mismanaged by clinicians unfamiliar with post-psychedelic complications.
(1) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5870365/
(2) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9177763/
Crash Anecdotes (Community Reports):
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/uljnfl/have_shrooms_made_your_pssd_worse/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/19akp05/public_safety_warning_shrooms_and_all_substances/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/1alz35h/anyone_here_tried_mushrooms/
How to Interpret This Page
This page summarizes anecdotal reports and community observations, not medical evidence. “Risk” here refers to how frequently severe or prolonged symptom worsening is reported, not to proven causation or population-wide probability. Individual responses vary widely, and absence of issues in some users does not rule out significant reactions in others.
Risk Signal Based on User Reports
Reports of Variable Outcomes, Including Flares (for PFS/PSSD/PAS):
Among individuals who already have PFS/PSSD/PAS, psilocybin is often framed as unpredictable: some users describe temporary mood/anhedonia improvement, while others describe a flare/crash with anxiety, sleep disruption, emotional blunting, cognitive symptoms, or sexual symptom changes. Reports that describe worsening commonly emphasize the intensity of the acute experience, the “comedown” period, and lingering destabilization afterward. Because outcomes appear highly individual—and because difficult psychological reactions and longer-lasting perceptual or anxiety problems have been described in broader psychedelic-use discussions—many in these communities consider avoidance during stabilization the more conservative choice. The Guardian+1
For individuals without these conditions, psilocybin use is increasingly common, but experts have warned that unregulated/recreational use can carry meaningful mental-health risks (including anxiety, insomnia, depersonalization, and HPPD in a subset), particularly for vulnerable users or suboptimal “set and setting.” The Guardian
Evidence basis: Mechanistic understanding of serotonergic psychedelics; reports and expert commentary on adverse psychological outcomes; anecdotal reports (online forums, self-reports); no controlled studies examining PFS/PSSD/PAS-specific outcomes.