Magic Mushrooms – Do Shrooms Show up on Drug Test?

If there is anything that can be categorized as a safe drug, then it is definitely going to be the magic mushrooms. People who get high on magic mushrooms do not face any medical emergencies, unlike the ones who use harder drugs such as MDMA and LSD for recreational purposes.

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What are Magic Mushrooms?

Magic mushrooms are found in the tropical areas in Mexico, USA, and South America. These are mainly used for recreational purposes. In fact, more than 24,000 people have admitted to having using magic mushrooms at least at some point in their lives. Magic mushrooms are also known as shrooms. The term is used to cover a large number of species of these hallucinatory mushrooms. There are roughly about 200 species that fall into the category.

These mushrooms have a compound known as psilocybin. This compound remains entirely inactive until it is ingested and broken down by the body. When the high comes into effect, the person experiences a time dilation, euphoria, mystical experiences, dissociation, mood changes as well as auditory and visual hallucinations. Many people also use these mushrooms to enhance their spiritual experiences. However, some people may also experience a low mood, paranoia, depression, and anxiety after taking these mushrooms.

Can you be Tested for Shrooms?

A test for shrooms may be conducted mainly for employment or sports purposes. However, the psilocybin that is present in the shrooms cannot be detected simply through the standard 5-panel drug test. Therefore, if the situation really calls for it, you may be put through a different test specific to the shrooms.

Who is Commonly Tested for Shrooms?

Some of the common categories of people who are generally tested for shrooms include:

Criminals

Law enforcement officials can order for the criminals to be put through a thorough test in order to determine all the intoxicating substances that are present in the body. If the criminals test positive for any of the drugs or shrooms, they can face a harsher punishment.

Rehab Clients

People who have been staying in a rehab or have just been released from the rehab centers may be tested for psilocybin. However, these tests are not very common, mainly given the low abuse potential of the shrooms.

Military Personnel

Extensive drug tests are a common thing in the military. Although using shrooms is not common among the military personnel, people serving in this area should always remain prepared for advanced drug tests.

Students, Athletes, and Employees

In some cases, these groups may also be put through a comprehensive testing protocol. If found positive, they are either penalized or sent to a rehabilitation center.

Do Shrooms show up on Drug Tests?

Shrooms do not usually show up in the standard drug panel test, even in the most extensive ones. This is because these tests do not have any method to detect the presence of the psychoactive substances present in the mushrooms. Shrooms can only be detected through a special toxicology test, which is very expensive. However, if there is any kind of suspicion, a special test may be ordered for the concerned person.

Different Tests for Shroom Detection

Urine test

This is the most popular test for the detection of psilocybin, the active substance present in a magic mushroom. The samples are analyzed with solid phase extraction within 24 hours of collecting the sample. If the person has consumed the shrooms in very high quantities, the psilocybin can be detected for a period of up to 2 days. This test is much more expensive as compared to the blood test. However, it is less invasive and much more reliable.

Blood tests

Blood tests for shrooms are not very common. However, it can provide a clue to whether the person has ingested psilocybin in the recent past. At the same time, it can also detect the presence of psilocin. However, this compound only remains detectable for up to 5 hours after psilocybin ingestion. Blood tests may be used during scientific researches. However, they are not common for general tests.

Hair test

Hair test involves the collection of at least 20 to 50 hair follicles from the concerned person. These are then studied in a laboratory using special spectrometry. Studies have shown that a nanogram of hair can contain about 0.8 nanograms of psilocybin. However, these tests, too, are reserved for scientific researches and rarely used outside of it. Psilocybin can be detected in the hair for up to 4 weeks after the actual time of ingestion. The tests are more accurate if conducted after a few days of ingestion.

How Long do Shrooms Stay in your Body?

After taking shrooms, you definitely want to know how long it is going to stay inside your body. It has been revealed through scientific studies that the time period for which the mushrooms stay inside your body is actually determined by the mode of administration. For example, if taken orally, it can stay in the body for a period of 163 minutes. More than half of it gets cleared in just under 2 and a half hours. In fact, it is possible to fully clear out the traces of psilocybin from the body in roughly about 15 hours. The half-life of the compound is further reduced to 74.1 minutes if it is taken through intravenous injection. In this, the compound is fully cleared out of the body in just under 7 hours.

The active metabolite of psilocybin, known as psilocin, has a half-life of 50 minutes. This means half the amount of psilocin present in the body is eliminated just within an hour. Within 5 hours, it will have been entirely removed from your system. Generally, most people get the psilocybin cleared out of their body in just 15 hours. In any case, it becomes increasingly remote to find the traced of psilocybin after 24 hours of ingesting the shrooms.

Factors that determine how long Shrooms stay in your body

Age

Young and healthy individuals are able to metabolize and excrete the shrooms at a much faster rate as compared to those above the age of 65 years. This is mainly due to the renal and hepatic issues that arise with progressing age.

Body mass index

The height and body weight of a person may also have a role in determining how long the psilocybin stays inside your body. If the dosage quantity to body mass index is higher, the individual is likely to excrete out the psilocybin at a much faster rate. The excretion rate is also quicker in people with more body fat as compared to those with low body fat.

Genetics

The genetic makeup of an individual can also play a role in determining the rate of metabolism of psilocybin. Some people are known as poor metabolizers while some are known as rapid metabolizers.

Hydration and food intake

The shrooms are absorbed into the body with a greater effectiveness if taken on an empty stomach. Therefore, the excretion is much faster if it is taken together with food. Also, drinking plenty of water can help in flushing out the psilocybin from the body at a much faster pace.

Functioning of the liver and kidney

After being ingested, the psilocybin first goes through the liver and then through the kidney. Therefore, impairments to the renal or hepatic system can prolong the time for clearance.

Metabolic rate

The basic metabolic rate of an individual can also have a role in determining the time taken to clear the psilocybin out of the system along with other drugs. The quicker the BMR, the faster the excretion period. It also possible to increase the basic metabolic rate through exercise and diet.

Urine pH

The lower the rate of urinary pH, the higher the rate of clearance of psilocybin. People with a higher urinary pH tend to reabsorb the metabolites, thereby delaying their clearance from the system.

The Type of Mushroom

The mushroom species that has been ingested, together with the potency and dosage can help in determining how long the psilocybin stays in your body. Some mushrooms are known to have a greater potency. If they are not potent enough, the individual may have to consume a larger amount in order to experience the same high. Some of the common species of mushrooms are:

1. Psilocybe Cyanescens

These mushrooms are grown on wood and are highly potent. They contain about 2.8 to 16.8 mg of psilocybin per gram.

2. Psilocybe Cubensis

This is a mushroom of medium strength. It contains around 4 to 12 mg of psilocybin per gram. It grows on farm soil that has been fertilized with manure.

3. Psilocybe Semilanceata

This type of mushroom grows mainly during the fall season. It can grow anywhere from parks to pastures to roadsides. It is potent than most other shrooms and has a psilocybin content of about 10 to 11 mg per gram.

4. Psilocybe Stuntzii

These mushrooms grow in the lawns and field and can be found during the late summer to the starting of winter. They have a low potency and contain about 3.6 to 9.4 mg of psilocybin per gram.

5. Panaeolus Subalteatus

These can grow in grassy fields, pastures, roads and lawns during the fall and spring. They contain about 1.5 to 6 mg of psilocybin per gram.

6. Psilocybe Caerulescens

These mushrooms grow during the summers and rainy season near water bodies such as streams and riverbanks. The psilocybin content of these mushrooms is not exactly known.

7. Panaeolus Sphinctrinus

These grow on lands that have rich manure. They can be found from summer to fall. They contain about 1.9 mg of psilocybin per gram.

Method of Ingestion

If the shrooms are taken orally, they are cleared out of the body in 15 hours whereas if taken through IV injections, they are cleared out of the system in as little as 7 hours.

Consumption of other Drugs

Psilocybin is metabolized with the help of enzymes that are secreted in the liver. Therefore, pharmaceutical drugs can have a role in its metabolism and excretion. The clearance rate is decreased if the person has been taking an enzyme inhibitor. On the other hand, if the person has been taking an enzymatic inducer, it can accelerate the clearance of the psilocybin from the body.

What Should you do to Test Negative in a Drug Test?

Stop the usage

You should stop using the shrooms as soon as you know there is a test coming up. Furthermore, frequent usage of shrooms can also lead to the accumulation of the metabolites in the body. Therefore, if you do not want to come out positive during a shroom test, then it is best to stop the ingestion of shrooms altogether.

Take steps to lower the urine pH

As already discussed above, an alkaline urine can result in the reabsorption of some of the metabolites. Therefore, making necessary changes to the diet in order to make the urine more acidic can help in a quicker elimination of psilocybin from the body.

Using enzymatic inducers

Drugs that can help in increasing the monoamine oxidase levels can be highly effective in accelerating the clearance rate of psilocybin from the body.

Staying hydrated

The psilocybin metabolites are mainly excreted out of the body through urine. Therefore, increasing your water intake may help in reducing increasing the frequency of urination and therefore reducing the clearance time. This will also prevent the reabsorption of the metabolites into the system.

Exercising

Going more intensive during your daily exercise may also help in optimizing the clearance of psilocybin by a slight degree.

Conclusion

After the ingestion of shrooms, the body starts to absorb psilocybin and have it metabolized into psilocin. The trip can make you hallucinate and experience visual and auditory distortions. The trip usually lasts for about an hour from ingestion. However, even after the trip has cleared, psilocybin can still be found in your body till much later. So if you are wondering do shrooms show up on drug tests, then it must be known that these metabolites are not detected during the standard drug panel test. However, there are other special tests for it. So, if you have a test coming up, it is best to stay away from shrooms at least till the test is over.

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