Diagnostic dilemma: A man's 'magic mushroom' tea led to a bad trip to the hospital

The patient: A 30-year-old man in Phoenix, Arizona

The symptoms: The man's skin turned yellow and he became lethargic and nauseated. He also developed diarrhea and started vomiting blood before being brought to the emergency room.

What happened next: Doctors found that several of the man's organs had begun to fail, and his blood tested positive for Psilocybe cubensis, a fungus containing the psychoactive compound psilocybin.

The diagnosis: Prior to developing symptoms, the man had boiled "magic mushrooms" into a tea, which he then filtered through cotton and ultimately injected into his body. The patient was diagnosed with a fungal infection of the blood, as well as a bacterial infection. These infections led to multisystem organ failure and acute respiratory syndrome, in which fluid builds up in the air sacs of the lungs.

The treatment: The patient received antibiotics and antifungal drugs. He was also placed on a ventilator, which helped him breathe while in the hospital. After being discharged, he continued taking antibiotics and antifungal drugs as part of a long-term therapy.

What makes the case unique: Typically, when used recreationally, magic mushrooms are made into a tea for drinking — not injecting — or the fungi are eaten in raw, dried or powdered forms. Sometimes, they're incorporated into candies. In medical settings, the compound psilocybin may be administered via a pill or an intravenous injection, but this type of medical-grade, purified psilocybin has no fungi in it.

In this case, the patient developed a dangerous infection after introducing fungi into his bloodstream, highlighting the dangers of this route of administration. The patient did this in an attempt to relieve symptoms of bipolar disorder and opioid dependence.

As scientists study the potential clinical uses of psilocybin and other psychedelics, it's important for the public to be informed about the "dangers attendant to the use of this, and other drugs, in ways other than they are prescribed," the man's doctors wrote in a report.

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