Citation: AmnesiaK. "Losing All Contact With Reality: experience with Diphenhydramine & Diphenhydrinate (ID 36270)". Erowid.org. Jul 31, 2007. erowid.org/exp/36270
A little under a week ago, I made a rather thoughtless decision to mix diphenhydramine and diphenhydrinate. I have done both drugs seperately, and I enjoyed the trips throroughly. Both can be very interesting and quite intense if taken in appropriate doses. I've tried almost all of the other hallucinogens, I'd consider myself experienced. And I remember when a friend first told me about diphenhydramine. I laughed, and thought, 'What kind of person would take over-the-counter sleeping pills to trip?' Well, as I have a curious mind, I was always open to new experiences. After experiencing with lower and medium doses, I thought I was ready to try taking a large dose of both diphenhydramine and diphenhydrinate. I stopped at the local drug store, and picked up a box which contained 24 Hy-Vee Nighttime Sleep-Aid pills which contained 25 mg's of diphenhydramine per pill, and also a box which contained 8 pills of Dramamine Original containing 50 mg's of diphenhydrinate per pill.
That night, I felt I was in generally a pretty sane mind state before ingesting. At around 11 p.m., I took the 32 pills, and sat anxiously awaiting for the trip to come on. It came on pretty quickly, which was a variance from the other times I have done the the two seperately, when it'd usually take half an hour to an hour before I'd feel any feelings. About 15-20 minutes after I ingested the pills, I began feeling the heavy effect, which I was accustomed to. The first hallucination that I noticed was one that I have come across the other times I've done diphenhydramine/diphenhydrinate, it looked like there were bugs crawling under my arms. I never scratched them, just stared in amazement. I was enjoying the feelings. The walls were breathing, and the ceiling looked like it was slowly falling.
Throughout this period, I was able to distinguish that I was on a drug, and that although it looked realistic, it wasn't real and was just a hallucination. Time seemed to be moving pretty fast, it had been an hour since I took the pills. I remember my uncle was in the basement watching the television, which I had forgot about 3 times, as I moved to sit in his chair to find him sitting there, startling me. I remember hearing someone call my name, and shouting 'What!?' only to hear my uncle reply, 'No one called you.' I was listening to 'Meddle' by Pink Floyd, and enjoying it quite throroughly. Music can just be amazing when on the two drugs.
After nearly an hour and a half, I noticed that it was getting hard to breathe, and I came to the conclusion that I had taken too much. I had contemplated just puking, because it was becoming rather intense. I must have suffered amnesia, because I completely forgot about it nearly 3 seconds after saying it. At around 1 o'clock, my uncle went upstairs to go to bed, which was sort of a relief. He was attempting to talk to me, and I remember my voice was slurred to the point of sounding like an aboslute drunkard. I avoided conversation by saying 'Hm...' many times. After he left, I turned off all the lights, because from my experience, I had more full-blown hallucinations in the dark.
I lit up a cigarette, and then it fell out of the ashtray, and I looked on the floor to find absolutely nothing there. I was smoking an imaginary cigarette. I didn't seem to find that illogical at all, and continued to sit. At this point, the auditory hallucinations became overwhelming, as I heard my name being called on numerous occasions, and replied. I looked into the laundry room, and at this point, the water softener began speaking to me. I was carrying on a conversation with it like that was completely normal.
It was around this point that I forgot I was on drugs, and thus, all contact with reality of any form. I noticed that I was forgetting to breathe, but my heart was beating to no end. I was beginning to become terrified, as I was seeing hands reaching out of the walls, trying to grab me. With most other hallucinogens (with several exclusions), I was able to tell that it was an illusion, but with diphenhydramine and diphenhydrinate, everything appeared to be so real. I was seeing people walk into my basement, then walk right into a wall and disappear. I was scared. I remember at one point seeing a group of my friends just staring at me. I replied 'WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT???' And they'd just disappear. I remember seeing my cleaning lady and another woman asking me what I was doing, to which I replied, 'Just chillin' like a villain.'
However, I was not prepared at all for what happened next. In a complete drug-haze, I looked down at my arms. I was expecting to see the similar bugs crawling under my skin. But, what I saw is something that absolutely made me jump out of my chair. On my arm was a humungous poisonous Amazon spider. It bit my arm, which I felt. Blood started to profusely flow out of my arm. I began shaking my arms uncontrollably. After shaking them for a minute or two, I looked again, and I saw what was either a baby spider or a tick crawling on my arm. I hate spiders. I hate insects for that matter. I was absolutely terrified. I remember screaming in pain. I looked down at my arm, and saw that not only had the spider bit me once, but numerous times, as I saw bite marks going up and down my arm.
Around this time, it was near 2 a.m. (a guestimate, as I lost all track of time) It was at this point that I have no recollection of what happened after that. Which was probably a good thing, as I can only imagine it progressed into worse things. I have absolutely no recollection of how I wound up in my bed, or what I may have done.
I woke up the next day at around 10:30 a.m., still feeling mild effects from the drugs. I remember the first thing I did was look at my arms to look at the spider bites, only to find nothing there at all. I remember talking to a few friends that said I was talking to them the night before at around 2:30. I looked at a log manager on AIM, and read some of the conversation. I was writing in all caps, and not making any sense whatsoever. Some things I found myself saying... 'YPOUSIDER IN ALASKA,' 'WHERE ARE RENORS WHEN YA NEED 'EM?,' among many other very fucked up non-sensical things.
I would never recommend trying to take as much as I did. I overdosed. I am not aware of the lethal dose, but I can't imagine this was a healthy dose. The trip was not enjoyable, as I found myself terrified throughout most of it. Up to 4 days afterwords, I was experiencing hallucinations at night-time, and I found myself unable to sleep. The 4th night afterwords, I was laying in bed, still hearing auditory hallucinations. I was hearing children screaming, and it was echoing off the crest of a tsunami wave. I then opened my eyes, and there was a face sticking out of my wall.
I regret taking the amount I did, as I wasn't even sure if I'd ever be able to return to sanity. My pupils were dilated to the max for almost 5 days after taking it. For now I'm just going to stick to the illegal hallucinogens.
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