Shigellosis
13. June 2024What is it?
2C-B is a synthetically produced psychedelic substance. It is related to mescaline, which occurs naturally in certain cacti. 2C-B has properties of both stimulants and hallucinogens – the high is often described as a combination of MDMA and LSD.
2C-B is sold in pill form or, more rarely, as a white, crystalline powder. The pills look similar to ecstasy (different colours and motifs/shapes), but are usually much smaller and thinner. Some of them have ‘2C-B’ embossed on them, but the ‘NASA pill’ in the shape of a rocket is more common. As with ecstasy, it is often impossible to be sure of the exact active ingredient content of 2C-B. Some pills are labelled with a dose indication – but this cannot be trusted. Only drug checking can provide clarity here.
The type of intoxication and the risks associated with 2C-B are highly dependent on the dose:
- Small amounts stimulate and put you in a good mood (comparable to ecstasy) and change your perception in a psychedelic way.
- As the dose increases, the feeling of being on a psychedelic ‘trip’ predominates (comparable to LSD or shrooms). Such trips are heavily dependent on your own condition and environmental influences. Unforeseen or unpleasant experiences are possible.
Please note: This information does not apply to pink-coloured powders called ‘Tusi’. Although this nickname is originally derived from 2C-B, according to measurements ‘Tusi’ (also: ‘Pink Cocaine’) usually does not contain 2C-B at all, but a highly variable mixture of various other substances, especially MDMA and ketamine.
How is it taken?
2C-B is taken orally (in pill form) or nasally (snorted). The same dose can have different effects depending on body condition, gender, daily condition and stomach contents.
Oral use:
- 5 – 15 mg: Party dose:
Typical dose for parties, festivals, etc.: Ecstasy-like effect with psychedelic effects - 15 – 25 mg: Trip dose:
Dose for a psychedelic trip – set and setting have a big influence! - 25 – 50 mg: High Dose:
Only for experienced psychonauts; side effects are increasingly possible
When consumed orally on an empty stomach, the effect occurs after approx. 20-40 minutes. However, depending on the stomach contents and other factors, it may take longer. To avoid overdosing, you should wait at least 2 hours for the effect to kick in before you consider topping up. The peak of the high is usually reached after 90-120 minutes. Overall, the effect lasts around 4 to 8 hours, fading in waves towards the end. Mild after-effects can be felt for 2 to 4 hours afterwards.
When consumed nasally, i.e. pulled or sniffed, the effect is faster and stronger. This is why it is important to take smaller doses when sniffing. A common dose for sniffing is between 2 and 15 mg. Sniffing is described as very unpleasant for the nasal mucosa.
How does it feel?
The effects of 2C-B are described by users as a mixture of the effects of LSD and MDMA. 2C-B has hallucinogenic effects: Sensory perceptions are heightened and altered. 2C-B can also have an aphrodisiac effect, i.e. increase the sex drive. The hallucinogenic effect can be perceived as challenging, as the boundaries between reality and hallucination can become blurred.
Psychological effects can be:
- More intense sensory perceptions: Expanded field of vision, perception of more details at once, lights seem brighter, sound seems more spatial, touches feel more intense, taste stimuli are stronger, beauty is perceived more intensely
- Events are more impressive, significant and emotionally moving
- Good mood, carefreeness
- Sexual stimulation
- At higher doses: Visual hallucinations, e.g. brightly changing colours, pulsating shapes, wafting patterns, streaks behind moving objects, curved geometry,…
- Hallucinations with closed eyes, e.g. colourful shapes and patterns
- Increased Laughter
- Compassion, sense of community, solidarity
- Greater self-awareness, introspection, reflectiveness
- More intense body feeling
- Increased Selfconfidence
General effects can be:
- Awakeness and energy
- Decreased Sense of Hunger
- Dilated pupils
- Increased pulse rate
- Increased blood pressure
Small differences in dosage can greatly influence the effect. The condition of the day is also relevant: How much have you eaten? Are you physically fit? What is your mental mood? If your set (= your physical and mental state) or setting (= the environment around you) is not right, this can have a negative impact on your trip.
At low doses, the perceived state can suddenly fluctuate between high and sober several times during the course of the trip.
Side effects and long-term impact
Physical side effects
The most common side effect of oral consumption is a temporary stomach upset at the beginning of the trip, which can also cause general anxiety. It occurs particularly with a full stomach and at higher doses, but usually passes after a few minutes. You can greatly reduce the risk of this by not eating for at least 3-4 hours before taking 2C-B. Taking ginger is also said to help.
The upset stomach can trigger nausea and/or the urge to go to the loo. If you feel slightly unwell, consciously switch your attention to something else (e.g. a conversation) instead of immediately following the physical impulses or focussing your thoughts on them. However, if they don’t pass soon and you actually have to vomit, it’s not so bad: most people feel better immediately afterwards and the rest of their trip doesn’t have to be diminished by this experience.
Other physical side effects are
- Limited ability to concentrate and react
- Stomach complaints, cramps, flatulence and diarrhoea
- Sweating
- Dizziness
- Insomnia
- Unintentional errection
- Burning nasal mucous (when sniffing)
- Intensification of existing physical pain
Psychological side effects
What is perceived by some as a psychological side effect may be a desired effect for others. Effects such as hallucinations and intensified body awareness can (but do not have to) be overwhelming and trigger anxiety. Your individual psychological characteristics and habits may become more pronounced than usual. Especially with higher doses, there is a risk of ‘losing yourself’ in certain thoughts.
As 2C-B intensifies your perception, you may experience an unpleasant sensory overload, especially in hectic environments or large crowds. Messy or dirty environments can also disturb you more than usual.
Especially at higher doses, unpleasant or threatening hallucinations may occur (e.g. insects, ‘shadow creatures’,…) as well as paranoid impressions (e.g. of supposed negative intentions of others or bad talk). Faces may appear distorted like caricatures.
A good 2C-B trip, on the other hand, can make you optimistic and willing to take risks. This can lead to reckless decisions.
It can be difficult to operate mobile phones and other technical devices during a trip. Avoid taking part in road traffic in this condition – it is dangerous and prohibited.
After- and longterm effects
After a 2C-B trip, it can be difficult to fall asleep for several hours. Apart from this, however, most users report that they experience little to no comedown in the days following a trip and there is no clear data on long-term effects. It can be assumed that, similar to other psychedelic substances, latent (hidden) psychoses can be triggered, which can lead to permanent impairment of mental well-being. In rare cases, 2C-B can also trigger permanent psychedelic perceptual changes (HPPD, Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder).
Overdose
Due to the hallucinogenic, psychedelic character of 2C-B, a trip can quickly become challenging. Hallucinations, dissociations and heightened body sensations can be very demanding and may lead to anxious states. If you have little experience with 2C-B, it makes sense to consider the setting in which you are consuming beforehand: Do you know the surroundings? Do you have people with you that you trust? How could you get support in the event of a challenging trip?
Mixed consumption
Generally speaking: Consuming more than one substance at a time puts your body and your mental state under more pressure. Certain effects may be intensified, weakened or delayed by the interactions. The probability of an overdose or side effects is not calculable.
When making spontaneous additional consumption decisions during a 2C-B trip, bear in mind that the high can make you carefree and optimistic – to the point of recklessness.
2C-B and alcohol: This mixture can lead to increased nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting or depressive moods, but also to unexpected euphoric experiences.
2C-B and MAO inhibitors: The 2C-B breaks down more slowly, which can make the effect feel stronger. There is a high risk of overdose. In extreme cases, life-threatening serotonin syndrome can occur.
2C-B and cannabis: Both substances reinforce each other’s psychedelic effects. The mixture can intensify hallucinations and increase the likelihood of paranoid or self-critical thoughts. Challenging trips are therefore more likely.
2C-B and ketamine: Ketamine enhances the sensory effects of the 2C-B trip (e.g. more intense colours). However, some users find the dissociation and confusion triggered by ketamine during a psychedelic trip unsettling.
2C-B and MDMA: Consumption of 2C-B after MDMA (approx. 4 h): Has an aphrodisiac effect, trip and possibly sex are experienced more emotionally than with mono-consumption. Simultaneous use is described by many users as unpleasant.
2C-B and Tramadol: Risk of seizures increases.
Addiction risk and withdrawal
There is no long-term research on 2C-B. In principle, the risk of addiction to psychedelics is considered to be low.
Safer Use
The following applies in particular to psychedelic substances: Only use them when you are in good physical and mental health and in an environment that offers you a safe framework. Have people around you who you trust and who would be willing to help you in the event of a problem. Make sure you have a place to retreat to if sensory overload could become a problem.
Drug checking can tell you what’s really in your pill or powder. You can look up previous test results for pills with the same design and colour using the KnowDrugs app or at drugchecking.berlin. But be careful: pills with the same design can also have different doses!
Watch your dosage. It is better to take too little at first than too much. A smaller amount is sufficient for nasal consumption, as it has a stronger effect. Note that 2C-B powder burns strongly in the nose. It is better not to crush and pull 2C-B pills as they contain fillers that clog the nose.
Use your own consumption utensils. Sharing tubes can cause injuries to the nasal mucosa, which can lead to the transmission of hepatitis C. Herpes can also be transmitted in this way.
Let others know what you have taken so that they know in case something happens.
Dealing with “bad trips”
Your attention is very controllable on psychedelics, even if it doesn’t always feel that way at the moment: what you focus on will occupy you intensely and seem particularly important to you.
If something produces negative feelings or thoughts, distract yourself from them. For example, turn on your favourite music, look at the stars or talk to good friends. Trying to ‘fight’ the trip itself, on the other hand, could make the situation worse.
If you are planning to take a higher dose, the presence of a sober and experienced ‘trip sitter’ is ideal.
Safer Sex
Taking 2C-B can make you more willing to cross boundaries and forgo safer sex, which increases the risk of hepatitis C, HIV or other sexually transmitted infections.
Sexual interaction involving 2C-B requires mutual consent and trust. Under the influence of 2C-B, acts can occur that would not take place if the person were sober. It is therefore important to agree in advance which sexual practices are desired by all participants and which are not.
Sex under the influence of 2C-B should only be experienced together if the effects of the substance are known and the individual limits have been clearly defined in advance.
Make sure you have safer sex utensils to hand before you get intimate.
Don’t consume so much that you are no longer able to recognise potential defence signals from your partner.
Only sleep with people who can communicate boundaries and consent! If a person is so drunk that they can’t communicate anymore, they also can no longer give consent. Under no circumstances may sexual acts be (further) performed on them. This is true even if mutual intentions were previously discussed while conscious. It may be a criminal offense (§ 177 (2) StGB).
Pay attention to your body! If you notice any abnormalities, you should consult a doctor. Get tested for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year and check your hepatitis A/B vaccination status.
Interactions with HIV-treatment
Little is currently known about the risks and interactions of 2C-B and HIV drugs.
Take drugs and HIV medication at different times. This might decrease the chance of side-effects.
Drugs may increase and prolong the effects of substances. Therefore, tend to take lower doses of drugs when taking medication.
The night often gets long – take enough medication with you and stick to your intake times. Talk to your doctor about the interactions of your HIV medication with intoxicants.
You can find information on interactions between substances and HIV medication at hiv-drogen.de
Counseling
Would you like to talk about your use, have questions, or are looking for support about substance use?
Do you want to share and/or reflect on your substance experiences with someone?
Feeling that you are using too much?
Are you worried about friends or acquaintances and want advice or tips on how to deal with the situation as a friend?
Feeling that you are using too much? The drug advice services in your area will be happy to help you!