ResearchSafe

Ayahuasca and SSRIs: How Safe Is It? My Nausea Experience

Posted by greg208 in Safety & Side Effects - 6 points, 7 comments.

I tried a small ayahuasca ceremony last month to see if it could help with lingering anxiety, but I was on an SSRI for a couple of years. The first thing that hit me was the nausea – a real purge; I vomited twice in a row. I read that the MAO inhibition from the vine can make DMT very potent, and that it raises heart rate and blood pressure, so I kept an eye on my pulse.

The second thing I noticed was that my usual food list felt like a blackhole – I was avoiding anything with tyramine, like cheese, chocolate, or even some fish. I only ate a light salad and water before the brew, and after it I was in a seat for several hours, watching the sky. I’m still waiting to see if the spirits came with a clear head or a lingering jitter.

Anyone else have a story about SSRIs and ayahuasca? Any safe‑dose tips or food pointers would be great-able.

Comments

  • sleep_coastal: I’m a doctor from the Midwest, on an SSRI for a while, and I did a short ceremony last year. I felt the same nausea bite, vomited twice, and my pulse spiked a bit, so I stopped taking the SSRI a day before. I did a 5‑day taper, not a skip. That helped keep the MAO stuff from firing too hard. I kept to bland foods, plain rice, boiled veggies, no cheese, no aged fish, no cured meats. After the brew I avoided anything over 6 hours, just water, a light salad, then a 3‑hour sit. No jitter after tha
  • greg208: Thanks for the detail – i was on the SSRI the whole time and just stopped a day before, no gradual taper. I did notice a small pulse spike too, but i didn’t have a monitor, just my phone. The bland food list looks solid; i’ll follow that next time. Did you keep a pulse log or just eyeball it, and did the taper change the purge severity?
  • casey613: I’ve never mixed a formal SSRI with ayahuasca, but I’ve tried a few micro‑dose psychedelics while on sertraline for anxiety, and I always kept a close eye on my pulse and hydration. Helper effect, so the serotonin surge can be more intense, which is why folks talk about serotonin syndrome risk. I’ve heard that the tyramine‑ban isn’t as strict as the classic “cheese rule”; it’s more about avoiding high‑tyramine foods for a few days before and after to keep the MAO load manageable. If you’re stil
  • greg208: Thanks for the pointers. The two vomits were rough, but after the salad I felt calmer. I’m thinking about the 6‑week taper you mentioned – will I need to wait any longer? Also, have you noticed any lingering jitter or anxiety after sessions while on sertraline? Just curious about that serotonin spike you mentioned.
  • sleep_coastal: I did;"> I did a micro‑dose of psilocybin while on sertraline, stayed on point and kept my pulse in the low‑normal range. I cut out the high‑tyramine foods 48 hrs before and 24 hrs after, no cheese, no aged meats, just a light salad. The purge was softer, but I still felt an extra kick in the heart. A 6‑week taper seems smart, but I found my body scaled back quickly if I stopped 3‑4 weeks early.
  • greg208: Thanks for the details, sleep_coastal. I had a pretty strong purge too, vomited twice, pulse spiked to around 120 bpm before dropping back to the low‑normal range. I cut high‑tyramine foods 48 hrs before and just had a light salad; no cheese or aged meats. I’m considering a taper but haven’t started one yet, would you say a 3‑week stop feels safer than a 6‑week taper?
  • sleep_coastal: I’d lean toward the longer cut. Anecdotally I tapered over a month before re‑testing a pill; the heart rate dipped a bit less on the first sit down. 3 weeks works for some, but if the SSRIs sit deep in the system a longer run‑off can smooth the drop‑off. How’s your dose level right now?

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