Experienced psychonauts, guides, and sitters are adept at employing techniques to navigate themselves and others through a “bad trip.” Many encourage the emergence of unwanted subconscious content because it is within these repressed memories and feelings that genuine healing often occurs in the long term. However, there comes a point where the intense terror and panic experienced by some individuals can become counterproductive or even hazardous. In such cases, a drug intervention—referred to as a “trip killer”—may be necessary. But is it safe to use another drug to terminate a psychedelic experience?
So, What Exactly is a “Trip Killer?”
A “trip killer” typically refers to an anti-anxiety or anti-psychotic pharmaceutical drug taken to abruptly halt a psychedelic journey. These drugs are commonly used with mushrooms, LSD, and other classical psychedelics. Among the plethora of options, certain drugs stand out as more prevalent: olanzapine and quetiapine, both second-generation anti-psychotics, are frequently mentioned on popular online forums as effective trip killers. Benzodiazepines, or “benzos” (such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin), are also commonly recommended. While all benzos share a similar mechanism of action, they differ in their onset, intensity, and duration of action on the brain. Interestingly, these same prescription drugs are often administered in emergency rooms to individuals experiencing a challenging trip, alongside a calm and supportive environment.
Main medications
Second-generation antipsychotics and benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medications) are the primary medications for trip management used in both medical settings and in the psychedelic community.