Psilocybin or "Magic" Mushrooms and Drug Testing

We receive many questions about psilocybin or "Magic" Mushrooms and whether we can test for them or not. Most standard drug panels, including ours, do not test for psilocybin or psilocin, another active chemical in psilocybin mushrooms. A standard DOT or employment panel tests for THC, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates, and Phencyclidine (PCP). Although psilocin and its two deamination products are observable, after derivitization, by conventional chromatographic instruments, laboratories are not set up to perform this analysis. Even if laboratories conducted the testing, psilocybin and psilocin are very quickly metabolized and usage through urine or blood testing cannot detect these substances after about 3 days. Hair drug tests are not set up to look for them either. Obtaining an accurate result is very difficult due to the very small detection window and the fact that the metabolites are very unstable once they are collected and move through the body very quickly.

These mushroomsgrow naturally in South America, Mexico and the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes the hallucinogenic effects on the user as "alterations of autonomic function, motor reflexes, behavior, and perception. The psychological consequences of psilocybin use include hallucinations, an altered perception of time, and an inability to discern fantasy from reality." If a large amount of psilocybin mushrooms is taken users could also experience panic reactions and psychosis.

"Magic" mushrooms are very bitter tasting and can be consumed fresh or dried but they are usually brewed as a tea or added into food to disguise the taste. The effects of the drug begin in about 20 minutes and last up to 6 hours. Psilocybin causes its effects by initially disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. It can frequently cause negative side effects including muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting and drowsiness as well as long-term effects such as flashbacks, risk of psychiatric illness, impaired memory, and tolerance which have been described in case reports. In 2008 the Monitoring the Future survey indicated that 7.8 percent of high school seniors had tried hallucinogens other than LSD in the past year but that dropped to 5 percent last year.

Psilocybin is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs, which include heroin and LSD, have a high potential for abuse and serve no legitimate medical purpose in the United States. The full range of valid, reliable drug tests are provided at all ANY LAB TEST NOW® locations.