Do Mushrooms Show Up On A Drug Test?
Beyond their immediate psychoactive effects, how else can magic mushrooms impact a person’s life? For example, do mushrooms show up on a drug test?
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What Are Magic Mushrooms?
Magic mushrooms are naturally occurring fungi that contain either psilocybin or psilocin. They are sometimes also referred to as shrooms, hallucinogenic mushrooms, psychedelic mushrooms, or simply mushrooms.
The informal category of magic mushrooms is expansive, as researchers have identified more than 200 types of fungi with hallucinogenic p
roperties.
Mushrooms can be ingested in several ways, including being eaten (either cooked or raw), brewed into a tea, or swallowed in the form of a capsule,
gummy, or other edible.
Effects
The effects that a person experiences when using mushrooms can be influenced by a range of factors, including their environment, which type of mushroom they have used, how much they ingested, if they have also been using other mind-altering substances.
In general, though, someone who uses shrooms may experience effects such as:
- Elevated mood, to the point of euphoria
- Distorted sense of time and space
- Synesthesia (such as the sense of tasting or feeling colors)
- Hallucinations
- Deep introspection
Hallucinogenic mushrooms can also cause less pleasant effects, such as:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Fever and chills
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Disorientation
- Anxiety
- Intense fear
- Paranoia
How Magic Mushrooms Work
The effects produced by magic mushrooms are due to the presence of either psilocybin or psilocin.
When a person uses mushrooms that contain psilocybin, their body converts the substance into psilocin. The psilocin interacts with receptors in the central nervous system that are involved with serotonin, a neurotransmitter that influences mood, learning, memory, and a variety of other functions.
Experts believe that psilocin also boosts activity in some areas of the brain, reduces activity in other areas, and disrupts communication between various brain regions.
Do Mushrooms Show Up on a Drug Test?
When asking about mushrooms and drug tests, two apparently similar questions can have distinctly different answers:
- Is it possible for mushrooms to show up on a drug test? Yes, it is.
- Do mushrooms show up on a drug test? Sometimes, but it’s unlikely.
The apparent discrepancy between these two answers has to do less with the mushrooms themselves and more with the types of drug tests most people take.
Types of Tests
One reason why mushrooms rarely show up on drug tests is that most standard screens aren’t set up to detect them. Common types of drug tests include:
- 5-panel test: If you are required to complete a drug screen for work, you will probably be taking a 5-panel test. This standard test is designed to detect five types of mind-altering substances:
- Amphetamines (speed)
- Cocaine
- THC (marijuana)
- Opiates (such as heroin, fentanyl, and many prescription painkillers)
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
- 7-panel test: In addition to detecting the five types of drugs listed above 7-panel tests also look for benzodiazepines (benzos) and barbiturates (sedatives).
- 10-panel tests: These can also detect methaqualone (Quaaludes), methadone, and propoxyphene (Darvocet)
To test positive for mushrooms, you would have to be taking a tests that was specifically designed to detect psilocybin or psilocin.
Duration of Detection
Even if you are being tested specifically for mushrooms, the timing of the test and how it is conducted can also influence your likelihood of a positive result.
It’s rare for detectable levels of psilocybin or psilocin to remain in your blood, urine, or saliva for more than 24 hours. While it is possible for some traces to remain for several days, this is relatively rare. So even a specialized test that analyzes any of these bodily fluids will probably only find evidence of magic mushroom use if you consumed the drugs in the past day or two.
However, your body does store evidence of magic mushroom use for much longer in one area: your hair follicles. If you are required to submit hair follicles for analysis, and the test is calibrated to detect magic mushrooms, you could test positive for up to three months (90 days) after the last time you ingested shrooms.
To prepare mushrooms for elimination from your system, your body breaks psilocybin and psilocin into component parts. Part of this process involves creating molecules called metabolites, which remain in your system for a longer period of time than the drugs themselves.
It can help to think of metabolites as fingerprints. While the magic mushrooms themselves are eliminated from your body within a day or two, their metabolites are proof that you recently had psilocybin or psilocin in your system – just like fingerprints can prove you were in a certain location even though you’re no longer there.
Can You Get Addicted to Mushrooms?
The best way to avoid having mushrooms show up on a drug test is to avoid using mushrooms at all. If you find it difficult or impossible to stop using these substances, even when you know that continuing to do so could lead to job loss or other negative outcomes, that could be sign that you have a problem.
Shrooms don’t pose the same type of addiction risk that alcohol, opioids, or many other recreational substances do. But the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) does contain an entry for “other hallucinogen disorder,” which describes addictions to LSD, ketamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
In other words, as with testing positive for shrooms on a drug screen, becoming addicted to this drug is unlikely but possible.
Find Addiction Treatment in the San Francisco Bay Area
Live Oaks Wellness offers comprehensive, personalized treatment for adults whose lives have been disrupted by the compulsive use of magic mushrooms and other mind-altering substances. We also offer dual diagnosis services for patients who have substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health concerns.
Treatment options at our drug rehab near San Francisco, CA, include detoxification (detox) and residential treatment. Our team will work closely with you to understand the full scope of your needs so that we can identify the therapies and support services that can help you achieve a healthier future in recovery.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
