Question:
I believe if he did not black out and did not go to the hospital and get the CT Scan that show the holes he likely would have done DXM again thinking it was just a "bad trip" and likely would have done permeate severe damage. I did not see the actual test images, however they were described as the effect of long term MDMA use may have on the brain. And this is from one time using DXM. I questioned this also as many of you may, so I asked about the possibility of the holes being there before the use of DXM, however his results were compared to results from an MRI and CT Scan on his neck from four months earlier which captured the back of the brain where the holes are now and it looked completely normal. He is also a young man in his early 20's, with no other diagnosed diseases. He also claimed to have none of the problems before the DXM and was a very good student at UF before, and now he has trouble concentrating and memory problems. I cannot say with 100% certainity that the brain damage was caused by the DXM, however I am giving you the information given to me and you can decide on your own. But it's my opinion that it was the DXM, both him and his roommate claimed he had no similar medical problems before that night, and a drug test and blood tests showed no signs of any type of substance that has the remote chance of causing such damage.

I believe this was important when it was to replace the widely abused codeine in cough syrups. So for everyone considering trying DXM or who currently uses it please reconsider what you are possibly doing to your brain. Just because you don't black out, or remember blacking out doesn't mean you are not doing damage to your brain. And in long term abuse of DXM it is very likely you will not see the recovery that the man I told you about did. He may have also used it long term, but he swore it was his first time, and I don't believe most people would lie to their doctor about this after seeing the holes in his brain when the doctor is trying to determine the exact cause. He also claimed that he only smoked pot a few times in his teen years, but that was the extent of his drug use. I don't believe he was a hardcore drug user, as a school activity required frequent drug testing (which I am guessing is why he used DXM instead of another drug).

One thing that is relevant here. Seperating hospital admissions due to psychedelic use where the person is actually needs treatment to stay alive, and those that are just bad trips that end up at the hospital? With your LSD admission, was your life actually in danger or did you just foolishly not have a good, sober trip sitter? The original post focused on situations that would be life threatening or result in serious harm, such as permanent brain damage.

Answer: In the long term, moderation cannot be taught. Responsible people will practice it naturally. Thrill-seekers will occasionally get more than they were looking for. Long-term abusers will suffer long-term health damage. Put in simple English they are areas of brain tissue that basically got "fried" from drug use, and show up when the brain is dissected and looked at under a microsope. AFAIK, they can't be detected with a CT scan, or any other sort of brain imaging technology. If they could be detected that way, and they actually are occurring in humans that use DXM recreationally (as I believe they are), considering there have been lots of people who have tripped on DXM over the last few decades, surely this would have made it into peer reviewed literature as doctors would have detected them. AFAIK, Olney's lesions can only be determined by dissecting the brain, and for obvious reasons DXMers would rather not volunteer for that.Actually, considering he appears to think any brain damage from drugs as "holes in the brain", in that context what he wrote makes sense. From what sketchy science there is IMO MDMA is more neurotoxic than DXM. The problem with DXM is that some DXMers go way overboard, and will take at upper plateau levels on a daily basis. There are more people "hooked" on DXM than MDMA, thus the brain damage will become apparent quicker and more often.