Mixing Drugs and Safety

We don’t always know what’s in our drugs. We don’t know how strong they are or how they are going to interact. Mixing them is not advised. On this page we have got some general info about mixing drugs. This is not a full list of combinations and the advice is general. Speak to a health professional for any specific guidance!

Stimulants + Depressants: When we mix stimulants, like crystal with depressants like alcohol or a high dose of GHB this can put the body under stress. When you combine these drugs, your body must process conflicting messages. Stimulants do no counteract the effect of depressants and depressants do not counteract the effect of stimulants. This means that some of the effects of the drugs can combine and this can put strain on your heart or cause abnormal heart rhythms. Mixing these types of drugs can be dangerous. You are at more risk of harm if you have poor physical health, if you have been partying for a long time and if you take high doses.

Stimulants + Stimulants: Stimulants like crystal taken with other stimulants like cocaine, energy drinks, caffeine or other types of amphetamine have a multiplying effect. This combination can speed up the central nervous system and heart rate to dangerous levels. Risks of this combination include overheating, dehydration and heart complications, seizures and stroke. Mixing stimulants can also make us panicky and anxious.
Depressants + Depressants: Combining depressants like GHB or alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids can slow down your heart rate and your breathing to dangerous levels. A major risk of this combination is a loss of consciousness. If your heart is not beating fast enough, or if you are not breathing enough, you may have a lack of oxygen in your bloodstream and brain. When this happens there is a risk of brain damage and even death in some circumstances.

Crystal + Viagra + Amyl: Getting a hard on crystal can be difficult. Sometimes people use amyl and erectile-dysfunction medicine to address this. Using drugs like Viagra and amyl at the same time increases the risk of heart attack and can greatly reduce blood pressure causing collapse. Avoid this combination, especially if you have a history of heart disease yourself or in your family.

Drugs + prescription medications: If you are on any kind of prescription medication like;
• antidepressants
• PrEP
• HIV treatment or
• hormones
it is important that you discuss this with your doctor. Your doctor can give you advice about what interactions you can expect. Partying on any drugs for a long time can make it more likely to forget to take your prescribed meds. Make sure you keep your medications with you and set reminders on your phone to help you to remember to take them.

HIV medications: If you are taking medication to treat HIV, use this resource from the University of Liverpool to check how your HIV medication might interact with other substances.

This page didn’t cover everything! This table has a more detailed list of individual substances and their possible interactions. Information for this page came from Touchbase, StimCheck and the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.