DOC
What is DOC?
DOC (2,5‐dimethoxy‐4‐chloramphetamine) is a synthetic psychedelic. Depending on the dose, a trip can last up to 12-24 hours. It is available as a fine, white crystal-like powder, as a pill or as a papertrip (paper square of about 1×1 cm). There may be a logo on the tablet, but it doesn’t have to.
DOC sometimes occurs as contamination in other drugs. For example, in papertrips sold as LSD, or pills sold as MDMA or 2C-B. Therefore, always have your drugs tested.
Effects
DOC is a stimulant psychedelic. The stimulating effects are strong. You get more energy, you can feel restless and suffer from muscle tension.
Positive effects | (negatieve) Side effects |
HallucinationsIn hallucinations you perceive things that are not there. It really is an observation that seems to be real. For example, you may hear sounds (auditory hallucinations) or see something or someone (visual hallucination). This is in contrast to a change in sensory perception where normal perception is distorted. Think of a person’s voice that sounds higher or lower or a face that seems to have a big nose. Hallucinations can be both desirable effects (with psychedelics) and unwanted side effects (with high doses of MDMA, or with being awake for too long). |
Paranoia and delusionsAnxiety, paranoia and delusions (e.g. the idea that people are talking about you). |
Euphoria, feelings of loveThis substance can make you feel euphoric, like you are in love. You feel comfortable in your own skin and can experience things as pleasant more quickly. |
Increase in blood pressure and heart rateDue to increased cardiac stimulation, heart rate and blood pressure rise. |
Laughing fitsSpontaneous and uncontrollable laughter, sometimes without anything humorous happening. |
Increased body temperatureStimulants cause increased activity in muscles, and increase the “base temperature” of the body. This causes the body temperature to increase. |
Altered sensory perceptionHow you perceive your environment changes, this can affect all of your senses. Sometimes, this could make it seem as if your surroundings differ from reality. More information about tripping and hallucinations can be found here. |
InsomniaSome drugs keep you from falling asleep. Stimulants often have this effect, but even after using psychedelics or downers, sleep is disrupted and it is possible that you can’t sleep. |
(Nederlands) Verandering in tijdsperceptieThe passage of time could feel altered during drug use. Some parts of the evening fly by, while some parts feel a lot slower. When you are feeling comfortable, it can be nice that the feeling does not seem to stop. But if you feel uncomfortable, this can be a bothersome experience. So this effect can work both ways. |
Decreased appetiteStimulation of the fight-or-flight response in the body can suppress appetite. |
Changes in thought patternsYou more quickly form logical and illogical associations, but your thoughts may also become more chaotic and confused. For the user, this could be either a positive or negative experience. |
Nausea/vomitingAn uneasy and tense feeling in the abdomen, which may cause discomfort. Nausea often precedes vomiting. |
Energetic feelingYou have feelings of being energized. Sitting still is sometimes more difficult and this energetic feeling is often expressed through the urge to dance or move. |
Dilated pupilsDue to an increased noradrenaline level in the body after taking certain drugs, the pupils become larger. The pupil size is influenced by many different processes. Increase in noradrenaline plays a role in some of those processes. |
Teeth grindingGrinding your teeth |
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Changes in thought patternsYou more quickly form logical and illogical associations, but your thoughts may also become more chaotic and confused. For the user, this could be either a positive or negative experience. |
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Dry mouthStimulation of sympathetic pathways decrease saliva production, this causes the mouth to feel dry. |
Dose and route of administration
DOC is usually taken orally. Sometimes in pill form, sometimes on a papertrip. DOC is a very potent substance. You only need a little to have strong psychedelic effects.
Doseringen bij slikken | |
Light dose | 1 – 2 mg |
Medium dose | 2 – 4 mg |
High dose | 4 – 6 mg |
Duration
It may take 2 to 3 hours for DOC to start working. The effects of DOC can last for 12 to 24 hours.
Risks
Little is known about the long-term risks of DOC.
It can take up to 2 to 3 hours for DOC to start working. The effects then last for 12 to 24 hours. Since DOC is more physically stimulating than other psychedelics, and the psychedelic effects can also be more intense, this can quickly become too much. Especially with a lack of sleep, it is more difficult to control than short acting psychedelics.
Short term risks
(Nederlands) Triggeren (drugs-) psychose
Bad trip
It can happen that you become overwhelmed by the intensity of the experience. Such an experience can be frightening, especially for inexperienced users, and is called a ‘bad trip’. A bad trip can manifest, for example, in confusion due to a too high dosage, but can also occur because someone loses control of their thoughts.
In these situaions, it’s important to reassure the person and make them feel at ease. Make it clear that the situation they find themselves in is a result of the drug’s effects and that it will get better shortly.
Give the person as much rest as possible, preferably in a familiar environment. Accepting the situation is often the first step someone needs to take to ride out the trip in calmer waters. Using psychedelics when you’re not feeling entirely well or when you’re in an unfamiliar or busy environment increases the chance of unpleasant experiences during the trip and is therefore not recommended.
Vasoconstriction (blood vessels narrowing)
Overheating
Stimulants increase your body temperature. Additionally, more physical activity also raises your body temperature. If this happens in an environment that is already warm, where you cannot dissipate heat effectively, it can become dangerous.
Because your body loses heat through sweating, this risk mainly occurs in warm and humid environments. If the air is very humid (muggy or clammy), the cooling effect of sweat is reduced. This can cause your body to overheat. Additionally, you lose a lot of body heat through your head. Avoid wearing a hat or cap when it’s warm so that heat can escape.
Some drugs, especially those that cause a significant release of serotonin, can lead to mild overheating with “normal” use.
Symptoms of mild overheating (hyperthermia):
- Headache
- Confusion
- Stiff muscles
- Dizziness
In this case, seek a cool place and consider wetting your head, neck, and face with water. If you then blow air over these well-vascularized areas of your body with a fan (or ask a friend to do so), you can quickly cool down to a more comfortable temperature.
Symptoms of more severe overheating (hyperthermia):
- Shivering Rapid heartbeat
- Pale appearance
- Reduced consciousness
- Nausea Vomiting
When experiencing these symptoms, it’s time to seek help from a first aid post or other healthcare provider. If the body temperature rises to 40-41 degrees Celsius, the situation is life-threatening. It’s important to quickly move to a cooler place.
Very severe symptoms:
- Breakdown of muscle tissue
- Blood clotting throughout the body
- Impaired functioning of kidneys and liver
- Epileptic seizures
Call 112 immediately if you notice or experience these symptoms.
Heart and blood vessel problems
4-FA affects blood pressure and heart rate. In general, blood pressure and heart rate increase. We do not know exactly how the influence of 4-FA on the blood pressure and heart rate works.
Increased blood pressure and heart rate increase the risk of a cerebral infarction. A blood vessel in the brain can break. Or a blood clot can break loose and block the vessel in a smaller part of the blood vessel. If oxygen can no longer reach the brain cells, the brain cells may die.
Long term risks
Psychological addiction
Psychological addiction means that you feel like you can’t live without a substance.
You can however stop taking this drug, without your body experiencing any issues.
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD)
HPPD is a condition in which a person has flashbacks to previously experienced hallucinations or distortions from a psychedelic trip. Read more about visual snow, HPPD, depersonalization and derealization.
Interactions
Combining different types of drugs can be risky and unpredictable. When you combine drugs you can have a higher risk of health problems. In the following paragraphs you can read about the effects and the risks of a number of combinations that occur frequently and also a about few that are extra hazardous. Also check our theme combining drugs.
Psychedelics and alcohol
Because of the psychedelic you have energy and you are less tired. As a result, you may feel the sedating effects of the alcohol less and you may have a tendency to drink more alcohol. Be careful, because this can cause an extra large hangover. So do not drink alcohol when you are tripping or agree with yourself or your friends in advance how many glasses of alcohol you want to drink. This prevents headaches the next day and is better for your health!
It can also make the trip more vague. You have less control over the trip because of the alcohol. This gives a greater chance of a difficult experience. You are disinhibited by the alcohol. You may end up doing things that are stupid or dangerous. Especially if you can no longer think logically because you are tripping, this can lead to dangerous or unpleasant situations.
Benzodiazepines and psychedelics
A benzodiazepine may sound like a good solution if someone is having a difficult experience on a psychedelic. Read more about that here. In the best situation, however, you solve it in a different way. See also this article.
- Persistent bad trip? Try to work it out yourself first, for example by talking to people in your environment, or by changing your environment.
- Doesn’t all this work? And do you remain afraid or anxious? Then it is possible to take a benzodiazepine, because this inhibits the anxiety. For example, oxazepam (Seresta), and for long-term anxiety suppression diazepam (Valium).
- Please note: your trip will become less, you will become less anxious, but in principle the drug will continue to work. Only you have a less anxious / intense experience of your trip.
- Have you had a bad trip? Then find out what caused this. Was it your environment, your friends or are there things in your life that are not going well at the moment, which made your trip negative. You can learn from a bad trip and you can counteract this learning effect by using benzodiazepines. So don’t get into the habit of taking a benzodiazepine too easily to control your trip/turn yourself off.
Cannabis and psychedelics
If you smoke weed during a trip, it can make for a more intense trip. Keep that in mind. There are users who have later experienced that they relived certain trip effects while smoking weed, as a kind of vivid memory of a previous experience. This can be very scary and confusing. If you experience this, we advise you to stop smoking weed.
It can also suddenly change the direction or vibe of a trip. This new direction isn’t always positive. So before you smoke weed, think about whether it will improve the experience.
Laughing gas and psychedelics
If you are tripping and you take nitrous oxide, it can cause very intense effects. That can be fun, but it can also be so intense that it scares you. If you decide to combine, make sure you take the time and space for it. Find a quiet spot and sit or lie down.
Unity tips
- DOC is a long acting psychedelic. Plan a day ahead and preferably take another few days to proces the experience and the recover.
- Have your DOC tested to make sure it is DOC.
Unity tips for using psychedelics
- When taking a psychedelic for the first time, try to have your experience in nature or at home
- Do you want to trip at a party or festival? Adjust your dose to be smaller than what you are used to.
- Prevent nausea by eating something easily digestible at least 2 hours before taking your drugs
- Make sure to always have a sober person (a trip sitter) around when tripping.
- Pay close attention to the effects you experience: if you feel that they are too strong or unpleasant, ingesting vitamin C, dextrose or sweet drinks may help to alleviate this.
- Do not fight any unpleasant feelings during the trip, but let yourself float on the flow of the trip
- Do not combine psychedelics with other drugs (including alcohol) and medications. Cannabis in particular can greatly intensify and prolong the effect of psychedelics.
- Make sure you are free from responsibilities the day after using, take some time to process the experience
- Do not use psychedelics if you suffer from epilepsy or have a cardiovascular disease.
Unity tips for using drugs
- When using a drug for the first time, take only a small dose to see how your body reacts to the substance
- Only use drugs when you are feeling well
- Use drugs recreationally, not to combat psychological issues like fatigue
- Avoid using drugs if you have (had) psychological afflictions or if you have a family history of psychological diseases (such as depression) in your family
- Test your drugs before use at a drugs-testing service
- Make sure to prepare a good set and setting for drug use
- Only use drugs sparingly. Keep track of your use over time.
- Decide in advance how much you are planning to use over the evening, and stick to that.
- Do not combine drugs with other substances or medicines
- Do not participate in traffic after drug use
- Prevent infectious diseases; Use your own snorter/sniffer and do not share paraphernalia with others
- After insufflating, rinse your nose well with lukewarm saline water (for example, by using a nasal spray or nasal douche)
- Are you, or one of your friends not feeling well? Keep an eye out for one another, take care of each other and visit the first aid (if one is available)
- Call 112 in a life-threatening situation
- Eat healthy before and after drug use. In particular, foods with lots of antioxidants and vitamins (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, raisins, oranges, kiwi, broccoli). This is perhaps the most important tip! It can be difficult to eat during and after drug use, but make sure to try to eat something anyway. Eating well is a great way to reduce the hangover! If you can’t hold in solid foods, try juices, breakfast drinks, and smoothies.
FAQ
Warning DOC in 2C-B
In April 2021, there was a warning about 2C-B pills that contain an extremely high dose of DOC. Always get your drugs tested! For more information about the warning, visit drugredalert.nl.