25-I-NBOH: when intense meets colourful

My first experience with 25-I-NBOH was with a higher than recommended dosage (800 micrograms) and the effects were overwhelming and scary.

25-I-NBOH

In my first experience my visual field was obscured by spinning fractals, tessellated surfaces and other obnoxious visual artifacts that quickly turned chaotic – both as open-eye and closed-eye visuals. My body temperature fluctuated between shivers and profuse sweating, my mind was racing, my heartbeat increased to what I thought was an alarming rate and I was not very happy with the experience.

And then it lasted for 5 hours.

I filed 25-I-NBOH in the "overwhelming" category and abstained from it for almost a year.

Take 2

Yesterday I found some notes I had prepared about my second excursion with 25-I-NBOH. After not thinking about it for a year, I decided to try the experience again but with a lower dosage of 400 micrograms.

The day for this experience was sunny and hot. I was in a happy and optimistic mood.

Administration by a pre-measured paper blotter which I took in the usual way: I brushed my teeth and gums, placed the blotter between cheek and gums for twenty minutes, spit out. I don't swallow the spit or the blotter – very effective to reduce nausea.

After thirty minutes of "spitting the blotter" (T+0:50) the classical effects of a phen start appearing: giddiness, lightness in the extremities, pressure in the temples, random smiling. And energy. Lots of energy that needed to be channelled somewhere productive.

I decided to hit the gym and measure the effects in a more scientific and physically demanding environment than the couch.

By the time I reached the gym (T+1:15) the next obvious effect was a very interesting –I'd even say artistic– shift of the colour perception. It did not affect all colours, only those with high luminosity: bright oranges and bold reds, hot magentas and pinks. Even skin colours looked more saturated.

Subdued browns, greys, blues and greens looked almost exactly the same, but everything had a light violet tinge to it. I wonder if the iodine in 25-I has an effect on the perception of colour – here's a very crude sketch of the colour shift.

Normal vision (left) vs. 25-I-NBOH (right)- saturation is up, with a violet tinge

Hot colours looked almost insolent in their boldness –and in a gym environment there's bold colour everywhere. In shoes, tank tops, shorts and sports equipment. Eye candy. 

Ambient and electronic music were fantastic –but more upbeat tunes were overwhelming and confusing. I did not enjoy dance music or pop under the influence.

I was very pleased with the surroundings in the gym, and started with the testing of the heartbeat rate in a stationary bike. Initially my heartbeat was 10% higher than usual and as I went through the test I noticed that it climbed another 10% –still within limits, but definitely out of order for only five minutes of exertion.

A thought of "...should I stop doing this?" came over me and I could see the heart monitor going up three or four notches  in 30 seconds. It felt like I could control the heartbeat rate.

At that moment I decided to calm down, breathe deeply, relax and stop worrying. I had to think happy thoughts and be calm – to my astonishment, the heart rate went from 120 to 105 in two minutes (while still pedalling at the same speed). I have never seen anything like this, anywhere, and reinforces my initial thought: 25-I-NBOH is a demanding chem. You do not want to force yourself into a high-energy situation.

After another twenty minutes of easy pedalling I finished the exercise, cooled down and went in a cold shower. My heartbeat had stabilised to 15 to 20% above usual, my pupils were huge and I felt fantastic. I was anxious but not paranoid, happy thoughts still in my mind. With that, I left the gym and returned home.

That night I had a scrumptious dinner and after watching TV I went to bed –but I could not manage to sleep. A very common side-effect of phens.

This experience changed my mind about 25-I-NBOH. I have a new respect and even fondness for it. It's a great compound but it's difficult to work with. It needs "eye for the detail" and the right "set and setting" – it can quickly turn into an uncontrollable ride. It seems excellent for a colourful afternoon in a museum, park or even, an outdoor physical experience like a hike.

But I will never, ever drop 25-I-NBOH to go to a rave, a house-party or to a chaotic and unpredictable scene.

I am not in a rush to try it but once a every blue moon. It seems to be stable and keeping well –after a year of buying this batch, stored in a dark, cool drawer, it still seems to be potent.

NBOH and NBOMe series

25-B-NBOH, 25-C-NBOH, 25-I-NBOH
25-B-NBOMe, 25-C-NBOMe

The NBOH and NBOMe series are derived from 2-C substituted phenethylamines and were discovered in the early 2000s. They are cheap to manufacture and distribute due to their ultra-low active doses, in the range of micrograms. There are about a dozen compounds in both families, but I have only tried those at the top of the page.

Any of these chems can seriously hurt you or kill you if misused -there are reports of deaths at 3 - 4 milligrams or so. Which might be five or six blotters. These are not party drugs, and you are in for trouble unless you are experienced and know yourself and your mind very well.

25-I-NBOH, little but packs a punch

As they are all chemically related,  I only will write about their generic characteristics here. Their effects resemble those of their parent 2C compounds but even stronger, and the duration of the trip is comparable. I find that 25-C-NBOH is the most partylike of the lot, whilst 25-I-NBOH is incredibly visual. They are all very sensitive to set and setting, and I would rate them as challenging trips for veterans only.

NBOMe compounds are somewhat stronger than NBOHs, so their dosage should be reduced accordingly.

The most common route of administration is by blotters applied sublingually or to the gum: each square contains a pre-measured dose of the drug and an organic binder that helps the drug travel through the mucous membranes of the mouth. These drugs have a very bitter taste that some people can't stand.

Unfortunately, NBOHs and NBOMes have been passed on as LSD by unscrupulous dealers, with negative consequences. The bitter taste is a giveaway, as LSD lacks any. Another risk is an incorrect distribution of the dose in the blotter, by sloppy fabrication and measuring procedures. It is imperative to start small (quarter of blotter, even) and work the dose up until the right level is reached.

To help absorption of the drug, I usually brush my teeth before applying the blotter to my gums - I leave the blotter for 15 minutes and then spit it out. I've found that swallowing the blotter or saliva precipitates nausea.

Six doses of 25-B-NBOH in blotter form

I've read reports of people diluting the drug in alcohol and using aerosols or micro-pipettes to administer a diluted dose, as well as one report of someone who put a blotter dose into a gel capsule and used the rectal route.

Dose ranges 25-C-NBOH, sublingual, micrograms (ug) (male, 90 Kg)

• Light: 250 to 500 micrograms
• Mid-range: 500 to 1000 (one milligram!)
• Strong: over 1 milligram

Do your research before using any of these compounds, as the dose above is my own dosage. Every psychonaut will react differently depending on a myriad factors and combinations, and no two trips are exactly the same. Caveat Emptor.

All NBOH and NBOMe compounds cause severe cross-tolerance - you will not be able to enjoy the effects of any other drug of the phenethylamine or tryptamine family (including MDMA) for a period of time after an NBOH / NBOME experience.
Some people report this period to be two weeks long, although I find one week is about right for me.