If you’ve ever taken shrooms, you know the experience doesn’t fit neatly into a box. People try to label substances as “uppers” or “downers,” but shrooms don’t play by those rules. They aren’t like caffeine or nicotine, and they aren’t like alcohol or benzodiazepines either. Psilocybin has its own lane.
I’ve had trips where I felt energized and curious, and others where I wanted nothing more than to curl up under a blanket and think about life. The truth is shrooms can act a little like both, depending on the dose, your mindset, and what’s going on around you.
First Things First: What Do “Upper” and “Downer” Even Mean?
Uppers (stimulants) boost energy, alertness, and mood. Think caffeine, amphetamines, or cocaine.
Downers (depressants) slow the body down and relax you. Think alcohol, Xanax, or sleeping pills.
Shrooms don’t land cleanly in either category because they’re psychedelics. They change perception, mood, and thought patterns through serotonin, not through stimulation or sedation.
How Shrooms Work in the Brain
Psilocybin turns into psilocin in your system, and psilocin activates serotonin receptors, especially 5-HT2A. These receptors are tied to mood, sensory processing, and awareness. This is why shrooms change how you feel and think, instead of simply speeding you up or slowing you down.
“Psilocybin modulates serotonin pathways that regulate both emotional arousal and calmness, creating effects that do not fit standard stimulant or depressant categories,” ScienceDirect.
So instead of calling them uppers or downers, scientists call them serotonergic psychedelics.
When Shrooms Feel Like an Upper
At the beginning of a trip, a lot of people feel energized or stimulated. Colors look brighter, music sounds alive, and everything seems interesting. You might laugh, talk more, or have a burst of curiosity.
This “upper-like” feeling comes from the heightened sensory processing and emotional arousal psilocybin creates.
It’s common to feel:
- Light, buzzy energy in the body
- Sharper awareness
- Strong motivation to explore or talk
- Emotional excitement
Some describe the early part of a trip as mentally “awake” in a way they’ve never felt before.
When Shrooms Feel Like a Downer
Later in the trip, things often shift. Your body relaxes. Your thoughts turn inward. You might lie down, close your eyes, or get wrapped up in calm emotions.
“Psilocybin’s antidepressant actions involve enhanced emotional calm and reduced rigid negative thinking,” Neuroscience News.
As the trip softens, many people feel a deep sense of peace and comfort. This can feel like a gentle downer.
It’s normal to experience:
- Heavy limbs
- Slow, calm breathing
- Quiet reflection
- A peaceful or dreamy mindset
The comedown, especially, can feel soothing and grounding.
So… Which One Is It?
Honestly? It’s neither. Shrooms aren’t an upper or a downer. They’re a psychedelic that can swing both ways depending on your mind, dose, and environment.
Here’s the simplest way to think about it:
- Early trip: can feel like an upper
- Peak: psychedelic and emotional
- Comedown: can feel like a downer
Shrooms don’t push your body up or down. They shift the quality of your experience.
The Real Reason They Don’t Fit the Labels
Those classic labels come from how drugs affect the nervous system. Stimulants and depressants work through dopamine or GABA. Psilocybin works almost entirely through serotonin.
“Psilocybin’s primary pharmacological action is through serotonergic signaling, producing altered perception and mood rather than sedation or stimulation,” ScienceDirect.
So shrooms sit in the “psychedelic” category for a reason.
Quick Takeaway
Shrooms aren’t uppers or downers, they’re psychedelics. They can feel energizing, calming, emotional, or introspective depending on the moment. It’s less about pushing your body in one direction and more about shifting how you experience the world.
If you ever take them, the vibe you bring into the trip matters more than the label.
Sources
Clinical and preclinical evidence of psilocybin as antidepressant – 2025 – ScienceDirect
Neurobiological mechanisms of antidepressant properties of psilocybin – 2025 – ScienceDirect
How Psilocybin Lifts Mood Without the Hallucinogenic Trip – 2025 – Neuroscience News
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