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98 «© CONCEPTION AND BIRTH also built up before later sessions in a way that didn't for those who got the high dose out of the way on an earlier day. While the randomized order in which all volunteers received their full complement of doses probably sta- tistically "evened out" this factor, at a human level there was a price to pay. I also addressed how we would manage psychological and physical adverse effects. The first line of response to a panic reaction would be talking people down using reassurance and support. If this didn't work, we would use a minor tranquilizer, such as injectable Valium; we would use a injection of a major tranquilizer, like Thorazine, if anyone got com- pletely out of control. For allergic reactions, such as wheezing or a severe rash, an intravenous antihistamine was available. If blood pressure went up too high, nitroglycerin tablets under the tongue, much like the way people with angina heart pain use them, would be effective. I attached a list of several dozen references supporting the ideas I had laid out. These included papers from the first wave of human psyche- delic research. There were articles describing what we knew about psychedelics' effects on animals and on serotonin receptors. Anticipating concerns about safety, I pointed to my previously published review of adverse effects of psychedelics. In it, I suggested that if people were men- tally healthy, well prepared, and closely supervised before, during, and after the experience, the chances of serious and prolonged psychiatric side effects were extremely low. Copies of the proposal went to all the boards that had control over human drug abuse research, including the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of New Mexico, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The study would occur at the University of New Mexico Hospital's General Clinical Research Cen- ter, so I sent a copy of the proposal there as well. The Research Center might cover the costs of measuring the large number of blood samples for DMT and hormone levels, so I also submitted a budget to their laboratory. Now for the hard part: Getting everyone responsible for overseeing and funding this project to agree it was safe, was worth doing, and de- served money.