{"id":6174,"date":"2010-03-11T06:56:25","date_gmt":"2010-03-11T06:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/?page_id=6174"},"modified":"2012-03-11T07:19:09","modified_gmt":"2012-03-11T07:19:09","slug":"hallucinogen-addiction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.freedomfrommedom.com\/wp3\/hallucinogen-addiction","title":{"rendered":"Hallucinogens & Dissociative Drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are Hallucinogens?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Hallucinogens, or psychedelics, are drugs that affect a person’s perceptions, sensations, thinking, self-awareness, and emotions by disrupting normal functioning of the serotonin system.\u00a0\u00a0 Hallucinogens include such drugs as LSD, mescaline, psilocybin (mushrooms\/ shrooms), MDMA (ecstasy), and DMT.\u00a0 Some hallucinogens come from natural sources, such as mescaline from the peyote cactus.\u00a0 Others, such as LSD and PCP are synthetic or manufactured.\u00a0 LSD is manufactured from lysergic acid, a compound derived from rye fungus, and is odorless, colorless, and tasteless.\u00a0 In initial form, LSD is crystalline, but can be crushed into powder to produce tablets called \u201cmicrodots\u201d, thin squares of gelatin called \u201c window panes\u201d, and more commonly dissolved into liquid form to be absorbed onto paper cut into small decorated squares called \u201cblotter acid\u201d.\u00a0 Mescaline is usually smoked or swallowed in the form of capsules or tablets.\u00a0 Depending on the type of hallucinogen, effects can begin almost immediately and last somewhere between 30 minutes and 12 hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hallucinogens cause their effects by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord, the serotonin system is involved in the control of behavioral, perceptual, and regulatory systems, including mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception.<\/span><\/p>\n

LSD (an abbreviation for “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide”) is the drug most commonly identified with the term “hallucinogen” and the most widely used in this class of drugs. It is considered the typical hallucinogen, and the characteristics of its action and effects described in this Research Report apply to the other hallucinogens, including mescaline, psilocybin, and ibogaine.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are Dissociative Drugs?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Drugs such as PCP (phencyclidine) and ketamine, which were initially developed as general anesthetics for surgery, distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment – dissociation – from the environment and self. But these mind-altering effects are not hallucinations. PCP and ketamine are therefore more properly known as “dissociative anesthetics.” Dextromethorphan, a widely available cough suppressant, when taken in high doses can produce effects similar to those of PCP and ketamine.<\/span><\/p>\n

The dissociative drugs act by altering distribution of the neurotransmitter glutamate throughout the brain. Glutamate is involved in perception of pain, responses to the environment, and memory. PCP is considered the typical dissociative drug, and the description of PCP’s actions and effects in this Research Report largely applies to ketamine and dextromethorphan as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the warning signs?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The effects of psychedelics are unpredictable.\u00a0 It depends on the amount taken, the user’s personality, mood, expectations, and the surroundings in which the drug is used. \u00a0The physical effects soon after use may include: dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, paranoia, and tremors.\u00a0 Sensations and feelings change, too.\u00a0 The user may feel several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another.\u00a0 The person’s sense of time and self may also change.\u00a0 Sensations may seem to \u201ccross over\u201d, giving the user the feeling of \u201chearing\u201d color and \u201cseeing\u201d sounds.\u00a0 All of these changes can be frightening and cause panic.\u00a0 Hallucinations distort or transform shapes and movements, and users may perceive themselves and others as moving very slowly or changing shapes.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the effects?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Research has shown some changes in the mental functions of heavy users of LSD, but they are not present in all cases.\u00a0 Heavy users sometimes develop signs of organic brain damage, such as impaired memory and attention span, mental confusion, and difficulty with abstract thinking.\u00a0 It is not known whether such mental changes are permanent.\u00a0 Large doses may cause drowsiness, convulsions, and coma.\u00a0 Taking large amounts of PCP can also cause death from repeated convulsions, heart and lung failure, or ruptured blood vessels in the brain.\u00a0 PCP can produce violent or bizarre behavior in people who are not normally that way.\u00a0 This behavior can lead to death from drowning, burns, falls, and automobile accidents.\u00a0 During time of fear, paranoia, or anxiety, users may become more aggressive while others may withdraw and have difficulty communicating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having bad psychological reactions to LSD and similar drugs is common.\u00a0 Users refer to the hallucinogenic experiences as \u201ctrips\u201d and the bad psychological reactions as \u201cbad trips\u201d.\u00a0 The scary sensations may last a few minutes or several hours and be mildly frightening or terrifying.\u00a0 The user may experience panic, confusion, suspiciousness, anxiety, helplessness, and loss of control.\u00a0 Two long-term effects are psychosis and hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD).\u00a0 Some users experience distorted reality and difficulty with communication and rational thinking after the trip has ended.\u00a0 HPPD, more commonly known as \u201cflashbacks\u201d, is where a person experiences a drug’s effects without having to take the drug again.\u00a0 It most commonly consists of visual disturbances, which can be persistent and in some persons remained years after use has stopped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Signs of Hallucinogen Addiction\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Hallucinogens are substances that alter how an individual perceives reality, which may or may not include hallucinations (in other words, the term \u201challucinogen\u201d does not necessarily mean that hallucinations will result).\u00a0 These subjective changes in perception result from changes in sensory experience: how a person sees, feels, hears, smells, tastes, and\/or perceives time or other aspects of reality.\u00a0\u00a0 Both psychedelic and dissociative drugs are considered to be hallucinogens.\u00a0 In the past, some of these substances were originally incorporated into spiritual practices or ritualistic traditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Categories of hallucinogens include Phenethylamine (e.g., MDMA and peyote), Psilocybin Analogs (commonly mushrooms but also available as tablets in some cases), Ibogaine (from an African shrub), Salvia Divinorum (originally from Mexico), Ayahuasca (derived from a plant native to South America). There are a number of hallucinogenic drugs that are illegally used for recreational purposes in the United States, some of the most common include\u00a0PCP\u00a0(phencyclidine),\u00a0Ecstasy\u00a0(MDMA), LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide), Peyote (part of a cactus that contains mescaline), and Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine).\u00a0 For example, in 2008, as many as 4% of high school seniors had tried LSD in their lifetimes.\u00a0 Some signs of hallucinogen abuse and addiction follow.\u00a0 Keep in mind that these symptoms could vary in presence and intensity depending on the substance that is being abused.<\/span><\/p>\n