Hallucinogens
Fact Sheet
12/3/2011
Physiological Complications in Psychopharmacology
Missy Beckwith
Hallucinogens Fact Sheet
What are Hallucinogens ?
Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations - profound distortions in a person's perceptions
of reality. Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel
sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense
emotional swings. (1) The biochemical,
pharmacological, and physiological basis for
hallucinogenic activity is not well understood.
Even the name for this class of drugs is not ideal,
since hallucinogens do not always produce
hallucinations. (6)
LSD (an abbreviation of the German words 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
apply to the other hallucinogens, including mescaline, psilocybin, and ibogaine. (1)
What are some Types of Hallucinogens?

LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It
was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a
fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

Peyote is a small, spineless cactus in which the principal active ingredient is mescaline. This
plant has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part
of religious ceremonies. Mescaline can also be produced through chemical synthesis.

Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine) is obtained from certain types of
mushrooms that are indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mexico,
and the United States. These mushrooms typically contain less than 0.5 percent psilocybin plus
trace amounts of psilocin, another hallucinogenic substance.

PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Its use has
since been discontinued due to serious adverse effects. (4)
MDMA, an amphetamine, called ecstasy
Ketamine
DXM (dextromethorphan, found in cough medicines) (5)
Dissociatives
Dissociatives are a type of hallucinogen that work by creating
DXM is commonly an active
ingredient in cough syrup and
liquid capsules. Since most
cough medications also
contain acetaminophen,
prolonged consumption can
result in liver damage.
sensory deprivation in the brain so that the mind creates its own
perceptions without the interference of actual external stimuli. Examples of dissociatives include
PCP, DXM, magic mushrooms and ketamine or Special K as it is often referred to on the streets.
Psychedelics
Psychedelic drugs alter the way you perceive the world around you and
are said to expand the mind-that is, turn off your brain's selective
Peyote cactus.
perception function and allow you to perceive everything around you. Examples include LSD,
mescaline and peyote.
Deliriants
Unlike the two aforementioned types of hallucinogens, deliriants are actual hallucinogens in that
they produce completely false perceptions that aren't based in reality. Examples include
mandrake, deadly nightshade (commonly known as Atropa belladonna) and some medications
like Benadryl and Dramamine when taken in high doses. (2)
What are some Street Names for Various Hallucinogens?
Some of the street names are: “acid”, “mushrooms”, “fry”, blotter”, “trip”, “shrooms”, “LSD,”,
“special K”, “hits”, “doses”, “cubes,” “STP,” “DMT,” “Mesc,”, “PCP,” “Angel dust”, "Magic
Mushrooms", "Angel Dust", "Boat", "Ozone", "Wack", "E", "X" and "XTC"
just to name a few. (3) Here is a link to more names of hallucinogens and/or terms used for
those who use them and brief meanings of them. http://slangterms.addictions.org/index/Hallucinogens
What are Some General Effects of Hallucinagenics?
PHYSICAL EFFECTS:
· Increased blood pressure, and heart rate
· Increased body temperature
· Dizziness
· Mydriasis
· Sweating
EMOTIONAL EFFECTS:
· Illusion :mistaken perception of real
stimuli
· Delusion: irrational thinking
· Confusion
· Disassociative reactions
· Acute panic
· Flash backs
BAD “TRIP”
· Acute anxiety
· Fear over loss of control
· Paranoia
· Delusions of grandeur leading to selfdestructive behaviors.(3)
MENTAL EFFECTS:
· Sensory distortions
· Depersonalization, dreamlessness
· Altered mood
· Impaired concentration and motivation
· Loss of judgment, slowed reaction time.
What are the Neurological (Brain) Effects of Hallucinogen
Abuse?
LSD, peyote, psilocybin, and PCP are drugs that cause hallucinations, which are profound
distortions in a person’s perception of reality. Under the
influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear
sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but are not.
Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense
emotional swings. LSD, peyote, and psilocybin cause
their effects by initially 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. On the other hand, PCP acts mainly through a type of glutamate receptor in the brain
that is important for the perception of pain, responses to the environment, and learning and
memory. (4) Dissociatives definitely cause brain damage if used heavily.
One sub-anaesthetic "line dose" of ketamine, an equivalent dose of PCP, or a third plateau DXM
dose, is probably at least as damaging to your brain as a few day "bender" on hard liquor, and
possibly more so because it affects specific areas of the brain.
The risk of brain damage is worse the longer you stay high at any given time; constant moderatedose use is probably just as damaging as a brief, high-dose use.
Reaching the anaesthetic level is exceedingly hard on your brain.
Ketamine is probably the least harmful, PCP the most, and DXM somewhere in the middle, but
this is a rough guesstimate. (7)
What are the Physiological Effects from Hallucinogen Abuse?
Physiological effects include elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and dilated pupils. (6)
A person on LSD may experience physiological effects, including raised blood pressure and
heart rate, dizziness, loss of appetite, dry mouth, sweating and tremors; but the drug's major
effects are emotional and sensory. (5)
What are the Psychedelic Effects of Hallucinogen Abuse?
Psychic effects include disorders of thought associated with time and space. Time may appear to
stand still and forms and colors seem to change and
take on new significance. This experience may be
either pleasurable or extremely frightening. It needs
to be stressed that the effects of hallucinogens are
unpredictable each time they are used. (6) The user's
emotions may shift rapidly from fear to euphoria, with transitions so rapid that the user may feel
several things simultaneously, including panic and extreme terror. Panic and terror can lead a
user to run across a busy street. (5)
What are Short and Long Term Health Risks of the Abuse of
Hallucinogens?
LSD users quickly develop a high degree of tolerance for the drug's effects: Larger doses become
needed as usage increases. LSD use also produces tolerance for other hallucinogenic drugs such
as psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) and mescaline, but not to drugs such as marijuana,
amphetamines and PCP, which do not act directly on the serotonin receptors affected by LSD.
Tolerance for LSD is short-lived it is lost if the user stops taking the drug for several days. There
is no evidence that LSD produces physical withdrawal symptoms when chronic use is stopped.
Long-term use of dissociative anesthetics such as PCP and Ketamine (and possibly DXM) has
been suspected to cause Olney's lesions (small holes or vacuoles that had formed in regions of
the cortex due to the high doses of the drug. These holes constituted permanent brain damage ).
(5) In addition to brain damage, these drugs can also trigger psychosis, limbic seizures, temporal
lability, depression, and other neurological and psychological diseases much more frequently
than other types of drugs. The dissociatives can be highly addictive to a minority of users. In
comparison, the marijuana and the serotonergic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin mushrooms,
peyote, DMT) are many times safer.(7)
The most common long-term effect of hallucinogen use is the “flashback”. Flashbacks are a reexperience of the drug and can occur days, weeks, months and even years later. Flashbacks can
be triggered by the use of other drugs, or by stress, fatigue or physical exercise. The flashback
experience can range from being pleasant to causing severe feelings of anxiety. They are usually
visual and last for a minute or two. (9)
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Hallucinogen Abuse?
Abuse of hallucinogens causes the following general signs and
symptoms:
* Pupil dilation (extreme).
* Skin is warm and clammy to the touch.
* Excessive perspiration.
* Unnatural body odor.
* Disturbance of all the senses including sight, hearing and touch.
* Distortion of self image,
* Warped perception of the passage of time.
* Mood swings and behavior changes.
* Repeated and unpredictable flashbacks. (8)
More precise signs and symptoms :
From LSD are : Greatly impaired perception of reality, for example, interpreting input from one
of your senses as another, such as hearing colors
Permanent mental changes in perception , Rapid heart rate
High blood pressure, Tremors
Flashbacks, a re-experience of the hallucinations — even years later
Signs and symptoms of PCP use include: Hallucinations, Euphoria, Delusions
Sweating and flushing, Disorientation and incoordination , Paranoia
Drooling, nausea or vomiting , Suicidal thoughts
Signs and symptoms of ketamine use include:
Increased heart rate, Nausea and vomiting, and Numbness
What are Treatment Options for Hallucinogen Abuse?
Treatment for alkaloid hallucinogen (such as psilocybin) intoxication—which is mostly
symptomatic—is often sought as a result of bad “trips,” during which a patient may, for example,
hurt him- or herself. Treatment is usually supportive: provision of a quiet room with little
sensory stimulation. Occasionally, benzodiazepines are used to control extreme agitation or
seizures.
There is very little published data on treatment outcomes for PCP intoxication. Doctors should
consider that acute adverse reactions may be the result of drug synergy with alcohol. Current
research efforts to manage a life-threatening PCP overdose are focused on a passive
immunization approach through the development of anti-PCP antibodies. There are no specific
treatments for PCP abuse and addiction, but inpatient and/or behavioral treatments can be helpful
for patients with a variety of addictions, including that to PCP. (4)
References
(1) http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/lsd/f/lsd_faq01.htm
(2) http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/drug-types/types-of-hallucinogens.htm
(3) http://www.newdirectionsprogram.com/hallucinogens.html
(4) http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/hallucinogens.html
(5) http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/hallucinogens
(6) http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/hallucinogens.html
(7) http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dxm/dxm_health1.shtml#I
(8) http://addictions.org/lsd.htm
(9) http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/drug-facts/hallucinogens#effects
(10) http://www.drojnet.eu/sustancias/oen/alucinogenos/q.html