Hallucinogens

Some of the more common hallucinogens include:

Are Hallucinogens Addictive?

Most hallucinogens are classified by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) [3] as Schedule I controlled substances, meaning they have no known medicinal uses and have a high potential for abuse and physical or psychological dependence. Ketamine is a Schedule III drug and PCP is a Schedule II, due to their previous medical uses, but they are serious drugs of concern nonetheless.

Many people equate the term drug addiction with the experience of withdrawal symptoms, even though the two are separate issues. Hallucinogen users don’t tend to experience withdrawal symptoms with the cessation of use, due to the fact that these drugs don’t have a high potential for physical dependence. And although hallucinogens aren’t classically addictive, individuals can still suffer from problematic use that impairs their daily lives.

The American Psychiatric Association lists specific diagnostic criteria for a hallucinogen use disorder, which encompasses both hallucinogen abuse and negative consequences of use. Individuals who use these substances for non-medicinal purposes, have issues controlling their use, and experience negative consequences as a result of their use may be diagnosed with a hallucinogen use disorder or phencyclidine (PCP) use disorder in the case of PCP use.

Hallucinogens Effects 

Hallucinogenic drugs can have many dangerous effects for which users are often not prepared. Because these drugs highly affect the brain and the body, many dangerous incidents and conditions can occur as a result of abusing them. Here are some of the most dangerous aspects of hallucinogenic drugs.

Sensory Effects 

Sensory effects include perceptual distortions that vary with dose, setting, and mood. Psychic effects include distortions of thought associated with time and space. Time may appear to stand still, and forms and LSD powder and capsules colors seem to change and take on new significance. Weeks or even months after some hallucinogens have been taken, the user may develop an uncommon disorder called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) or experience “flashbacks.” 

HPPD can include fragmentary recurrences of certain aspects of the drug experience in the absence of actually taking the drug. The occurrence of HPPD is unpredictable, but maybe more likely to occur during times of stress and seems to occur more frequently in younger individuals. 

Physical Effects 

Hallucinogenic drugs also put individuals in physical danger as well, although it does not lead to death as often as behavioral issues. Certain hallucinogens have different physical effects on the body, many of which can be highly dangerous.

In addition to the effect of dose, the combination of alcohol (and/or other drugs) with hallucinogens increases the possibility of unpredictable and unpleasant physical effects of a hallucinogenic experience.

Short Term Effects of Hallucinogens 

Classic Hallucinogens Short-Term Effects

Classic hallucinogens can cause users to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. The effects generally begin within 20 to 90 minutes and can last as long as twelve hours in some cases (LSD) or as short as 15 minutes in others (synthetic DMT). Hallucinogen users refer to the experiences brought on by these drugs as “trips.” If the experience is unpleasant, users sometimes call it a “bad trip.”

Along with hallucinations, other short-term general effects include:

Specific short-term effects of some hallucinogens include:

Dissociative Drugs Short-Term Effects

Dissociative drug effects can appear within a few minutes and can last several hours in some cases; some users report experiencing drug effects for days.

Effects depend on how much is used. In low and moderate doses, dissociative drugs can cause:

How does it Make You Feel? 

Classic hallucinogens affect serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that helps control functions such as behavior, mood, and perception. Hallucinogenic drugs create most of the same physical effects as stimulant drugs, such as increased heart rate, dilated pupils, increased blood pressure, and sleeplessness. Classic hallucinogens can cause users to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. The effects generally begin within 20 to 90 minutes and can last as long as 12 hours in some cases (LSD) or as short as 15 minutes in others (synthetic DMT).

People who use hallucinogens refer to their experiences with the drugs as “trips.” They call an experience that causes positive effects, such as happiness, heightened awareness, and abstract thinking, a good trip.

Unpleasant side effects, such as anxiety, paranoia, and panic, can lead to a bad trip. Bad trips are characterized by terrifying thoughts, loss of control, and insanity. Ketamine can cause an exceptionally bad trip called a k-hole. People who have experienced a k-hole say they felt like their consciousness disassociated from their body.

Some LSD users experience devastating psychological effects that persist after the trip has ended, producing a long-lasting psychotic-like state. This may limit their capacity to recognize reality, think rationally, or communicate with others. LSD-induced persistent psychosis may include dramatic mood swings from mania to profound depression, vivid visual disturbances, and hallucinations. In rare cases, the effects may last for years.

Types of Hallucinogens 

Some of the more common hallucinogens include:

Ayahuasca

Sometimes called hoasca, aya, and yage, ayahuasca is brewed from plants containing DMT along with an Amazonian vine that prevents the normal breakdown of DMT in the digestive system. It is usually consumed like tea.

DMT

Dimethyltryptamine, also known as Dimitri, is a natural chemical found in some Amazonian plant species, but it can also be chemically synthesized. It usually comes as a white, crystalline powder that is vaporized or smoked in a pipe or bong.

LSD

D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a manmade chemical made from ergot, a fungus that grows on certain grains. It is probably the most powerful hallucinogen available, producing hallucinations, changes in reality’s perception, and altered moods.

It comes as a white powder or clear liquid and has no color or smell. It can come in capsules, but most often comes on small squares of blotter paper or gelatin that users place on the tongue or swallow to take a “trip.”

Mescaline

A natural substance found as the main ingredient in the peyote cactus. The top of the spineless peyote cactus plants has disc-shaped “buttons” that contain mescaline. The buttons are dried out and then either chewed or soaked in liquid to produce an intoxicating drink. Mescaline can also be made through chemical synthesis.

PCP

PCP is a dangerous manmade substance that was originally developed as an anesthetic but was discontinued for human use in 1965 due to side effects. It is now an illegal street drug sold as a white powder or in liquid form. It can be snorted, injected, smoked, or swallowed.

It produces hallucinations and “out-of-body” sensations. Usage, especially in large doses, can be life-threatening and lead to serious mental health problems.

Psilocybin

A natural substance that is found in hallucinogenic mushrooms that contain psilocybin and psilocin. In large enough doses, psilocybin can produce effects very similar to the powerful hallucinogen LSD. “Shrooms” as they are sometimes called can be used either fresh or dried. They are normally eaten, mixed with food, or brewed like tea for drinking.

Hallucinogenic Herbs

A new trend among users of new psychoactive substances is the consumption of “herbal highs”: plant parts containing psychoactive substances. Most of the substances extracted from herbs, in the old centuries were at the center of religious ceremonies of ancient civilizations. Currently, these herbal products are mainly sold by internet websites and easily obtained since some of them have no legal restrictions [4].

Unfortunately, at the moment there are no data about the number of persons consuming herbal highs nor about the relevance of consumption on the online market or in the dark market just because information, diffusion, and selling are made anonymously, by web forums and mainly by dark internet.

Most of the “herbal highs” have been well known in the past centuries and used as sacred substances in traditional rites or as medicines by different ancient cultures. Actually, herbal highs are perceived as safe products since, as above reported, they are “natural” and “biologic”.

Hallucinogenic Alcohol 

For a long time, it was considered common knowledge that absinthe could produce hallucinogenic visions coupled with extraordinary drunkenness. Despite evidence to the contrary, many drinkers still hold onto the misconception that absinthe is hallucinogenic. 

Absinthe is a strong spirit created when neutral alcohol is distilled with botanicals like anise, wormwood, fennel, and other herbs and spices for a licorice-like flavor. There are two main styles of absinthe, Swiss/French and Czech/Bohemian.

Absinthe is not a hallucinogen rather its alcohol content and herbal flavor set it apart from other liquors. The chemical that’s taken all the blame for absinthe’s hallucinogenic reputation is called thujone, which is a component of wormwood. In very high doses, thujone can be toxic.

Absinthe is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and, until recently, was completely banned in the U.S. and most of Europe. This is because absinthe contains thujone, a toxic chemical found in several edible plants, including tarragon, sage, and wormwood.

Legal Hallucinogen 

Most hallucinogens are not legal. There are a few legal hallucinogens, but they can be problematic. So-called “legal highs” are actually the source of many emergency room visits. Furthermore, due in part to the fact that they are easier to procure, people are more likely to abuse legal hallucinogens. Substance abuse problems may then develop. There are, however, a few hallucinogenic drugs that are legal within the United States. They remain legal for their medicinal values and include: