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Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs

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Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs Long-Term Effects of Hallucinogens See page 5. from the director: Research Report Series Hallucinogens and dissociative drugs— which have street names like acid, angel dust, and vitamin K—distort the way a user perceives time, motion, colors, sounds, and self. These drugs can disrupt a person’s ability to think and communicate rationally, or even to recognize reality, sometimes resulting in bizarre or dangerous behavior. Hallucinogens such as LSD and psilocybin cause emotions to swing wildly and HALLUCINOGENS AND real-world sensations to appear unreal, sometimes frightening. Dissociative drugs like PCP, ketamine, DXM, and Salvia DISSOCIATIVE DRUGS divinorum may make a user feel out of control and disconnected from their body Including LSD, PCP, Ketamine, Psilocybin, and environment. Salvia, Peyote, and Dextromethorphan In addition to their short-term effects on perception and mood, hallucinogenic What Are drugs are associated with psychotic- Hallucinogens and like episodes that can occur long after a person has taken the drug, and Dissociative Drugs? dissociative drugs can cause respiratory depression, heart rate abnormalities, and allucinogens are a class of drugs that cause hallucinations—profound a withdrawal syndrome. The good news is distortions in a person’s perceptions of reality. Hallucinogens can be found in that use of hallucinogenic and dissociative Hsome plants and mushrooms (or their extracts) or can be man-made, and they drugs among U.S. high school students, are commonly divided into two broad categories: classic hallucinogens (such as LSD) in general, has remained relatively low in and dissociative drugs (such as PCP). When under the influence of either type of drug, recent years. However, the introduction people often report experiencing rapid, intense emotional swings and seeing images, of new hallucinogenic/dissociative drugs, hearing sounds, and feeling sensations that seem real but are not. such as salvia, is of particular concern. In While the exact mechanisms by which hallucinogens and dissociative drugs cause their fact, salvia is currently the most widely effects are not yet clearly understood, research suggests that they work at least partially used drug in this class. by temporarily disrupting communication between neurotransmitter systems throughout the brain and spinal cord that regulate mood, sensory perception, sleep, hunger, body NIDA research is developing a clearer picture of the dangers of hallucinogenic temperature, sexual behavior, and muscle control. and dissociative drugs. We have compiled the scientific information in this report to inform readers and hopefully prevent the use of these drugs. Nora D. Volkow, M.D. Director Psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, and Salvia divinorum are commonly used hallucinogenic and dissociative compounds National Institute on Drug Abuse continued inside U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | National Institutes of Health Common Hallucinogens and Research Report Series Dissociative Drugs Classic Hallucinogens* cultures from Mexico and Central or compressed into pills for illicit use. America. Psilocybin can either be Because ketamine is odorless and LSD (d-lysergic acid dried or fresh and eaten raw, mixed tasteless and has amnesia-inducing diethylamide)—also with food, or brewed into a tea, and properties, it is sometimes added to known as acid, produces similar effects to LSD. drinks to facilitate sexual assault. blotter, doses, hits, microdots, sugar Dissociative Drugs DXM cubes, trips, tabs, (Dextromethorphan)— or window panes—is one of the PCP also known as most potent mood- and perception- (Phencyclidine)— robo—is a cough altering hallucinogenic drugs. It is a also known as suppressant and clear or white, odorless, water-soluble ozone, rocket fuel, expectorant ingredient material synthesized from lysergic love boat, hog, in some over-the-counter (OTC) cold acid, a compound derived from a rye embalming fluid, or and cough medications that are often fungus. LSD is initially produced in superweed—was originally developed abused by adolescents and young crystalline form, which can then be in the 1950s as a general anesthetic adults. The most common sources of used to produce tablets known as for surgery. While it can be found abused DXM are “extra-strength” “microdots” or thin squares of gelatin in a variety of forms, including cough syrup, which typically contains called “window panes.” It can also tablets or capsules, it is usually sold around 15 milligrams of DXM per be diluted with water or alcohol and as a liquid or powder. PCP can teaspoon, and pills and gel capsules, sold in liquid form. The most common be snorted, smoked, injected, or which typically contain 15 milligrams form, however, is LSD-soaked paper swallowed. It is sometimes smoked of DXM per pill. OTC medications punched into small individual squares, after being sprinkled on marijuana, that contain DXM often also contain known as “blotters.” tobacco, or parsley. antihistamines and decongestants. Psilocybin Ketamine—also Salvia divinorum— (4-phosphoryloxy- known as K, also known as N,N-dimethy- Special K, or diviner’s sage, Maria ltryptamine)—also cat Valium—is Pastora, Sally-D, known as magic a dissociative or magic mint—is a mushrooms, shrooms, currently used as psychoactive plant boomers, or little smoke—is extracted an anesthetic for humans as well as common to Southern Mexico and animals. Much of the ketamine sold from certain types of mushrooms Central and South America. Salvia on the street has been diverted from found in tropical and subtropical divinorum (salvia) is typically ingested regions of South America, Mexico, veterinary offices. Although it is by chewing fresh leaves or by drinking and the United States. In the past, manufactured as an injectable liquid, their extracted juices. The dried leaves psilocybin was ingested during ketamine is generally evaporated of salvia can also be smoked or religious ceremonies by indigenous to form a powder that is snorted vaporized and inhaled. *In this report, the term “hallucinogen” will refer to the classic hallucinogenic drugs LSD and Psilocybin. 2 NIDA Research Report Series Street Names for Select Hallucinogenic and Dissociative Drugs LSD Ketamine PCP • acid • vitamin K • angel/angel dust • blotter • bump • boat/love boat • dots • green • peace • sugar • K/Special K • killer weed • trips • purple • super grass • window pane • super acid • ozone How Widespread Is the Abuse of Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs? According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 180,000 Americans aged 12 and older reported current (past- month) use of LSD and 32,000 reported current use of PCP.1 New hallucinogenic/dissociative drugs have also emerged on the scene in recent years. Salvia, historically used by indigenous tribes of Southern Mexico during religious rituals, has replaced LSD and PCP as the most commonly used hallucinogenic drug. In fact, past-year use of salvia among the nation’s 12th-grade students is While regular use of hallucinogenic and dissociative drugs in general has more than 1.5 times that of LSD (3.4 remained relatively low in recent years, a recent study reported that the United percent versus 2.2 percent) and almost States ranks first among 36 nations in the proportion of high school students 5 times that of PCP (3.4 percent ever using LSD or other hallucinogens in their lifetime (6 percent versus 2 versus 0.7 percent).2 percent in Europe).3 Why Do People Take Hallucinogenic or Dissociative Drugs? Hallucinogenic and dissociative drugs have been used for a variety of reasons.4,5 Historically, hallucinogenic plants have been used for religious rituals to induce states of detachment from reality and precipitate “visions” thought to provide mystical insight or enable contact with a spirit world or “higher power.” More recently, people report using hallucinogenic drugs for more social or recreational purposes, including to have fun, help them deal with stress, or enable them to enter into what they perceive as a more enlightened sense of thinking or being. Hallucinogens have also been investigated as therapeutic agents to treat diseases associated with perceptual distortions, such as schizophrenia, obsessive- compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and dementia. NIDA Research Report Series 3 How Do Hallucinogens (LSD and Psilocybin) Affect the Brain and Body? How Do Hallucinogens Work? Classic hallucinogens are thought to produce their perception-altering effects by acting on neural circuits in the brain that use the neurotransmitter serotonin.6-9 Specifically, some of their most prominent effects occur in the prefrontal cortex—an area involved in mood, cognition, and perception—as well as other regions important in regulating arousal and physiological responses to stress and panic. What are the Short- trips, however, include terrifying Term Effects of thoughts and nightmarish feelings of Hallucinogens? anxiety and despair that include fears of losing control, insanity, or death. Ingesting hallucinogenic drugs Specific short-term effects of LSD and can cause users to see images, hear psilocybin include: sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Their LSD effects typically begin within 20 to • Increased blood pressure, heart rate, 90 minutes of ingestion and can last and body temperature as long as 12 hours. Experiences are • Dizziness and sleeplessness often unpredictable and may vary with the amount ingested and the • Loss of appetite, dry mouth, user’s personality, mood, expectations,
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