Hallucinogens - LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP Hallucinogenic compounds found in some • Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N- plants and mushrooms (or their extracts) dimethyltryptamine) is obtained from have been used—mostly during religious certain types of mushrooms that are rituals—for centuries. Almost all indigenous to tropical and subtropical hallucinogens contain nitrogen and are regions of South America, Mexico, and classified as alkaloids. Many hallucinogens the United States. These mushrooms have chemical structures similar to those of typically contain less than 0.5 percent natural neurotransmitters (e.g., psilocybin plus trace amounts of acetylcholine-, serotonin-, or catecholamine- psilocin, another hallucinogenic like). While the exact mechanisms by which substance. hallucinogens exert their effects remain • PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in unclear, research suggests that these drugs the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. work, at least partially, by temporarily Its use has since been discontinued due interfering with neurotransmitter action or to serious adverse effects. by binding to their receptor sites. This DrugFacts will discuss four common types of How Are Hallucinogens Abused? hallucinogens: The very same characteristics that led to • LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) is the incorporation of hallucinogens into one of the most potent mood-changing ritualistic or spiritual traditions have also chemicals. It was discovered in 1938 led to their propagation as drugs of abuse. and is manufactured from lysergic acid, Importantly, and unlike most other drugs, which is found in ergot, a fungus that the effects of hallucinogens are highly grows on rye and other grains. variable and unreliable, producing different • Peyote is a small, spineless cactus in effects in different people at different times. which the principal active ingredient is This is mainly due to the significant mescaline. This plant has been used by variations in amount and composition of natives in northern Mexico and the active compounds, particularly in the southwestern United States as a part of hallucinogens derived from plants and religious ceremonies. Mescaline can also mushrooms. Because of their unpredictable be produced through chemical nature, the use of hallucinogens can be synthesis. particularly dangerous. Hallucinogens • December 2014 • Page 1 and by what route PCP is taken, its • LSD is sold in tablets, capsules, and, effects can last approximately 4–6 occasionally, liquid form; thus, it is hours. usually taken orally. LSD is often added to absorbent paper, which is How Do Hallucinogens Affect the Brain? then divided into decorated pieces, each equivalent to one dose. The LSD, peyote, psilocybin, and PCP are drugs experiences, often referred to as that cause hallucinations, which are “trips,” are long; typically, they end profound distortions in a person’s after about 12 hours. perception of reality. Under the influence of • Peyote: The top of the peyote cactus, hallucinogens, people see images, hear also referred to as the crown, consists sounds, and feel sensations that seem real of disc-shaped buttons that are cut but are not. Some hallucinogens also from the roots and dried. These produce rapid, intense emotional swings. buttons are generally chewed or LSD, peyote, and psilocybin cause their soaked in water to produce an effects by initially disrupting the interaction intoxicating liquid. The hallucinogenic of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter dose of mescaline is about 0.3 to 0.5 serotonin.1 Distributed throughout the grams, and its effects last about 12 brain and spinal cord, the serotonin system hours. Because the extract is so bitter, is involved in the control of behavioral, some individuals prefer to prepare a perceptual, and regulatory systems, tea by boiling the cacti for several including mood, hunger, body temperature, hours. sexual behavior, muscle control, and • Psilocybin: Mushrooms containing sensory perception. On the other hand, PCP psilocybin are available fresh or dried acts mainly through a type of glutamate and are typically taken orally. receptor in the brain that is important for Psilocybin (4-phosphoryloxy-N,N- the perception of pain, responses to the dimethyltryptamine) and its environment, and learning and memory. biologically active form, psilocin (4- hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), There have been no properly controlled cannot be inactivated by cooking or research studies on the specific effects of freezing preparations. Thus, they may these drugs on the human brain, but also be brewed as a tea or added to smaller studies and several case reports other foods to mask their bitter flavor. have been published documenting some of The effects of psilocybin, which appear the effects associated with the use of within 20 minutes of ingestion, last hallucinogens. approximately 6 hours. • PCP is a white crystalline powder that LSD: Sensations and feelings change much is readily soluble in water or alcohol. more dramatically than the physical signs It has a distinctive bitter chemical in people under the influence of LSD. The taste. PCP can be mixed easily with user may feel several different emotions at dyes and is often sold on the illicit once or swing rapidly from one emotion to drug market in a variety of tablet, another. If taken in large enough doses, the capsule, and colored powder forms drug produces delusions and visual that are normally snorted, smoked, or hallucinations. The user’s sense of time and orally ingested. For smoking, PCP is self is altered. Experiences may seem to often applied to a leafy material such “cross over” different senses, giving the as mint, parsley, oregano, or user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing marijuana. Depending upon how much sounds. These changes can be frightening Hallucinogens • December 2014 • Page 2 and can cause panic. Some LSD users reflexes, behavior, and perception.3 The experience severe, terrifying thoughts and psychological consequences of psilocybin feelings of despair, fear of losing control, or use include hallucinations, an altered fear of insanity and death while using LSD. perception of time, and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. Panic reactions LSD users can also experience flashbacks, and psychosis also may occur, particularly or recurrences of certain aspects of the if a user ingests a large dose. Long-term drug experience. Flashbacks occur effects such as flashbacks, risk of suddenly, often without warning, and may psychiatric illness, impaired memory, and do so within a few days or more than a year tolerance have been described in case after LSD use. In some individuals, the reports. flashbacks can persist and cause significant distress or impairment in social or PCP: The use of PCP as an approved occupational functioning, a condition anesthetic in humans was discontinued in known as hallucinogen-induced persisting 1965 because patients often became perceptual disorder (HPPD). agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. PCP Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or is a “dissociative drug,” meaning that it stop its use over time. LSD is not considered distorts perceptions of sight and sound and an addictive drug since it does not produce produces feelings of detachment compulsive drug-seeking behavior. (dissociation) from the environment and However, LSD does produce tolerance, so self. First introduced as a street drug in the some users who take the drug repeatedly 1960s, PCP quickly gained a reputation as a must take progressively higher doses to drug that could cause bad reactions and achieve the state of intoxication that they was not worth the risk. However, some had previously achieved. This is an abusers continue to use PCP due to the extremely dangerous practice, given the feelings of strength, power, and unpredictability of the drug. In addition, invulnerability as well as a numbing effect cross-tolerance between LSD and other on the mind that PCP can induce. Among hallucinogens has been reported. the adverse psychological effects reported are— Peyote: The long-term residual • Symptoms that mimic schizophrenia, psychological and cognitive effects of such as delusions, hallucinations, mescaline, peyote’s principal active paranoia, disordered thinking, and a ingredient, remain poorly understood. A sensation of distance from one’s recent study found no evidence of environment. psychological or cognitive deficits among • Mood disturbances: Approximately 50 Native Americans that use peyote regularly percent of individuals brought to in a religious setting.2 It should be emergency rooms because of PCP- mentioned, however, that these findings induced problems—related to use may not generalize to those who repeatedly within the past 48 hours—report abuse the drug for recreational purposes. significant elevations in anxiety Peyote abusers may also experience symptoms.4 flashbacks. • People who have abused PCP for long periods of time have reported memory Psilocybin: The active compounds in loss, difficulties with speech and psilocybin-containing “magic” mushrooms thinking, depression, and weight loss. have LSD-like properties and produce These symptoms can persist up to one alterations of autonomic function, motor year after stopping PCP abuse. Hallucinogens • December 2014 • Page 3 • Addiction: PCP is addictive—its At high doses, blood pressure, pulse repeated abuse can lead to craving and rate, and respiration drop. This may be compulsive PCP-seeking behavior, accompanied