Get the Facts

* What are hallucinogens? * Hallucinogens are a group of drugs that work on the brain to affect the senses and cause hallucinations - seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting or touching things that do not exist. Hallucinogens are sometimes called psychedelic drugs, trips, magic mushrooms, LSD or acid. * Forms of hallucinogens? * Some hallucinogens occur naturally in trees, vines, seeds, fungi (eg psilocybin or magic mushrooms) and leaves. Others are made in laboratories by mixing different chemical substances (trips, LSD, acid). Some drugs, such as cannabis and ecstasy, can cause hallucinogen-like effects when used in high doses or in certain ways. Using hallucinogens is often called tripping.

* 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.

* LSD is known as acid, trips, microdots, dots, blotters, mellow or tabs may be named according to the design on the blotting paper e.g. a picture of a yellow star would attract the name, “yellow stars” * PCP: angel dust, peace pill * Ketamine: Special K, K, ket, kitkat, super K * Mushrooms can be called their common botanical names, magic mushrooms, shrooms, magics, blue meanies, liberty caps, golden tops, mushies

* What hallucinogens do to you depends on: * how much you take * your height and weight * your general health * your mood * your past experience with hallucinogens * whether you use hallucinogens on their own or with other drugs * whether you use alone or with others, at home or at a party, etc. * The effects of hallucinogens begin within half an hour of taking the drug, are strongest in three to five hours, and last for up to 12 hours. * They can include: * seeing, hearing, touching or smelling things in a distorted way or that don't exist (you usually know that what you are sensing is not real); * intense sensory experiences (e.g. colors become very bright, sounds become sharper); * mixing of the senses (e.g. you 'hear' colors or 'see' sounds); * changed sense of time (e.g. minutes can seem as slow as hours, or you can 're-live' something that happened a long time ago); * space becomes distorted strange bodily sensations (e.g. as though you are floating or being pulled down by gravity, or that you are becoming part of another object); * changed and intense thoughts emotional swings (e.g. change from intense happiness to deep sadness).

* Neurological Effects * Hallucinogenic compounds are comprised of alkaloids that mimic the brain's own chemicals, causing temporary brain toxicity that results in altered perceptions, hallucinations, strong emotions, impaired thinking and dissociation. LSD and other triptamines like DMT and psilopsybe mushrooms mimic serotonin, while phenylethylamines like peyote, mescaline and DOI affect dopamine levels in complex ways. These neurotransmitters regulate many functions of the brain and body, including appetite, mood, emotions, sexual behavior and sleep patterns, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

* Hallucinogens cause physiological symptoms such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, and may induce convulsions and seizures when used at high doses. The effects of hallucinogens are more unpredictable than those of other drugs and vary greatly from person to person. The range of effects depends on a variety of factors: the amount ingested; the user's personality, mood and expectations; if the person is alone or with others; and whether more drugs or alcohol are taken.

* A good trip often involves visual hallucinations (seeing things that aren't really there or that are distorted). These images may be seen as funny or inspiring, or just odd. Colors may be especially intense and intriguing patterns may emerge on surfaces, like tables or ceilings. Distortions of objects, faces, and other body parts may be experienced. A heightened sexual drive — an aphrodisiac effect — has also been reported. * A bad trip on the other hand, may be set off by similar doses of drug that in the past provided a good trip. A bad trip is a frightening experience with surging anxiety and fears of being out of control and vulnerable. Terrifying images and hallucinations have been reported.

* Short-term Effects of LSD, Mushrooms and Mescaline * LSD, mushrooms, and mescaline can cause these physical symptoms: * Dilated pupils * Dizziness * Dry mouth * Numbness * Tremors * Heavy perspiration * Bad body odor * Chills * "Goose bumps" * Nausea * Muscle weakness * Trembling * Poor coordination * Lowered body temperature (LSD or psilocybin mushrooms) * Higher body temperature (peyote/mescaline) * Rapid heart rate (LSD or psilocybin mushrooms) * Depressed heart rate and breathing (peyote/mescaline) * High blood pressure (LSD or psilocybin mushrooms) * Lowered blood pressure (peyote/mescaline) * Seizures (LSD or psilocybin mushrooms)

* LSD, mushrooms, and mescaline can cause these effects with heavy or continued use: * Psychological dependence * Cross-tolerance -- the need for increasing amounts to feel effects; covers various substances, not just those someone has used * Depression * Anxiety * Increased risk of developing schizophrenia or psychotic episodes * Miscarriages * Birth defects * Fatal liver damage if the wrong mushroom is ingested. * Flashbacks * Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) -- trailing images, spots, auras, and other visual disturbances; depression, or panic attacks; long after use or perhaps permanent

* Short-term Effects of PCP * Phencyclidine/PCP is the most hazardous and damaging of the hallucinogens. Users often injure themselves or others, cause property damage, or become dangerously ill. * Effects become worse with higher dosages. They include: * Lower doses: * Elevated breathing and heart rates * Elevated blood pressure * Shallow breathing * Flushing * Heavy perspiration * Numbness * Lack of coordination * Higher doses: * Distorted speech * Psychosis or catatonia * Low blood pressure * Depressed breathing and heart rates * Nausea and vomiting * Blurred vision * Rapid eye movements * Drooling * Dizziness, loss of balance * Seizures * Coma * Accidental injuries * Suicide attempts * Death

* Long-term Effects of PCP * Heavy or prolonged use of PCP can cause these effects: * Memory loss * Difficulty speaking * Impaired thinking ability * Depression * Unwanted weight loss * Mood disorder

* Hallucinations * Greatly reduced 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 * Hallucinations * Euphoria * Delusions * Panic * Loss of appetite * Depression * Aggressive, possibly violent behavior

* An exaggerated feeling of great happiness or well-being (euphoria) * Reduced inhibitions * A heightened or altered sense of sight, sound and taste * Amphetamine-like effects (with ketamine and Ecstasy) * Decreased coordination * Poor judgment * Memory problems or loss of memory * Increased or decreased heart rate and blood pressure