Hallucinogens

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A hallucinogen is any substance that causes hallucinations (the experience of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, or tasting things that are not actually present). A variety of medicines and illegal drugs can lead to the development of hallucinations. Hallucinogenic drugs disrupt the brain's ability to process information and perceive the real world. A person who takes a hallucinogen may experience dreamy illusions (things that are not really there) or disturbing delusions (distortions of reality). Visual hallucinations range from simple (e.g., flashes of light) to elaborate visions. Auditory (hearing) hallucinations can be noises, a voice, or several voices carrying on a conversation.

Hallucinogenic drugs can be placed in two major groups, depending on their chemical structure. The first group includes drugs made from lysergic acid, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). LSD is one of the most potent hallucinogens. During an LSD "trip," the user experiences a sense of clarity and a heightened awareness of sights, sounds, touch, lights, and colors. Unlike LSD, which is taken by mouth, DMT must be injected, sniffed, or smoked. DMT takes effect quickly, usually within one minute, and the effects last for a very brief period. DMT has never been a popular street drug. The seeds of the morning glory plant also contain a lysergic acid chemical. This group of hallucinogens also includes drugs made from the Mexican or "magic" mushroom, psilocybin and psilocin.

The second major group includes mescaline (which comes from the peyote cactus) and the drug compounds DOM, MDA, and MDMA or ecstasy. DOM, MDA, and MDMA produce some stimulant effects as well as hallucinogenic effects. The street name of DOM, a drug that was part of the hippie drug culture of the 1960s, is STP.

The letters stand for "serenity, tranquility, and peace." DOM takes effect very slowly, but the effects can last for fourteen to twenty hours, much longer than those of LSD. In some cases, people took DOM expecting the quicker action of LSD. They then took more DOM and experienced a very intense and very long psychedelic experience. Hundreds of drugs similar to these compounds, such as ecstasy or MDMA, have been synthesized illegally in laboratories. These so- called designer drugs are popular street drugs. They are quite dangerous, since there is no way for the buyer to be sure what the drugs contain.

The various hallucinogens produce similar psychological effects, but they differ in how quickly they take effect, how long the effects last, and the intensity of the effects. Physical effects include dilated pupils, exaggerated reflexes, and increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature. Some of the hallucinogens may cause nausea at first. Some people who take hallucinogens have severe, negative reactions including panic attacks and self-destructive behavior.

Side Effects of Prescribed Drugs. Some drugs used to treat certain illnesses are psychoactive. This means that, in addition to their desired medical uses, they may cause auditory (hearing) and/or visual hallucinations in some patients. For example, high doses of cortisone, a hormone prescribed to reduce swelling caused by arthritis or allergies, canproduce hallucinations. Drugs made from the belladonna plant, such as atropine and scopolamine, have many medical uses but in high doses can cause memory loss and illusions.

Illegal Drugs. Many illegal drugs can alter individuals' level of consciousness or perception of the world around them. A person who takes phencyclidine (known as PCP or "angel dust") may experience numbness in the limbs and feel as though the limbs are removed from the body. Such distorted perceptions can lead to confusion, delusions, hallucinations, and sometimes violent behavior. High and/or frequent doses of stimulants such as amphetamine, methamphetamine ("speed" or "ice"), or cocaine can cause paranoid thoughts or delusions. High doses of marijuana or hashish can lead to dreamy illusions or hallucinations.

Psychedelics. Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD and mescaline are also called psychedelic. A person who takes psychedelic drugs sees, thinks, and feels in a way that is sharply different from normal perception. In the hallucinogenic experience, everyday reality loses its importance, and vivid sensations and perceptions absorb the person's attention. For example, the person will recognize a door and understand its everyday function. But he or she will focus on other aspects of the door, such as the fine detail of the wood grain, which may appear to move and flow.

During the hallucinogenic experience, shapes, colors, and passing thoughts or memories take on a life of their own. Another effect is the mixing of sensations, or "synesthesia." For example, sounds may be seen, or colors heard. Individuals may feel that they have discovered some great truth. However, after the drug's effects wear off, these perceptions and thoughts lose whatever meaning they seemed to have.

In the 1960s doctors and scientists tried to find medical uses for hallucinogens, especially for psychiatric problems. However, no medical uses were ever found. Some groups have used hallucinogens to enhance mystical thought and belief. Certain Native American groups use the hallucinogen peyote in religious ceremonies. People take peyote to reach a higher level of thinking (to be "in the mind of God"). A leader may guide participants through the peyote experience.

Diseases and infections that affect the brain can also cause a person to have hallucinations. The diseased state may involve a high fever,

A preparation consisting primarily of the poisonous Fly Agaric mushroom is ingested by the people of Siberia as a hallucinogen.

severe brain injuries, or delirium. A patient in a delirium is said to be "out of it," not in touch with reality. Delirium can develop in patients who have brain infections, brain injury, or conditions in which nutrients essential for brain function do not reach the brain. In addition, poisoning or other toxic reactions can produce hallucinations.

People dependent on a barbiturate sedative can experience a delirium with hallucinations if they suddenly stop taking the drug. Similarly, alcoholics who stop drinking suddenly experience a withdrawal symptom called delirium tremens, in which the person has vivid hallucinations.

Ayahuasca; Drugs Used in Rituals; Ecstasy; Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (Lsd) and Psychedelics; Morning Glory Seeds; Peyote.

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