HALLUCİNOGEN

S
Dr. Aslı Dila Akiş
“Substances that create
gross distortions in
perception without
causing loss of
consciousness when
administered in low
doses.”

“Substances that alter

sensory processing in
the brain, causing
perceptual
disturbances, changes
in thought processing,
and depersonalization.”
DEFINITION
 Hallucinogen – A drug that causes hallucinations, or profound distortions in
the person’s perceptions of reality.

 Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and
feel sensations that seem real but do not exist.
 [Link]
HALLUCINOGENS ALSO
CALLED…
 Psychedelics: substances that expand or heighten perception and
consciousness.
 Psychotomimetic: substances that mimic psychosis.
 Psychotogenic: substances that produce psychosis.
HALLUCİNOGENS
Are found naturally in plants and can be produced synthetically.
Are used by Native American tribes for use during religious ceremonies.
Resemble 1 of 4 neurotransmitters
 Acetylcholine
 Catecholamines (Norepinephrine & Dopamine)
 Serotonin
COMMON HALLUCINOGENIC
EFFECTS
Alterations in time and space perception
Changes in self-awareness
Increase sensitivity to textures, shapes, tastes, and sounds
Visual disturbances (i.e. flashes of light or kaleidoscope-like patterns)
Hallucinations
Feelings of enlightenment or spiritual awakening
TRİP
 Trip - An instance or period of being under the influence of a hallucinogenic
drug.
 Ex – He tripped out on LSD.

 No one can predict when a hallucinogen user will have a bad trip. Dosage,
the specific drug, and the setting in which it’s taken all affect the user’s
experience. The bottom line is this…
 Hallucinogens are unpredictable! This makes them extremely dangerous!

There is no effective treatment for a bad trip. Only having the drug wear off will
make imagined demons go away. Books and articles recommend trying to calm
distressed users in a quiet, un-crowded spot. But, friends who are high themselves
can’t be counted on for help.
 FLASHBACK
 Flashback – An unexpected relived experience from a hallucination.

 A flashack occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few
days or more than a year after hallucinogen use.

 Both frequent users and one-time experimenters can find themselves on

another trip when they least expect it.
 While driving a car, swimming, playing sports.

 One young woman’s flashback was so intense she jumped out the window in a
high-rise apartment building. The flashback came 6 months after her only use
ever with LSD.
 HİSTORY
 Human beings have used hallucinogens for centuries, primarily in ancient cultural
and religious ceremonies. As a part of their religion, for example, certain American
Indian tribes used the hallucinogen peyote to experience "spiritual visions.”

 Hallucinogen abuse soared in the 1960’s and 70’s, but mainly due to the “Hippie”
movement. During the 1980’s abuse rates dropped. However, during the 1990’s and
in present day abuse rates are on the rise.

 As of 2008, nearly 9% of all 12th grade students have reported using hallucinogens at
least once in their lifetime.
 Hallucinogens are among the oldest known drugs that have been used for their
ability to alter human perception and mood. For centuries, many of the naturally
occurring hallucinogens found in plants and fungi have been used for medical, social
and religious practices.
4 CATEGORIES OF
HALLUCINOGENS
1. Anticholinergic
2. Catecholamine-like
3. Serotonin-like
4. Psychedelic Anesthetics
2 CLASSIFICATİONS
 Although hallucinogen drugs are grouped as “hallucinogens”, we will break
them into two different categories:
 Animals/plants
 Laboratories
ANIMALS/PLANTS
 Mescaline- (Mes-ca-line)
 Psilocybin mushrooms ( silo-cy-bin)
 Jimsonweed
 Ayahuasca ( ay-a-was-ca)
 Bufotenine ( bu-fot-en-ine)

 These hallucinogens can be found in either plants…or animals!

 MESCALINE
 Mescaline – A hallucinogen obtained from a small spineless cactus Peyote.
 From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by natives in northwestern
Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of traditional religious rites.
 The drug is usually taken orally, without chewing, although it can still be smoked, or
even injected.
 It’s chemical structure is close to that of an amphetamine (stimulant).
 Street names:
 Buttons
 Peyote
 Mesc

 Mescaline acts on the Central Nervous System (CNS).

 How long does a trip on mescaline last for?

 12 hours!
MESCALINE PHYSICAL SIDE
EFFECTS
 Dilated pupils
 Increased Heart Rate
 Increased Blood Pressure
 Anxiety
 Feeling of dying
 Fear of not being able to return to normal consciousness.
 Lethal doses produce convulsions, breath-arrests and heart failures. Death
is due to respiratory failure
 MESCALINE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
 Vomiting usually occurs after ingestion. A user then sees sensory images and
flashes of color, followed by geometric patterns and sometimes images of
people and animals.
 Time and space perception are distorted.
 People get the feeling of being “outside” their bodies.
 One user’s account - "In a matter of instants, a tunnel formed around me, very
low and narrow, hard and strangely cold. It felt to the touch like a wall of solid
tinfoil. I remember having to crawl towards a sort of round point where the
tunnel ended; when I finally arrived, if I did, I had forgotten all."
 PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS
( SILO-CY-BIN)
 There are many types of psilocybin mushrooms, so we will keep it general.

 Psilocybin mushrooms – A hallucinogenic compound obtained from certain

mushrooms.

 Use of these mushrooms is ancient. Statues of mushrooms dating from A.D.

100-1400 appear throughout Mexico and Central America.

 Probably the second most frequently used hallucinogen in the United States.
PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS

 How are they taken?

 Eaten raw
 Cooked in food
 Brewed in tea
 Dried and ingested

 Street names:
 Magic mushrooms
 “Shrooms”

 How long does a trip last?

 5-6 hours
PSILOCYBIN MUSHROOMS PHYSICAL AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDE EFFECTS
Physical
 Nausea

 Dilated pupils

 Tightness in the neck

Psychological
 Induce sensory hallucinations

 Hear things that are not real

 Is it addictive?
 It is not considered an addictive drug like cocaine, heroin or alcohol because it does not
produce the same compulsive drug-seeking behavior. However, like addictive drugs, it
produces greater tolerance in some users who take the drug repeatedly. These users must
take higher doses to achieve the same results as they have had in the past. This could be an
extremely dangerous practice because of the unpredictability of the drug effect on an
individual.
 JIMSONWEED
 Jimsonweed - A common name for a plant known botanically as Datura stramonium,
which has been used as a medicine and intoxicant for centuries.
 It’s name comes from colonial Jamestown, where settlers became very ill after
mistakenly eating it in a salad.
 Street names:
 Thornapple
 Stinkweed
 Locoweed

 Was originally called Jamestown weed.

 How long does a trip last for?

 Depending on the dosage, on average 24-48 hours!
JIMSONWEED
 Jamestown story - As told by Robert Beverly in The
History and Present State of Virginia (1705): The
soldiers presented "a very pleasant comedy, for they
turned natural fools upon it for several days: one
would blow up a feather in the air; another would
dart straws at it with much fury; and another, stark
naked, was sitting up in a corner like a monkey,
grinning and making mows at them; a fourth would
fondly kiss and paw his companions, and sneer in
their faces with a countenance more antic than any
in a Dutch droll.
 "In this frantic condition they were confined, lest they
should, in their folly, destroy themselves - though it
was observed that all their actions were full of
innocence and good nature. Indeed they were not
very cleanly; for they would have wallowed in their
own excrements, if they had not been prevented. A
thousand such simple tricks they played, and after
11 days returned themselves again, not
remembering anything that had passed."
PHYSICAL SIDE EFFECTS OF
JIMSONWEED
 Dry mouth
 Increased heart rate
 Elevated body temperature
 Increased breathing
 Dilated pupils
 Blurred vision
PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
JIMSONWEED
 Amnesia
 Confusion
 Delerium (Sudden severe confusion)
 Bizarre dream state
AYAHUASCA
 Ayahuasca – A plant-based hallucinogen that users ingest as a drink
containing a combination of plant products.
 For centuries the Amazonian Indians have been drinking it.
 The Indians believe it cleanses body and mind and enables communication with
spirits.
 Common Names:
 Caapi
 Yage
 Vegetal
AYAHUASCA EFFECTS
 Nightmarish visions that last for hours.
 There are many accounts of people experiencing near-death experiences.
 Most hallucinations are visual, although there are some accounts of
sensory hallucinations.
BUFOTENINE
 Bufotenine - A poisonous hallucinogenic alkaloid obtained from the skin glands
of toads of the genus Bufo or from some mushrooms.
 Found in the skin of psychoactive toads.
 Orally taken by licking the toads skin.
 Now there are ways to extract the poison from the toad by milking it under the chin.
It can then be created in a substance to be smoked.
BUFOTENINE EFFECTS
 Powerful constrictor of blood vessels
 Increases blood pressure
 Blocks serotonin
 Cramped muscles
 Blurred vision
 Temporary paralysis
OLOLIUQUI
Found in morning glory seeds
Used by tribes in Central &
South America
 100+ seeds creates
hallucinations, distorted
visions, confusion.
Side Effects: nausea,
vomiting, headache, &
sleepiness.
LABORATORIES
 LSD
 PCP
 DMT

 These drugs are synthetically produced.

LSD
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Street Names
Acid, Battery Acid, Pane, Brown Bombers, Coffee, Crystal Tea, Dots, Golden
Dragon, Haze, Looney Toons, Microdot, Lucy, Paper Acid, Pearly Gates, Pink
Panther, Rainbow, Superman, White Lightening, Window Glass, Yin Yang, Zen,
Yellow Sunshine, Sugar Cubes, & others.
 LSD
 LSD – A crystalline compound derived from lysergic acid and used as a
powerful hallucinogenic drug.

 *LSD is an acronym for lysergic acid diethylamide.

 LSD was discovered in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hoffman. It is manufactured from

lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other
grains.

 *A common nickname for LSD is “acid”.

 Best known and most commonly used hallucinogen

LSD
 LSD is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter
taste.

 Usually taken orally, although it can be placed on

blotter paper, and then divided up for multiple
uses. Also sold in gelatin squares and pills.

 Less than .001 gram of LSD produces extreme

hallucinations!

 LSD takes effect within 30 minutes, and it can last

up to 12 hours.
HISTORY
1938: Albert Hofmann synthesizes LSD-25
1943: Hofmann discovers hallucinogenic effects 1st hand when
he accidentally ingests it.
Later he ingests 0.25 mg of it thinking it is a minimal dose, when in
actuality it is 10 times the dose needed to produce an effect.
“My visual field wavered and everything appeared deformed as in a faulty
mirror. Space and time became more and more disorganized and I was
overcome by fear that I was going out of my mind… It was particularly
striking how acoustic perceptions, such as the noise of water gushing
from a tap or the spoken word, were transformed into optical illusions.”
HISTORY
1950-1963: LSD used experimentally in mental facilities as treatment for mental
disorders.
1950’s: CIA & Army conduct secret experiments on human subjects using LSD.
1953: Frank Olsen, a biochemist, kills himself after unknowingly consuming a
drink containing LSD.
1966: Timothy Leary, an former professor at Harvard, forms a religion called
“League of Spiritual Discovery” in an attempt to use LSD and other hallucinogens
legally.
1976: truth about the CIA & Army experiments are uncovered, revealing that
nearly 585 soldiers and 900 civilians were given LSD without their knowledge for
research purposes.
March 31, 2003: DEA busts the biggest LSD lab in history, seizing 41.3 kg or 91
lbs. of LSD.
LSD EFFECTS
 The physical effects include dilated
pupils, higher body temperature,
increased heart rate and blood pressure,
sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness,
dry mouth, and tremors.

 The psychological effects of LSD; users

experience severe, terrifying thoughts
and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of
insanity and death, and despair while
using LSD. Some fatal accidents have
occurred during states of LSD
intoxication.
2 TYPES OF EMOTIONAL
RESPONSES TO LSD:
1. Ecstatic-Transcendental Reactions: users become
talkative, euphoric, ideas seem to have great
importance.
2. Panic & Psychotic-like Reactions: users experience
intense anxiety & fear, lose control of thoughts &
emotions, become paniced.
Known as a Bad Trip
Can result in accidents or accidental suicides due to individual attempting to
flee panic and terror they are experiencing.
LSD EFFECTS IN TIME
 0-30 minutes: Dizziness, nausea, weakness, twitches, and anxiety.
 30-60 minutes: Blurred vision, increased contrasts, visual patterns, feelings
of unreality, lack of coordination, tremulous speech.
 1-4 hours: Increased visual effects, wavelike motions, impaired distance
perception, euphoria, slow passage of time.
 4-7 hours: Waning off the above effects
 7-12 hours: Become returning to normal
 Late Effects: Headache, fatigue, contemplative state.
 LSD IN POPULAR
CULTURE
 Timothy Leary was a psychologist in the
1960’s advocating LSD use to enhance
awareness. He began running
experiments with subjects under the
influence of LSD. Jerry Garcia was among
them.
 He also coined the phrase: “Tune in, Turn
on, Drop out.”
 After being removed from his position at
Harvard, Leary founded two institutions
for further LSD study.
 Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass
written about an LSD experience.
 Popular musicians of the 1960’s greatly
influenced by LSD. Ex- Beatles, Grateful
Dead etc.
PCP
(PHENCYCLIDINE)

 Street Names: Angel Dust,

Black Dust, Blue Madman,
Busy Bee, Cliffhanger, Crazy
Coke, Crystal T, Dipper,
Devil’s Dust, Embalming Fluid,
Peace Pill, Peter Pan, Rocket
Fuel, Tic Tac, Wobble Weed,
Yellow Weed.
 PCP
 *PCP is short for Phencyclidine.

 *PCP - A drug used in veterinary medicine

as an anesthetic and illegally as a
hallucinogen.

 PCP was developed in the 1950s as an

intravenous anesthetic but, due to the
side effects of confusion and delirium, its
development for human medical use was
discontinued.
PCP
 Street names:
 *Angel dust
 Hog
 Lovely
 Wack
 Embalming fluid
 Rocket Fuel
 Ozone

 PCP is produced in liquid, powder, and tablet form. There are numerous
methods of taking it. It is smoked (in a powdered form), snorted, injected,
or swallowed.
 PCP EFFECTS

 A moderate amount of PCP often causes users to feel detached, distant, and
estranged from their surroundings. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion,
severe mood disorders, and amnesia may also occur.
 High doses can cause seizures, coma, and even death. Illusions occur, and
unlike LSD, the likely- hood of having visual hallucinations is very low.
 Like LSD it is highly unpredictable. Some users feel out of touch with their
bodies and surroundings. Others get so revved up they become violent.
PCP HEALTH HAZARDS
 PCP is addictive and its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving,
and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior. Users of PCP report memory loss,
difficulties with speech and learning, depression, and weight loss. These
symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. PCP has sedative
effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such
as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Use
of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal
growth and development.
DMT
 DMT – A natural, or synthetic, hallucinogenic drug, similar to LSD in its
effects, which are, however, more rapid in onset and shorter in duration.
 DMT is by far the most powerful psychedelic known to man.
 It can be naturally found, or synthesized.
 DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by Canadian chemist Richard Manske.
 DMT can be found in psychoactive toads, but in very low dosages.
 DMT
 It can also be found in the beans of the tree Anadenanthera peregrina, which
grows in Northern and Central South America. It has been used by South
American tribes as hallucinogenic snuff called yopo or cohoba.
 Ancient cultures brewed teas from plants containing DMT for use in religious
ceremonies.
 The effects of the drug are felt almost instantly, and effects usually wear off after
an hour.
 Because of how quickly the effects wear off it has been nicknamed “businessman's
special”.
DMT EFFECTS OVER TIME
 0-15 seconds - your lungs start to burn, feels like you want to cough.
 15-45 seconds - You will hear a very loud whooshing sound in your ears and
it will continue to get louder and louder, and you eventually feel yourself
almost blow up and enter this new universe.
 45 seconds-1 min - You will break through into another universe, known to
many DMT users as DMT hyperspace. Your heart will begin to beat faster
and your pulse will significantly rise.
DMT EFFECTS OVER TIME
 1 min- 5min - You are no longer in your body and you are floating in this
hyperspace universe. Many things can be seen in this universe. Many people
reports a kind of 4th dimension looking place with everything in 3d plus a
sort of time shifting that happens every few seconds. You may see different
beings or entities that look like a sort of religious figure or god.
 5 - 10min - The visions eventually fade in and out. There are still many
patterns and textures when your eyes are closed but when your eyes are
open you will see the basic vision of the real world.
 10- 45 min - You have a slight feeling of euphoria that will last for about 30
minutes after you experience the visual trip.
MDMA COMBOS
Candy Flipping = LSD + MDMA
Diamonds = Amphetamines + MDMA
Disco Biscuits = Depressants + MDMA
Flower Flipping = Mushrooms + MDMA
H-Bomb = Heroin + MDMA
Gum = Opium + MDMA
Kitty Flipping = Ketamine + MDMA
Sextasy = Viagra + MDMA
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MDMA EFFECTS
Hallucinogenic Effects: distortions in time & perception.
Stimulant Effects: Euphoria & hyperactivity, increase blood pressure &
heart rate

49
MDMA EFFECT ON SEROTONIN PRODUCING
NEURONS

2 wks: 83-95% reduction in serotonin axon

density.
7 yrs: some recovery occurs, but significant 50
loss of serotonin neurons has occurred.
 SYNTHETIC AMPHETAMINE
DERIVATIVES
DOM (dimethoxymethylamphetamine)
MDA (Methylenedioxyamphetamine)
TMA (trimethoxyamphetamine)
DMA (dimethoxymethylamphetamine)
MDE (methylenedioxyethylamphetamine)
MDMA (methylenedioymethamphetamine)
PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine)

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