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Hallucinogens Addiction & Treatment

Hallucinogens are types of drugs that cause hallucinations (profound distortions in a 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. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings.

How Hallucinogens Affect the Body

Unlike most other drugs, the effects of hallucinogens are highly variable and characteristically unreliable, producing different effects in different individuals or at different times. This is mainly due to the significant variations in amount and composition of active drug compounds, particularly in the hallucinogens derived from plants and mushrooms. Because of their unpredictable nature, the use of hallucinogens can be particularly dangerous and lead to overdose symptoms.

› LSD is sold in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form; it is usually taken orally. LSD is often added to absorbent paper, which is then divided into decorated pieces, each equivalent to one “dose.” The side effects, often referred to as “trips,” are long; typically, they begin to clear after about 12 hours.

› Peyote- The top of the peyote cactus—also referred to as the crown—consists of disc-shaped buttons that are cut from the roots and dried. These buttons are generally chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid. Peyote’s effects last about 12 hours. Because the extract is so bitter, some prefer to prepare a tea by boiling the cacti for several hours.

› Psilocybin/Mushrooms containing psilocybin are available fresh or dried and are typically taken orally. Mushrooms may also be brewed as a tea or added to other foods to mask their bitter flavor. The effects of psilocybin, which appear within 20 minutes of ingestion, last approximately 6 hours.

› PCP is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. PCP can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It is normally snorted, smoked, or ingested. For smoking, PCP is often applied to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana. Depending upon how much and by what route PCP is taken, its effects can last approximately 4–6 hours.

Hallucinogen Withdrawal, Detox, Treatment and Rehabilitation

Some of the long term effects of hallucinogenic intoxication may last for months, such as the visual “trailing” effect in which moving objects seem to leave visual traces behind. Flashbacks, or spontaneous reoccurrence of hallucinatory effects, may continue to occur long after the drug was used. Some users and addicts may experience spontaneous recurrence of the hallucinations experienced during use. These can occur even during drug-free periods, up to several months following the use. Withdrawal from long-term hallucinogen use is usually not life-threatening and does not cause physically painful symptoms. Treatment and recovery initially consists of managing the symptoms of withdrawal, which can include a longing to reuse, hallucinations, and panic.