Hallucinogens & Addiction

Hallucinogens are produced in labs or synthesized from plants, and they have been valued by fans for their mind-altering power. Common hallucinogens include LSD, salvia, and psilocybin. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration says many of these drugs are illegal, as they have a high potential for abuse and aren’t considered safe. Drugs like PCP, for example, can cause seizures and death at high doses. These drugs are not safe for anyone to abuse.

But in some states like California, voters are debating hallucinogenic drugs. Laws moving through legislative offices could legalize some forms of hallucinogens. News coverage of these drugs and their supposed benefits could convince new users that these substances are both effective and safe. 

Many people misuse hallucinogens in party settings (like raves), and they don’t use the drug daily. But some people do become emotionally attached to the changes hallucinogenic drugs produce, and they can return to them often. 

When someone no longer has control over how much they’re taking or when they’re taking drugs, treatment for addiction could be helpful. 

What Are Hallucinogens?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse splits hallucinogens into two classes: classic hallucinogens and dissociative drugs. Both cause perception changes, allowing people to see or experience things that aren’t real. Some drugs also cause people to feel disconnected from their bodies or reality itself. 

Hallucinogens can be taken in many ways, such as these:

• Swallowed in pill, tablet, or liquid forms
• Consumed by chewing or brewing into tea 
• Snorted
• Injected
• Inhaled
• Absorbed via oral tissues

Years ago, hallucinogens played a key role in cultural events, allowing people to experience visions of the future to guide their communities. Now, people use these drugs to accomplish these goals:

• Have fun with friends
• Deal with stress
• Feel enlightened or connected

Some people use hallucinogens under a doctor’s guidance to handle illnesses like depression. But the practice isn’t widespread, as it isn’t always legal. 

Key Facts About Hallucinogens

Most classic hallucinogens produce very unpleasant experiences at high doses, but the resulting issues rarely put your life at risk. But some synthetic hallucinogens have caused both medical emergencies and fatalities. 

Classic hallucinogens take hold within about 20 to 90 minutes of exposure. These drugs can cause increased heart rate, nausea, and hallucinations. Some people have flashbacks of these experiences years later. 

In 2021, 8 percent of young adults admitted to past-year hallucinogen use — an all-time high. In 2011, only 3 percent of teens said the same. 

In 2019, experts estimated that more than 5.5 million American adults used hallucinogens. 

Common Types of Hallucinogens

The term hallucinogen is broad and refers to many different drugs. All of them cause perception changes, but they’re called different things and appeal to different people. These are a few examples: 

LSD

D-lysergic acid diethylamide (commonly known as LSD) is made from a grain-based fungus. It’s typically sold in powder format, and granules are white and odorless. Users snort the powder, or dealers lace papers with powder that can be placed inside the cheeks for oral distribution. 

LSD street names include acid, dots, and mellow yellow. 

Psilocybin

Some mushrooms grown in South America, Mexico, and the United States contain psilocybin, a natural hallucinogen. Users buy dried mushrooms that can be chewed, baked into foods like eggs, or brewed into tea. 

Identifying safe mushrooms isn’t easy. Some people are poisoned by taking poisonous and not hallucinogenic versions.

Psilocybin street names include magic mushrooms and shrooms.

Peyote

A small cactus grown in very warm climates contains peyote, but some chemists synthesize the drug in their laboratories. Cactus parts can be chewed, brewed into tea, or baked into food. Synthetic versions come in almost every formulation you can think of. 

Peyote street names include cactus, buttons, and mesc. 

Synthetics

Chemists make lab versions of hallucinogenic drugs, and they tend to be stronger and more powerful than their natural counterparts. Drugs like DMT and 251-NOMBe work a little like LSD and MDMA, but they’re much stronger. The results can be unpredictable, as each lab batch is slightly different.

Street names include N Bomb, 251, hoasca, and aya. 

PCP

In the 1950s, chemists developed PCP to help prepare people for surgery, but the drug fell out of favor for its severe side effects. Typically, dealers sell the drug in a liquid or crystal format, but people can also buy tablets and capsules packed with PCP. 

Street names include angel dust, ozone, and rocket fuel.

Ketamine

Both surgeons and veterinarians use ketamine to prepare patients for surgery. Often, people who abuse this drug buy it from people who stole it from legitimate medical offices. 

Ketamine is often sold in a liquid, injectable format. But some dealers have pills and powder available. 

Street names include special K, kit kat, and cat valium.

Salvia

The salvia plant grows abundantly in Mexico and South America, but it’s also widely available in garden centers. Chewing fresh leaves or drinking the juice is a common way for people to abuse this drug. 

Street names include Sally-D and Maria Pastora. 

Why Are Hallucinogens So Popular?

The 2021 Monitoring the Future Study contained alarming news on hallucinogens. Researchers found more teenagers than ever were experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs of all types. 

The COVID-19 pandemic was stressful and upsetting for everyone, including teenagers. Watching family members, friends, and teachers get sick and die could make some young people question what life is really about, and they may have turned to hallucinogenic drugs for answers. 

Some young people were also bored and isolated during COVID lockdowns. With nothing to do, they turned to drugs for a novel experience that didn’t require leaving the house.

Each drug user is different, and people tap into substances for all sorts of reasons. But it’s possible that COVID’s unusual impact on daily life pushed people to make choices they would otherwise avoid. 

Signs & Symptoms of Hallucinogen Addiction

Experts say some hallucinogens can be addictive, and others can cause physical dependence. 

Drugs like PCP can spark brain changes, making cells work best when the substance is present. People who try to quit feel sick, and they crave the drug they’ve left behind.

Other hallucinogenic drugs cause a psychological addiction, enticing people to keep taking the drug to avoid their current reality.

Symptoms of addiction include the following:

• Shifting priorities: People skip work, drop out of classes, and lose friends to make more time for drug use. 
• Money losses: People sell treasured items or steal things to raise money for drugs.
• Appearance adjustments: Disheveled clothing, unwashed bodies, and poor grooming are all common in people with addictions. 
• Mood swings: People may feel happy and good when they’re taking drugs or know they’ll use soon. They can feel depressed or upset when they try to quit.
• Altered behavior: People using hallucinogens see, hear, smell, and taste things others can’t. They may act erratically or violently while on drugs. People with addictions may behave like this almost all the time. 

Risks of Taking Hallucinogens

Hallucinogenic drugs all work by changing electrical or chemical signals deep inside the brain. The damage you’ll face varies according to how much you take and how long the abuse lasted. 

Short-Term Risks

Hallucinogens cause a break with reality. People say and do things they might never do while sober. People can do strange-seeming things like run into traffic or hurt their families while under the influence.

Other short-term health effects of hallucinogen use may include the following:

• Cardiovascular problems, like high blood pressure or a fast pulse
• Insomnia 
• Sweating
• Paranoia 
• Psychosis 

Dissociative drugs like ketamine and PCP can also cause loss of coordination and numbness. 

Long-Term Risks

Classic hallucinogens like LSD and psilocybin can cause changes that stick with you for years. Some people develop symptoms of psychosis, including hallucinations, that won’t ease. 

Others develop flashbacks of terrifying moments from their long-gone high. These episodes can be debilitating, and some people refuse to do things like drive or go to job interviews as they worry the problems will reappear. 

Dissociative hallucinogens can cause similar issues, such as memory loss and anxiety, that continue long after the drug use stops. 

Mixing Hallucinogens & Other Drugs

Some people use hallucinogens indiscriminately in party-like situations. They take whatever drugs are handed to them, and sometimes, they mix hallucinogens. Others combine substances deliberately to make hallucinogen’s side effects easier to bear. 

The risks aren’t easy to understand as researchers haven’t studied them extensively.

But experts do know that people using hallucinogens mix them with the following substances often:

• Stimulants: The practice enhances a feeling of power, but it can place further strain on the heart.
• Benzodiazepines: People hope these drugs can reduce anxiety and nervousness, but the mixture can enhance distress and speed up the heart. 

People buying hallucinogens may mix drugs inadvertently. It’s impossible to know if the substances people purchase contain the drugs the dealers claim they do. 

Can You Overdose on Hallucinogens?

An overdose is an episode involving a large dose of drugs that causes adverse or life-threatening problems. While classic hallucinogens aren’t associated with life-threatening problems, some synthetic versions are. And dissociative drugs can cause an overdose.

These are overdose symptoms to watch for:

• Seizures
• Unresponsiveness
• Fast heartbeat 

If you think someone has overdosed on any drug, call 911. Wait with the person until help arrives, and follow the operator’s instructions. Your quick thinking could save someone’s life. 

Treatment Options for Hallucinogen Addiction

No FDA-approved hallucinogen addiction treatment drugs exist. But many people addicted to hallucinogens find relief through drug addiction treatment programs.

Counselors can help you unpack the origins of your drug misuse, so you’ll understand why you started taking drugs to begin with. Your therapists can also help you come up with relapse prevention skills, so you can learn to avoid triggers and stay away from substance abuse for good. 

If you’ve tried to quit using and can’t, start by talking to your doctor. With a solid addiction treatment team in place, you can create a plan for your future. 

References

Hallucinogens. (April 2020). Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Will Psychedelics Become Legal in California? (August 2021). Cal Matters. 

Hallucinogens DrugFacts. (November 2021). National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Why Do People Take Hallucinogenic or Dissociative Drugs? (February 2015). National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

Marijuana and Hallucinogen Use Among Young Adults Reaches All-Time High in 2021. (August 2022). National Institute on Drug Abuse. 

New Study Estimates Over 5.5 Million U.S. Adults Use Hallucinogens. (August 2022). Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. 

Candyflipping and Other Combinations: Identifying Drug-Drug Combinations from an Online Forum. (April 2018). Frontiers in Psychiatry. 

Psychedelics. (August 2022). Alcohol and Drug Foundation. 

Hallucinogen Use Is Associated With Mental Health and Addictive Problems and Impulsivity in University Students. (December 2019). Addictive Behavior Reports.

Use and Abuse of Dissociative and Psychedelic Drugs in Adolescence. (April 2021). Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior.

New Study Estimates Over 5.5 Million U.S. Adults Use Hallucinogens. (August 2022). Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.