Psychedelics and Phencyclidine

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Psychedelics and Phencyclidine

• FWS 235

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Psychedelics

• Psychedelics cause changes in perception,
  thinking, emotions, arousal, and self-image.
• Terms
• Hallucinogens
• Psychotomimetics (mimic psychosis)
• Psychodysleptics (mind-disturbing)
• Psycholytics (mind looseners)

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Major Characteristics

• Mind expansion- psychedelic
• Heightened awareness of sensory input
• Flood of sensations
• Unreal imagery
• Enhanced sense of clarity
• Diminished control over experiences
• Passive observer
• Difficulty distinguishing boundaries from object
  to object and self from environment

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Psychological Hazards

• Bad trips- characterized by terror, confusion,
  dissociation, and fear of losing control over
  self.
• Flashback- hallucinogen persisting perception
  disorder (HPPD) these are partial recurrences of
  psychedelic effects.
• Dosage, personality of user, expectations,
  previous experience, setting determinants

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Psychedelic Experiences

• Experiences can be positive or negative
• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Depression
• Blissful sensation of well being and pleasure

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Responses

• Psychotic experience- intense fear, panic
• Cognitive experience- lucid thought
• Aesthetic experience- change in sensory input
• Psychodynamic experience- forgotten thought
  emerges in ones consciousness
• Transcendental or mystical experience-
  psychedelic peak development of unity, deeply
  felt moods of joy, peace, and love

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Pharmacological Effects

• Dilated pupils
• Rise in body temperature and blood pressure
• Reflexes increase
• Muscle weakness and tremors
• body trips- involve nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
  and muscle tension (with morning glory seeds and
  peyote)

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Pharmacological Effects

• Everyday use leads to tolerance
• Sensitivity to lower doses returns after a period
  of abstinence
• Cross tolerance among LSD, mescaline, and
  psilocybin
• No cross tolerance between LSD with amphetamines
  and THC

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Pharmacological Effects

• No detectable evidence of physical dependence
• Repeated use psychological dependence sometimes
• Psychedelics are not usually addictive
• Psychedelic trips are unpredictable and not
  always pleasurable and uncontrolled
• Use is usually episodic

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History

• Mushroom use dates back to 1000 B.C.
• Peyote used as a religious sacrament
• ¼ million members from the Native American Church
  continue to use peyote legally for church ritual
• Each state is still free to allow religious use
  of illegal substances
• psychedelic revolution and psychedelic 60s

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Non-medical Use

• dropping out- specific technique by which
  individuals detached themselves fro the routine,
  convention, ambitions, and the symbolic rewards
  of society.
• turning on- Aware of ones own internal
  processes
• tuning in- to a greater and more philosophical
  concern with beauty, peacefulness, and questions
  of cosmic design.

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Illegal and Popular

• hippie culture emerged
• New laws made psychedelic drugs illegal
• LSD research not conducted
• Kitchen chemists supplied the demand
• Scientists are investigating LSD as a treatment
  for addiction to heroin, opium, cocaine, alcohol,
  and sedative-hypnotics and an antidote to drug
  overdoses and pain reliever for cancer patients.

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LSD- Acid

• Most common method, thin squares of absorbent
  paper soaked in liquid LSD.
• Each square is one dose
• LSD can also be contained in sugar cubes, animal
  crackers, gelatin chips, and tiny pellets.
• Todays potency is less strong than in the 70s.

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LSD

• Making comeback due to rave parties.
• The drug of choice is usually LSD and MDMA.
• Product packaging encourages youth to use due to
  color-screening on blotter paper.

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LSD

• Lysergic acid diethylamide
• Best known and most powerful of synthetic
  psychedelics
• 100 times more potent than psilocybin and 4,000
  times more potent than mescaline
• LSD dose measured in small quantities known as
  micrograms or mikes
• Average effective oral dos is 30 mikes

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LSD

• Strength of LSD range from 20 to 80 mikes.
• LSD may contain other psychedelics such as meth
  or speed.
• acid trip- the mind altering effects brought on
  by LSD.
• Most often taken by mouth and rarely injected.

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LSD

• Trip phases
• First phase- lasts up to two hours, user
  experiences a release of inner tension, also may
  laugh or cry, heighten awareness.
• Second phase- about thirty to ninety minutes
  following use of drug, perceptual distortions and
  hallucinations. May experience dizziness,
  drowsiness, nausea, rapid pulse.
• Third phase- three to four hours after LSD is
  taken, distorted sense of time.

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LSD

• Dangers
• Bad trips- last eight to twelve hours
• Emotional breakdown- usually if person has
  suffered from emotional disorders before using.
• Heavy users- impaired memory and attention span,
  mental confusion, difficulty with abstract
  thinking.
• Panic, fear of losing ones mind possible
  suicide, terrifying flashbacks.

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Peyote

• Visual and kaleidoscopic illusions
• Mescal buttons-dried for chewing and oral
  consumption
• Other administration smoke, brew peyote tea, or
  swallow capsules
• All routes of administration cause stomach
  disorders, nausea, and vomiting
• Psychedelic effects last for six to ten hours

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Mescaline

• Major psychoactive ingredient of peyote cactus
• Mind-manifesting, LSD like effects of mescal
  buttons
• Does of 200 to 500 mg
• Effects increased heart rate, body temperature,
  blood pressure, and dilation of the pupils,
  slowed coordination and reflexes, and diminished
  ability to concentrate.

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Mescaline

• Available as capsules, tablets, or in liquid form
• Induces altered perceptions
• Causes less mental or cognitive disorganization
  than LSD
• No physical dependence for mescaline or peyote
• Psychological dependence is rare
• Tolerance develops rapidly, within three days

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Psilocybin

• Mushrooms
• Eaten
• Effects on human perception and cognition
• May cause nausea, drowsiness, and feelings of
  numbness
• Often contains LSD and other chemicals
• Effects begin within a half and hour and last
  three to six hours
• Similar effects of LSD but less intense

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DMT

• Synthetic compound, powerful, fast-acting
• Produces psychedelic effects with short duration
• Produced in liquid or powder
• Often combined with tobacco, parsley, or
  marijuana and smoked can also be sniffed, eaten,
  or prepared in solution for injection.
• Instant effects that reach peak within ten
  minutes. Trip lasts only thirty to sixty minutes
• Tolerance does develop, no evidence of physical
  dependence.

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MDA

• mellow drug of America and speed for lovers
• Derived from various plant oils
• Can be synthesized as a white powder
• Administration orally in a capsule, sniffed, or
  injected
• Effects euphoric, peaceful, dreamlike state and
  hour after administration
• High doses may require emergency medical treatment

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MDMA

• Known as ecstasy, X, XTC, the Big E
• Synthesized in 1914
• Abuse began in the 1970s with college students
• Administration by mouth and inhaled on occasion,
  rarely injected
• Considered designer drug
• Provides euphoric rush of cocaine with mind
  expanding qualities of psychedelics
• Viewed as an aphrodisiac

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MDMA

• Effects on the body
• Dilated pupils
• Dry mouth and throat
• Lower-jaw tension
• Grinding teeth
• Overall stimulation
• Relaxation effect
• Decreased use of psychological defense
  mechanisms, empathy for others, touchy

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MDMA

• Desired effects of the drug become weaker over
  time
• Negative side effects include
• Psychological-Mental confusion, depression,
  anxiety, generalized panic, paranoia
• Physical- increased muscle tension, nausea,
  blurred vision, rapid eye movements, faintness,
  and increased heart rate and blood pressure
• May cause irreversible brain damage-serotonin

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MDMA

• Long-term effects
• Rash
• Depression
• Sleep disorders
• Drug craving
• Persistent elevation of anxiety
• Paranoia
• Aggressive and impulsive behavior
• Liver damage, brain damage and paralysis

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STP

• Synthetic variation of mescaline and amphetamine
• Introduced in 1967
• Named after a motor oil additive
• Acronym interpreted as serenity, tranquility and
  peace
• Taken orally
• Remains in the body from 12-24 hours

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STP

• Low doses- induce amphetamine like euphoria and
  feelings of enhanced self awareness
• Higher doses- LSD-like effects experienced
• Physical problems include
• Nausea, sweating, tremors, and convulsions

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Phencyclidine

• Developed in 1950s
• Surgical anesthetic
• Also known as PCP
• Was used in medical practice until 1965
• Contains stimulant, depressant, psychedelic,
  hallucinogenic, analgesic, and anesthetic
  properties

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Phencyclidine

• Other common names include
• Angel dust, peep, supergrass, KJ, killer weed,
  ozone, embalming fluid, rocket fuel, bacon, hog
• PCP is a white powder with bitter taste
• Administration inhaled, sniffed, taken by
  mouth, smoked, and injected or drank (mixed with
  lemonade)

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Effects

• Pharmacological effects
• Eaten high lasting five to eight hours
• Smoked/snorted high lasts three to five hours
• Common initial experience described as a drunken
  state, a floaty euphoria and numbness of the
  extremities
• Experience detachment from his or her
  surroundings, feeling of strength and power

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Effects

• Moderate dose
• Analgesia and anesthesia effects
• Users often dont know when there are being
  burned, cut, or broken bones
• Confusing psychic state sensory isolation
• Disconnection from reality
• Experience disorganization of thoughts,
  drowsiness, hostile and bizarre behavior
• Increase in heart rate and blood pressure, CNS
  depressed, increased salivation, sweating

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Overdose

• A stupor or coma may develop
• Large doses may produce convulsions
• Overdose causes
• Muscular in-coordination, inability to move from
  a fixed position, vomiting, skin flushing,
  noticeable perspiration, loss of sensation,
  psychotic episodes.
• PCP-induced psychosis- hostile and assaultive
  behavior

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History and Legal

• Once classified as a Schedule II
• In 1979, elevated to Schedule I
• In 1978, Psychotropic Substance Act- which
  imposed severe penalties for the manufacture of
  PCP, possession with intent to distribute.
  Mandation of piperidien (chemical used in the
  synthesis of PCP).

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Discussion

• Has there been an increase in LSD use among young
  people? How can this trend be reversed?
• Should mind-altering drugs be legalized?
• Why are designer drugs so popular?
• What is the relationship between PCP and violence?