LSD and Other Hallucinogens

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• Chapter 6
• LSD and Other Hallucinogens

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MAJOR CATEGORIES OF HALLUCINOGENS

• Hallucinogens related to serotonin
• LSD, psilocybin,, DMT, harmine
• Hallucinogens related to norepinephrine
• mescaline, DOM, MDMA, MDA
• Hallucinogens related to acetylcholine
• atropine, scopolamine, hyoscyamine, ibotenic
  acid
• Miscellaneous hallucinogens
• PCP, ketamine

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF LSD

• 1938 --- Albert Hofmann synthesizes LSD-25
  first tested in 1943
• 1953 --- Sandoz Pharmaceuticals applies for FDA
  approval of LSD
• 1961 --- Timothy Leary and others at Harvard
  begin experimental LSD sessions
• 1960s --- Psychedelic era
• 1966 --- LSD made illegal in the U.S.
• 1990s --- LSD re-emerges as a club drug

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HISTORY OF TIMOTHY LEARY

• Pre-1960 --- Leary is on faculty of Harvard
  University
• 1960 --- Has first hallucinatory experience, with
  psilocybin
• 1961 --- First experiments with LSD
• 1963 --- Leary dismissed from Harvard
• 1968 --- Media calls him the high priest of LSD
• 1970 --- Leary arrested for marijuana
  possession, escaped, cleared on appeal
• late 1980s --- Leary discovers computers
• 1996 --- Leary dies body rocketed into space

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POSSIBLE ACUTE EFFECTS OF LSD

• Excitation of sympathetic autonomic activity
• Laughing or crying, depending on the expectations
  and setting
• Images seen with the eyes closed
• Intermingling of senses (synesthesia)
• Percpetion of a multilevel reality
• Exaggerated configurations of common objects
• Mood swings
• A feeling of timelessness
• Separation of ones mind from ones body (ego
  disintegration)

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LSD EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

• LSD closely resembles the molecular structure of
  serotonin
• LSD stimulates a special subtype of
  serotonin-sensitive receptors
• All hallucinogens stimulate these receptor sites,
  even those whose molecular structure does not
  resemble serotonin

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LSD EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

• http//thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03
  _m_par/i_03_m_par_ecstasy.htmldrogues

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PATTERNS OF LSD USE

• From 1967 to 1971, lifetime prevalence rates
  among high school seniors rise from 1 percent to
  18 percent.
• In 1986, lifetime prevalence declined to 7
  percent.
• In 2005, lifetime prevalence was less than 4
  percent.

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QUESTIONS ABOUT LSD EFFECTS

• Will LSD produce a dependence?
• Will LSD produce a panic or a psychosis?
• Will LSD increase creativity?
• Will LSD damage chromosomes?
• Will LSD have residual (flashback) effects?
• Will LSD increase criminal or violent behavior?

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EMERGENCY GUIDELINES FOR A BAD TRIP ON LSD

• Stay calm.
• Reassure the individual that the situation is
  temporary.
• Reduce loud noises or bright lights.
• Allow the individual to move around without undue
  restrictions.
• If unsuccessful in producing a reduction in the
  panic, seek medical attention.

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NON-LSD SEROTONIN-RELATED HALLUCINOGENS

• Psilocybin (shrooms) --- less potent than LSD,
  shorter trip than with LSD, hallucinations more
  strongly visual, less emotionally intense and
  more euphoric than those of LSD
• DMT --- much briefer acute effects
• Harmine --- trance effects, dream-like
  hallucinations

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NOREPINEPHRINE-RELATED HALLUCINOGENS

• Mescaline --- similar effects as that of LSD,
  though hallucinations may be more sensual and
  there are fewer mood changes
• DOM --- much more potent than mescaline but far
  weaker than LSD, far higher incidence of a bad
  trip than with LSD
• MDMA (Ecstasy) --- carries the reputation of
  having the stimulant properties of amphetamines
  and the hallucinogenic qualities of mescaline

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POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF MDMA (ECSTASY)

• Hyperthermia and heatstroke
• Dehydration and electrolyte depletion
• Irregular heartbeat
• Kidney and liver failure
• Long-term neurochemical changes
• Agitation and confusion
• Depression and anxiety
• Long-term memory impairments

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ACETYLCHOLINE-RELATED HALLUCINOGENS

• Amanita muscaria mushrooms (fly agaric)
• muscle twitching, hallucinations, dizziness,
  aggressive behavior
• Atropa belladonna (atropine), mandrake, henbane,
  datura stramonium (jimsonweed)
• general sympathetic effects, bizarre
  hallucinations, disorientation

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HEXING DRUGS AND WITCHCRAFT

• Hexing drugs generally involve drugs that block
  the parasympathetic effects of acetylcholine.
• Anticholinergic drugs include atropine,
  scopolamine (also called hyoscine) and
  hyoscyamine.
• Four combinations Atropa belladonna, mandrake,
  henbane, and various species of the datura plant

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HISTORY OF PCP

• Introduced in 1963 as a surgical anesthetic
• Withdrawn in 1965 because of adverse patient
  responses
• Used as an animal anesthetic up to the late 1970s
• Classified as a Schedule I drug in 1979

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ACUTE EFFECTS OF PCP AND KETAMINE

• Manic excitement
• Depression and anxiety
• Sudden mood changes
• Disordered and confused thought
• Paranoia
• Unpredictable aggression
• Depersonalization (detachment from people)

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