special subjects
Hallucinogens
Symptoms of Hallucinogen Use
Hallucinogens cause immediate and sometimes long-term symptoms. Physical effects of hallucinogen use often include nausea and vomiting. LSD can also cause enlarged pupils, blurred vision, sweating, palpitations, and impaired coordination. Hallucinogens distort and intensify auditory and visual sensations. For example, people may feel as if they are seeing sounds and hearing colors (called synesthesias). People feel as if they are not real (called depersonalization) or are detached from their environment (called dissociation). People experience changes in moods (most often euphoria but sometimes depression), and their judgment becomes impaired. Users refer to the combination of these effects as "a trip." The actual effect can depend on the user’s mood and expectations of the "trip," ability to cope with hallucinations, and the setting in which the drug is taken. Visual hallucinations are more common with the use of psilocybin and mescaline than with LSD. For example, users who were depressed before the drug was taken are likely to feel sadder when the drug takes effect. The chief dangers of using these drugs are the psychologic effects and impaired judgment they cause, which can lead to dangerous decisions or accidents. For example, users may think they can fly and may even jump out a window to prove it. The user’s ability to cope with the visual and auditory distortions also affects the experience—or “trip.” Inexperienced, frightened users are less able to cope than someone who is more experienced and not afraid of the trip. Users under the influence of a hallucinogen, usually LSD, can become extremely anxious and begin to panic, resulting in a bad trip. They may want to stop the trip, which is not possible. High doses (overdose, greater than 0.5 mg of LSD) increase blood pressure and heart rate. Some people can develop extremely high body temperature ( Serotonin Syndrome ) because the drug impairs the ability to control body temperature. Hyperthermia can cause high fever, nausea and vomiting. Overdose is rare but can sometimes result in death. Lethal doses of LSD are estimated to be 10 mg, or approximately 200 units, of street blotter. Most cases of hallucinogen death are attributed to the synthetic hallucinogens 25I-NBOMe and 25C-NBOMe. Some users remain out of touch with reality (psychotic) for many days or longer after the drug’s effects have worn off. It is unclear if the drug use causes psychosis or simply uncovers an underlying mental health disorder. Some people—especially long-term or repeated users of hallucinogens, particularly LSD—may experience flashbacks after they stop using the drugs. Flashbacks are similar to but generally less intense than the original experience. Typically, flashbacks disappear over 6 to 12 months but can recur for years after the last use of LSD, especially in users who have an Overview of Anxiety Disorders or another mental health disorder or after the use of marijuana, alcohol, or barbiturates. 