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Hallucinogens
Australian Drug Foundation © 2005
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What are hallucinogens?
Hallucinogenic drugs, also known as "psychedelics", are drugs that change the way a person perceives the world. Hallucinogens affect all the senses, altering a person's thinking, sense of time and emotions.
They can cause a person to hallucinate—to see or hear things that do not exist or are distorted.
There are many different kinds of hallucinogens. Some occur naturally, in trees, vines, seeds, fungi and leaves. Others are manufactured in laboratories.
Some examples of hallucinogens include:
- LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
- magic mushrooms (psilocybin)
- morning glory seeds
- datura
- mescaline (peyote cactus)
- PCP (phencyclidine)
- ketamine
- ecstasy (MDMA and related drugs, in high doses)
- cannabis (in high quantities).
How are they used?
Naturally occurring hallucinogens have been used since ancient times, by various cultures throughout the world, for their mystical and spiritual associations.
Hallucinogens became fashionable in the United States and Europe in the 1960s, when many young people were pursuing greater personal freedom and questioning old values and ideas.
Generally, people who use hallucinogens don't take them on a regular basis, but on occasions that may be weeks or months apart. This may be because the effects require a long recovery time or because the pleasurable effects are unpredictable.
Medicinal uses
Some hallucinogens are used in clinical medicine. For example, ketamine is sometimes used in medical and veterinary settings as a short-acting anaesthetic.
In the 1950s and early 1960s, LSD was unsuccessfully trialled in some countries as a treatment for a range of psychiatric and other disorders.
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
LSD is produced by processing a substance found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye. It is a highly potent drug, so only very small doses are usually taken.
Street names
Acid, trips, microdots, dots
What does it look like?
In its pure state, LSD is a white, odourless powder. It usually comes in the form of squares of gelatine or blotting paper that have been impregnated with the drug. LSD is also sold in liquid form, or as tablets or capsules.
How is it used?
LSD is usually swallowed, sniffed, injected or smoked.
PCP (phencyclidine)
PCP is a dissociative anaesthetic. It was originally trialled with humans before being limited to use as an anaesthetic in veterinary medicine.
Street names
Angel dust, peace pill
What does it look like?
In its pure state, PCP is a white crystalline powder. It usually comes in the form of pills, capsules or powders of various colours.
How is it used?
PCP is usually swallowed, sniffed or injected. It is sometimes also sprinkled onto tobacco or cannabis and smoked.
Magic mushrooms (psilocybin)
There are several varieties of magic mushrooms: "golden tops", "blue meanies" and "liberty caps" are some of the types found in Australia that have the active ingredient psilocybin.
Street names
Shrooms, mushies, magics, golden tops, blue meanies, liberty caps
What does it look like?
Magic mushrooms look much like ordinary dried mushrooms, or they come as a powdered material in capsules. Synthetic psilocybin appears as a white crystalline powder that may be formulated into tablets or capsules, or dissolved in a liquid.
How is it used?
Magic mushrooms are usually eaten fresh, cooked or brewed into a "tea". Occasionally, they may be mixed with tobacco or cannabis and smoked.
It is easy to mistake poisonous mushrooms for those containing psilocybin. Certain kinds of poisonous mushrooms can cause death or permanent liver damage within hours of ingestion.
Ketamine
Ketamine hydrochloride is a dissociative anaesthetic that is sometimes used in medical and veterinary settings. Dissociative anaesthetics can make a person feel as though they are detached from reality.
Street names
Special K, K, ket, kitkat, super K
What does it look like?
Ketamine is a white crystalline powder that can be made into tablets or pills, or dissolved in liquid.
How is it used?
Ketamine is usually swallowed, snorted or injected. It is also sometimes smoked with other substances such as cannabis or tobacco.
Mescaline
Mescaline is a naturally occurring hallucinogen that comes from the peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii. It can also be produced synthetically.
What does it look like?
In its pure state, mescaline sulphate is a white crystalline powder. Synthetic mescaline may appear in powder form and in various colours. Dried, ground peyote buttons are usually in the form of capsules.
How is it used?
Mescaline is usually swallowed. Peyote buttons are sometimes chewed, or ground and smoked.
Other hallucinogens
Some of the other types of hallucinogens include those that naturally occur in a range of plants such as Atropa belladonna (the "deadly nightshade") and Datura stramonium, and the seeds of some plants in the Convolvulaceae family (morning glory seeds).
Cannabis and ecstasy can also have hallucinogenic effects.
Cannabis
In low doses, cannabis is a depressant drug that slows down the body's systems. Very strong cannabis preparations or larger quantities of cannabis can cause mild hallucinogenic effects.
More on cannabis
Ecstasy (MDMA and related drugs)
The drug known as ecstasy is similar to both amphetamines and hallucinogens in chemical structure and effect. Ecstasy can have hallucinogenic properties when used in high quantities.
More on ecstasy
Effects of hallucinogens
The effects of any drug (including hallucinogens) vary from person to person. How hallucinogens affect a person depends on many factors, including the person's size, weight and health, how much and how the drug is taken, whether the person is used to taking it and whether other drugs are taken.
The effects of hallucinogens also depend on the environment in which the drug is taken and the mood and expectations of the person taking it. For example, whether the person is in a good mood or feeling anxious, is alone, with others or at a party.
More than any other drug, the effects of hallucinogens vary greatly from person to person, and from occasion to occasion. It is hard to know how the hallucinogenic experience, or "trip", will turn out and if someone will experience the adverse effects of hallucinogens (a "bad trip").
Immediate effects
The effects of hallucinogens can last several hours and vary considerably depending on the specific type of hallucinogen. Some of the typical effects of hallucinogens include:
- blurred vision
- increased breathing rate
- euphoria
- sense of relaxation and feeling of wellbeing
- hallucinations and distorted sensory processing, including visual, auditory, body, time and space perception
- disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining attention
- anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic
- dizziness
- impaired coordination
- increased heart rate and blood pressure
- nausea and vomiting
- increased body temperature and sweating; may alternate with chills and shivering
- numbness.
"Bad trips"
Sometimes a person may experience the adverse and negative effects of hallucinogens and have what is called a "bad trip".
They may experience strong feelings of anxiety, paranoia, panic or fear. The hallucinations can be unpleasant, such as feeling like insects are crawling on the skin, or they can be so intense that the person feels they are losing control.
Feelings of panic, paranoia and fear can lead to risky behaviour that can cause injury, such as running across a busy street or jumping out of a window.
The reasons for "bad trips" are not known. Usually, the negative feelings disappear when the drug wears off. However, there have been reports of people experiencing hallucinations, bizarre behaviour and paranoia for several days after taking the drug. Occasionally, these effects can last weeks or even months.
Long-term effects
The most consistent long-term effect of hallucinogen use is the flashback. Days, weeks or even years later, some people re-experience the effects of the drug. The person may see intense colours and experience hallucinations. Flashbacks can be triggered by the use of other drugs, or by stress, fatigue or physical exercise. The flashback experience can range from being pleasant to producing severe feelings of anxiety. They are usually visual and last for a minute or two.
Long-term, frequent use of some hallucinogens may impair aspects of memory and selected cognitive functions. It may also be linked to personality and mood changes.
Some people may experience a "drug-induced" psychosis after using hallucinogens. This can occur after a single dose or after chronic use, and is characterised by hallucinations, delusions and bizarre behaviour. These episodes may last several hours, or longer for some people.
Higher doses and overdose
Higher doses of hallucinogens can increase the immediate negative effects.
Deaths exclusively from acute overdose of LSD, magic mushrooms and mescaline are extremely rare. Deaths generally occur due to suicide, accidents and dangerous behaviour, or due to the person inadvertently eating poisonous plant material.
A severe overdose of PCP and ketamine can result in respiratory depression, coma, convulsions, seizures and death due to respiratory arrest.
Tolerance, dependence and withdrawal
Tolerance to the euphoric and psychedelic effects of hallucinogens develops rapidly if taken repeatedly over several days. Any tolerance developed quickly goes away once regular use is stopped.
People who regularly use hallucinogens may develop a psychological dependence. They may find they feel compelled to use hallucinogens to function effectively or feel good in certain situations—such as at a party.
Generally, there is little evidence that people experience physical withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop taking hallucinogens.
Treatment options
A number of drug treatment options are available in Australia.
Some programs aim solely for the person to achieve a drug-free lifestyle, while others recognise abstinence as one option among a number of strategies that have the overall aim of reducing harm and the risks related to a person's drug use.
Treatment is more effective if tailored to suit a person's circumstances, and usually involves a combination of methods. Different options include counselling, group therapy, pharmacotherapy and withdrawal programs.
For referral to a treatment service, contact the alcohol and drug information service in your state or territory.
More on treatment
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Many drugs can cross the placenta and have effects on the unborn child.
The use of LSD and other hallucinogens appears to be linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and birth complications. There may also be a higher incidence of birth defects among babies born to women using LSD.
If a mother continues to use hallucinogens while breastfeeding, it is possible that the drug will be present in her milk and may have adverse effects on the baby.
Check with your doctor or other health professional if you are taking or planning to take any substance during pregnancy, including prescribed and over-the-counter medications.
More on alcohol, other drugs and pregnancy
Hallucinogens, hepatitis and HIV
Sharing needles, syringes and other injecting equipment can greatly increase the risk of contracting bloodborne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus—the virus that causes AIDS).
The alcohol and drug information service in your state or territory can provide information on where to obtain clean needles and syringes.
Reducing the risks
Australian drug policy is based on harm minimisation. The aim is to reduce drug-related harm to both the community and individuals who use drugs. Harm-minimisation strategies range from encouraging "non-use" through to reducing the risk for people who use drugs.
- If someone is having a "bad trip" they need to be reassured and calmed until the immediate effects have passed, although this can take many hours.
- Move and speak calmly and in a confident manner, address the person by name to remind them who they are and tell them who you are.
- Make sure the person and all the people around them are safe and, if possible, don't leave them alone.
What to do in a crisis
If someone has an adverse reaction while using hallucinogens, it is very important that they receive professional help as soon as possible. A quick response can save their life.
- Call an ambulance. Dial 000. Don’t delay because you think you or your friend might get into trouble. Ambulance officers are not obliged to involve the police.
- Stay with the person until the ambulance arrives. Find out if anyone at the scene knows mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
- Ensure adequate air by keeping crowds back and opening windows. Loosen tight clothing.
- If the person is unconscious, don't leave them on their back—they could choke. Turn them on their side and into the recovery position. Gently tilt their head back so their tongue does not block the airway.
- Provide the ambulance officers with as much information as you can—what hallucinogens were taken, how long ago, and any pre-existing medical conditions.
Remember, there is no safe level of drug use.
More information