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Hallucinogens. Group 6 Brian Weitz Jessica Smith Graham Proctor Darrielle Mitchell. Table of Contents. What is a Hallucinogen? Psychedelics Dissociatives Deleriants How are Hallucinogens Used? How do They Work? Short and Long-Term Effects Health Complications Quiz
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Hallucinogens Group 6 Brian Weitz Jessica Smith Graham Proctor Darrielle Mitchell
Table of Contents • What is a Hallucinogen? • Psychedelics • Dissociatives • Deleriants • How are Hallucinogens Used? • How do They Work? • Short and Long-Term Effects • Health Complications • Quiz • Links to Further Information
What is a hallucinogen? • A drug that changes perception, thought, or emotion • They also alter senses, consciousness, and may cause hallucinations. • Because this classification is too broad, there are three subgroups of hallucinogens. These are: • Psychedelics • Dissociatives • Deliriants
Psychedelics • Psychedelic drugs, also called psychoactives, include: LSD (acid), psilocybin (shrooms), mescaline (peyote), LSA, MDMA (ecstasy) and cannabis (weed). • These drugs enhance the thought process of the brain giving a “mind expanding” experience. They temporarily disable filters in the brain which usually block unimportant or unwanted thoughts from reaching the conscious mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bpZZUrMmtU
Dissociatives • Dissociatives include: phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine (an anesthetic) and dextromethorphan (DXM), nitrous oxide (laughing gas), and salvia divinorum. • These drugs block signals to the conscious mind from other parts of the brain. The loss of these senses leave the user in a dream-like state of self exploration and hallucinations. • All of the drugs listed above are legal except for PCP and can be bought in stores.
Deliriants • Deleriants (anticholinergics) are said to be ‘true hallucinogens’ because they cause a dissociation from regular consciousness • These drugs include the plants deadly nightshade, mandrake, and henbane and the pharmaceuticals diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and dimenhydrinate (Dramamine). • Anticholinergics are toxic and can cause death at high doses, as well many uncomfortable side-effects.
How are Hallucinogens Used? • In most cases they are ingested, such as LSD, Mushrooms, Peyote, and Ecstasy. • They are also commonly smoked, such as marijuana. • Other ways are by snorting or injecting. These drugs are usually crushed from a solid into a powder and then used.
How do Hallucinogens Work? • Many hallucinogenic drugs share a basic chemical structural unit the indole ring, which is found in the nervous system substance serotonin. • They tamper with the central nervous system by blocking signals from the senses and disabling filters in the brain that block unwanted or unnecessary thoughts from reaching the conscious mind. • Some hallucinogens starve the brain of oxygen.
Short-Term and Long-Term Effects • Short-Term: distortion of color, time and distance, vivid visual and audial hallucinations, impaired judgment, altered memory, problems with concentrating and communicating, and in some cases, intense fear, anxiety, and psychosis. • Long-Term: Heavy usage has shown to deteriorate the ability to reason and communicate with others. They have also been known to affect the memory. • Years after taking a hallucinogen, a flashback may occur, bringing on the same affects experienced while on the drug.
Health Complications • Increased heart rate and blood pressure, fever, dilated pupils, tremors, nausea, chills and numbness are all symptoms of hallucinogens. • Many are non-toxic or very low in toxicity, however they may starve the brain of oxygen or dehydrate the user. • Others, especially deleriants, are extremely toxic and can cause death due to overdose.
Quiz • What drugs are associated with hallucinogens? • Which type of hallucinogen is deadly? • What is one effect hallucinogens have on people? • How can LSD affect you in the future? • What is one way a hallucinogen can produce its affect ? • True of False • Non toxic hallucinogens are ok to do. • Hallucinogens make you smarter and more creative • A hallucinogen can cause someone to go psychotic. • An LSD flashback can occur to a 60 year-old man who took the drug in his 20’s.
Further Information on Hallucinogens Can Be Found at… • teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/mom_hal1.asp - 33k • www.well.com/user/woa/fshallu.htm • www.health.org/govpubs/PHD642/