Being a health care worker, the role of how substances affect the body are always fascinating and intriguing. The role of the Death Cap Mushroom, which is appropriately named, is one that is simple but can have fatal implications. In Britain, the Death Cap Mushroom is attributed to 75% of all fatalities that are caused by ingesting mushrooms (Kibby, 2006). These are deaths that are certainly avoidable, but yet continue to happen.…
your entire life or have no effect whatsoever yet you may never know. In the years of young…
Hallucinogens include drugs that are fascinating yet have alarming effects on a user. According to Gaines and Kremling (2014), “In contrast to antidepressants that make the neurotransmitter serotonin linger in the gaps between brain cells, hallucinogens push the serotonin system into overdrive. Hallucinogens amplify signals from a person’s sensory perception, distorting form and size. Users often talk about “seeing sounds,” or “hearing visual stimuli” (p. 129-130).” Hallucinogens are unlike many drugs for reasons that will be discussed in this paper. The main focus of this research paper will be on the hallucinogen called phencyclidine, or PCP.…
Permanent effects of taking hallucinogens occur in the prefrontal cortex. Our prefrontal cortex is used for a variety of complex behaviours, including planning, and greatly contributes to personality development. Hallucinogens cause disorganization of a person's capacity to recognize reality. Ingesting a hallucinogenic drug causes the user to see and hear things that don’t even exist. When on these drugs the experiences are often unpredictable and the user's personality , mood, and surroundings can be altered. Taking LSD can actually increase your blood pressure. So same as before, taking a hallucinogenic drug in some cases can make you lose a sense of reality and can cause someone to have extreme anxiety and…
The use of substances can alter the person’s state of consciousness in many ways. The depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens affect the level of consciousness in different ways due to their specific alterations in the level of brain chemistry in brain cells. When the substances taken breach the blood/brain barrier and reach the brain, they cause alteration in the normal levels and activities of neurotransmitters that include dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. Any alteration in the level and functioning of neurotransmitters can cause changes in the body chemistries that in turn can cause changes in the normal functioning of the body.…
Short term effects include the hallucinations, which normally come on within an hour and can last up to 24 hours. There aren't any definite long term effects that we know about, but one of the risks are flashbacks. A flashback is when the effect of the drug can hit you months or years later, but only last a minute or two. The flashbacks can be triggered by stress, exercise, or other drug use. Some theories suggest that flashbacks may be brought on because the brain might be damaged by LSD use, or cause it to perceive information differently, causing it to send incorrect…
When the era of the sixties is brought up, the one thing that everyone thinks of is the era of drugs and revolutions. The topic of drugs is a very complicated one, drugs are not something that has recently sprung up. They have been around in every shape and form for centuries. In particular in the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties, drugs like Lysergic Acid Diethylamide knew just as acid were being introduced to Americans. The 1960s was a time for revolutions, and drugs played a major role in this. New ways to consume and use drugs were created as people were forced to secretly buy and use them. The most intriguing part is how many scientists and psychologists were involved in the process of bringing LSD into the spotlight. The main purpose of…
There are many mentions to ancient civilizations use of hallucinogens going back as far as 5000-7000 years ago, some of the most ancient drawings/artifacts depict use of hallucinogens. Many cultures used them as a way to connect with gods, or the spirit world. Throughout the years we have synthesized many new forms of drugs and new ways of producing drugs, many of which have become illegal. In the Americas, particularly near the equator, they used peyote, a small spineless cactus that was originally made into a tea, for religious ceremonies. Psilocybin, a chemical found in certain mushrooms that is hallucinogenic has been recorded to be used by the Aztecs during…
Hallucinogens have affected music for over 100 years-- whether it was interpreted by a listener, played by a musician, or studied by a psychologist. With that said, the history of hallucinogens is not exactly lengthy, but many musicians and artists have used these psychedelics for inspiration. A musician or composer’s work while under the influence of hallucinogens is directly related to why the music sounds very different compared to music that was not created by someone who was under the influence. It’s for certain that there are many different types of hallucinogens but LSD, magic mushrooms, ecstasy, and opium are the four main hallucinogens that changed…
Hallucinogenic drugs most commonly used in the 70’s and 80’s, can cause users to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Their effects typically begin within 20 to 90 minutes of ingestion and can last as long as 12 hours. Experiences are often unpredictable and may vary with the amount ingested and the user’s personality, mood, expectations, and surroundings. The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that “users refer to LSD and other hallucinogenic experiences as “trips” and to acute adverse or unpleasant experiences as “bad trips.” On some trips, users experience sensations that are enjoyable and mentally stimulating and that produce a sense of heightened understanding. Bad trips, however, include terrifying…
Hallucinogens are a diverse group of drugs that cause an alteration in perception, thought, or mood. Hallucinations can emerge while being under the influence of some of these drugs by hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, or tasting things that do not exist. Their effects typically begin within twenty to ninety minutes of ingestion and can last as long as twelve hours (www.drugabuse.gov). The effects can include nightmarish feelings of anxiety, terrifying thoughts, and despair that include fear of insanity, death, or losing control.…
Hallucinogens act on neural points of the brain and create effects that alter perception of individuals. The dominant impacts that are produced involve mood swings, cognitive effects and perception- changing consequences. The drugs act on serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter. It also affects other areas of the brain that monitor arousal and psychological response to stress. There are several short- term and long term impacts of hallucinogens. Short- term impacts include altering vision, difficulty in hearing and development of artificial sensation that are unreal but appear to be real. The effects of hallucinogens begin within 20 minutes of consumption and last for nearly half the day. Drugs like LSD greatly affect a…
LSD, which is short for Lysergic acid diethylamide, is an example of a popular hallucinogenic drug. Research has shown that LSD leads to an “increase in brain activity, which causes the overactive imagination that many users report (Olsen).” Specifically, the increase in brain activity is caused by LSD’s ability to manipulate the chemical receptors, called serotonin receptors, in the frontal cortex of the brain. This region of the brain is responsible for controlling the human’s actions and impulses, and as a result, a hyperactive frontal cortex leads to hallucinations and “indescribable images and emotions (Olsen).” However, LSD “is also infamously known for its ‘bad trips’ which give some users feelings of panic, confusion, sadness, and scary images (Olsen).” Additionally, it is impossible to predict whether one will experience a ‘good trip’ or a ‘bad trip’. It can be concluded that most psychedelic drugs alters one’s senses and his or her ability to perceive…
The majority of the effects created by marijuana are caused by a certain ingredient called Tetrahydrocannabinol, known to most simply as THC. THC is responsible for creating the experienced feelings of giddiness and relaxation that the user is searching for.…
LSD can be administered a number of ways, the most common: orally through paper, sugar cubes, on a piece of gelatin, or by pill; intravenously; or intramuscularly. A standard dose withnoticeable hallucinogenic effects is about 100-200 ug. The intensity of the trip is proportional to the size of the dose -- it is interesting to note, though, that the duration of the trip seems to stay the same at higher doses (Freedman, 1984). The initial effects begin 20-40 minutes with a sense of euphoria and dizziness. Hallucinations then begin to occur, with the trip peaking for 4-5 hours after about an hour since the drug is taken. LSD is best described as a drug that strikes down barriers. The person who uses LSD is likely to feel detached from his/her ego, and can cross between states of consciousness. The user 's perceptions are altered,…