AKA: Acid, Shrooms, Boomers, Moon
Hallucinogens are drugs that distort the way users perceive reality, including time, motion, colors, sounds, and self. They can cause a user to see, feel and hear things that don’t exist, making it hard to communicate or think clearly. Hallucinogens work by disrupting how nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin interact throughout the brain and spinal cord.
Types of hallucinogens:
LSD: an odorless, colorless chemical that comes from ergot, a fungus that grows on grains.
Mushrooms (Psilocybin): psilocybin is the hallucinogenic chemical found in approximately 190 species of edible mushrooms.
Mescaline: occurs naturally in certain types of cactus plants, including the peyote cactus.
What are the risks?
By changing the normal, healthy structure of serotonin in the body, hallucinogens twist and alter the way the brain processes senses, feelings and visual information, loosening a users grip on reality. This distortion of time, motion, colors, sounds, and self could lead to psychosis, panic attacks, and intense emotional mood swings.
What are the long-term effects?
Because hallucinogens disturb the normal functioning of the brain, they put users at a risk of developing long-lasting psychosis or mental disorders. Psychotic-like episodes can occur long after use and can cause respiratory depression and heart rate abnormalities.
Keep in mind
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Information provided the Medina County ADAMH Board website is not intended to keep anyone from seeking medical treatment under the advice and care of their doctor. A variety of substances offer medicinal value, but it is necessary to understand their risks when abused and within reach of those who have not been diagnosed or prescribed.
