Chapter 15: Hallucinogens, PCP, and Ketamine Flashcards
Explain the difference between psychedelic and hallucinogenic.
Psychedelic is the term most often used by recreational users of hallucinogenic drugs and by individuals who use the drugs to have a spiritual or mystical experience. Hallucinogenic is the term used in the modern pharmacological literature instead of psychedelic.
What are hallucinogenic drugs?
Hallucinogenic drugs are substances that have the primary effect of causing perceptual and cognitive distortions. They do not cause a state of toxic delirium. Many are plant compounds.
What is LSD?
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a synthetic compound with a high psychoactive potency. It was unintentionally created in a lab by Albert Hoffmann in 1938 while developing analeptic drugs.
Describe how hallucinogenic drugs are consumed.
Most are orally active, have a slow onset of action and a long time course of action.
What are the historical therapeutic uses of LSD?
- treating alcohol dependence
- psycholytic therapy (promoting the release of repressed memories)
- psychedelic therapy
What are the psychological effects of LSD?
- feelings of depersonalization
- a euphoric state or an anxious/fearful state
- disruption of logical thought
What are the phases of a LSD trip?
- Onset: starts about 30-60 minutes after administration. Visual effects.
- Plateau: lasts about 2 hours. Visual effects become more intense and time feels slower.
- Peak: starts about 3 hours in and lasts 2-3 hours. Time feels suspended and feel as if in another world. See bizarre and distorted images.
- Comedown: lasts 2+ hours. Drug effects go away.
What are the physiological effects of LSD?
- activation of the sympathetic nervous system
- pupil dilation
- small increase in heart rate
- small increase in blood pressure
- small increase in body temperature
- dizziness
- nausea and vomiting
What are the two categories of hallucinogens?
- indoleamine
2. phenethylamine
What are indoleamine hallucinogens?
Hallucinogens that have a structure similar to serotonin. This group includes LSD, psilocybin, and synthetic tryptamine hallucinogens. They are a serotonin receptor agonist, have a high affinity, and are relatively nonselective.
What are phenethylamine hallucinogens?
Hallucinogens that have a structure similar to norepinephrine. This group only includes mescaline and the NBOMes (from the textbook). They are a serotonin receptor agonist and only bind with high affinity to the 5-HT2A receptors.
Why do LSD trips last so long?
When LSD binds to the receptor protein it becomes temporarily trapped within the binding-pocked by a lid-like structure.
What receptor does Salvinorin A act on?
Salvinorin A acts on the kappa-opioid receptor as an agonist.
What brain areas and mechanisms cause the effects of hallucinogenic drugs?
The specific brain areas and mechanisms responsible for the production of hallucinogenic drug effects are not yet fully understood. However, EEG studies have shown that hallucinogens disrupt the normal electrical oscillations measured in the cerebral cortex.
Explain tolerance and hallucinogenic drugs.
Most hallucinogenic drugs produce rapid tolerance with repeated use. This phenomenon has been linked primarily to 5-HT2A receptor down-regulation. Hallucinogens are not dependence forming or addictive for most users.
