Hallucinogens are a class of drugs that cause hallucinations or perceptual anomalies by disrupting serotonin production in the brain. There are several types of hallucinations involving sight, sound, smell, and touch. Hallucinogens can come from natural sources like mushrooms or synthetic sources and are consumed in various forms. While some hallucinogens have medical uses, adverse effects include anxiety, paranoia, and flashbacks. Treatment involves both medical and psychological approaches like reducing medication that triggers symptoms, using antipsychotics, and psychotherapy.

1. HALLUCINO
GENS

2. WHAT ARE THEY?
 Hallucinogens coined from the word hallucinations. The
word “hallucination” itself was introduced into English
Language from the derivation of the Latin word “alucinari”
meaning to wander in mind.

3. DEFINITION
 Hallucinations are sensations that appear to be real but are
created within the mind. Example include seeing things that
are not there, hearing voices or other sounds experiencing
body’s sensations like crawling feeling on the skin or smelling
odor that are not real.

4. TYPES OF HALLUCINATIONS
 VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS- involves seeing things that are
not there. For example, you might see a person who is not in
the room or flashing lights that no one else can see.

5.  AUDITORY HALLUCINATIONS- are among the most
common type of hallucinations. You might hear someone
speaking to you or telling you to do certain things.

6.  OLFACTORY HALLUCINATION: involves your sense of
smell. You might smell an unpleasant odor when waking up
in the middle of the night or feel that your body smells bad
when it doesn’t.

7. TYPES OF HALLUCINATIONS
 TACTILE HALLUCINATIONS- involve the feeling of touch or
movement in your body. For example, you might feel that
bugs are crawling on your skin or that your internal organs
are moving around. You might also feel the imagined touch of
someone’s hand in your body.

8.  Therefore, hallucinogens are a class of drugs that cause
hallucinations or they are psychoactive agents which can
cause hallucination, perceptual anomalies and other
substantial subjective changes in thoughts, emotions and
consciousness. These drugs disrupt the production of
serotonin and cause distinct changes in the way the brain
processes sensory emotion.

9. VARIETIES AND OTHER NAMES
 Hallucinogens fall into 3 main categories
 1.Deliriants
 2.Psychodelics
 3.Dissociatives

10. FORMS OF ADMINISTRATON
 Swallowing as tablet or pills
 Swallowing as liquid
 consuming raw or dried
 Brewing into tea
 Snorting
 Injection
 Inhaling
 Absorbing through the lining in the mouth using drug soaked
pieces

11. SOURCES OF HALLUCINOGENS
Hallucinogens are categorized into:
 Natural Sources
 Synthetic or Man-made Sources

12. NATURAL SOURCES
Most of the time hallucinogens are derived from plants or fungus
specifically mushrooms. For instance
 LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the most powerful mood
changing chemicals. It is a clear white odorless material made from
lysergic acid, which is found in ergot (Claviceps Purpurea) which is a
fungus the grows on rye and other grains. Other names of LSD are
Acid, Blotter, Dots and Yellow Sunshine.

13.  Mescaline derive from peyote cactus a small spineless cactum from
Lophophora Williamsii which grows in the southwestern United
States and Mexico. Others of mescaline include Buttons, Cactus.
 Psilocybin and Psilocin which come from certain mushroom notably
two Mexican species Psilocybe Mexicana and Stropharia cubensis
found in tropical and subtropical regions of South America and United
States. Other names include Little Smoke, Magic Mushroom, Purple
Passion.

14. Other hallucinogens include bufotenine, originally isolated from the skin
of toads, harmine from the seed coats of a plant in the middle east and
Mediterranean.

15. SYNTHETIC SOURCES
 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine(MDMA)
 Phencyclidine(PCP)
 Tetrahydrocannabinal(THC), the active ingredient in
Cannabis, or marijuana, obtain from the leaves and the tops
of plants in the genus Cannabia is also sometimes classified
as a hallucinogen.

16. FORMS OF HALLUCINOGENS
 Powders such as phencyclidine
 Gelatine such as LSD
 Capsules such as LSD and phenycyclidine
 Tablets and pills such as ketamine
 Liquid forms such as LSD

17. WHAT THEY ARE USED FOR
 Hallucinogens could be used for the treatment of certain
mental illness, addiction, to alcoholism and drugs.
 A hallucinogen of African origin Ibogain has been identified
for use in the successful treatment of addiction to cocaine.
MEDICALLY: A synthetic form of the active chemical in
marijuana, THC, has been approved for prescription use by
cancer patients who suffer from severe nausea after receiving
chemotherapy (treating cancer with drugs). THC is also used
to reduce eye pressure in treating severe cases of glaucoma.
PCP is occasionally used by veterinarians as an anaesthetic
and sedative for animals.
 Hallucinogens are used to directly aid patients suffering from
post traumatic stress.

18.  Hallucinogens interfere with neurotransmitters responsible for
the production of serotonin. This therefore indicates that
hallucinogens can equally act as antiemetics

19. Adverse Effects of Hallucinogens
 Unfortunately, the adverse effects of hallucinogens are not
widely documented. While the long-term health effects of
hallucinogens are not as prevalent as the effects that these
drugs have on the brain and the psychological well-being of
the user, this doesn’t mean that such drugs will not be
harmful to the health of the user. Many users experience the
following adverse health effects associated with using
hallucinogens:
 weight loss
 raised body temperature which poses dangers of dehydration
 sleeplessness or insomnia
 sweating and loss of nutrients

20.  tremors
 poisoning
 nausea
 vomiting
 dry mouth
 visual hallucinations
 artificial sense of euphoria
 distortion of one’s sense of time and identity
 impaired time perception
 fear of losing control
 panic attacks
 flashbacks
 severe terrifying thoughts and feelings.

21. TREATMENT OR REMEDY FOR
HALLUCINOGENIC ADDICTS
Treatment for hallucinogen can be categorized into two which
includes:
 Medical Base Therapy
 Psychotherapy/ Counselling

22. MEDICAL BASE THERAPY
Adjust or Reduce Parkinson Disease Medication. These
medications relieve motor symptoms such as muscle stiffener
and tremor by increasing dopamine in the brain which when in
excess triggers hallucination and delusion. The following
medication is however recommended
 Anticholinergic(ARTANE,COGENTIN)
 Amantadine
 Dopamine Agonist(MIRAPEX,REQUIP,PARLODEL)
 COMT inhibitor(COMTAN)
 Selegiline

23.  Initiation of Antipsychotic Treatment. These are agents which
balance abnormal chemical levels in the brain by reducing
excess dopamine release example
 Pimavanserin
 Closapine
 Risperidone
 Olanzipine
 Systematic Desensitization. These involves gradual
production of the amount of hallucinogen being by the
individual to wean them of the addiction while treating any
associated withdrawal symptoms such as paranoia.

24.  Hallucinogenic abuse rehabilitation is offered for a range of
Hallucinogenic drugs. Commonly abused Hallucinogens
include: Ketamine, LSD, Magic Mushrooms, DMT, MDMA,
Mescaline, PCP, Peyote and many more. Inpatient and
outpatient treatment is recommended to help treat the
underlining cause for the dependence and or addiction.
Treatment programs available in Hallucinogen rehabs are
designed specifically to assist an individual with the learning
process of addiction. Rehab also helps you with learning
more about yourself in order to put a stop to the vicious cycle
of Hallucinogenic addiction. Get the support you need to get
into recovery from Hallucinogen abuse and addiction today.

25.  Inpatient Hallucinogenic Rehab
 Inpatient treatment is a setting where an individual will stay at
the treatment center for a specific period of time, typically for
30, 60 or 90 days. Consisting of counseling, group
counseling and to change an individual’s surroundings that
were present at the time of addiction development. This is
usually best done by getting treatment out of one’s home
town. Inpatient rehab also works to treat the underlining
cause of the addiction psychological, history or
environmental. This form of treatment has the best track
record as it usually leads to lasting recovery.


26.  Outpatient Hallucinogenic Rehab
 An outpatient program allows an individual getting treatment
for Hallucinogenic abuse s to go about their life such as work,
and school. The individuals are responsible to travel to a
clinic or facility several times a week to take part in
counseling sessions and then leave, rather than living at a
facility. The problem with outpatient is that the individual is
still exposed to the environment that contributed to their
addiction to begin with. This also leaves many individuals
with addiction attempting recovery to feel like their programs
are a burden or waste of time putting their recovery in
jeopardy

27. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND
COUNSELLING
 Individual Therapy- This involves the interaction and
counselling between the hallucinogen addict and a
psychologist.
 Group Therapy. This involves at least six individual with
similar conditions being counselled on the use of
hallucinogens