Hello everyone and welcome back. In our last section we had been talking about opiates, depressives, and assorted other things. In this section we move into a different type of drug and these are the hallucinogens, or what are also called the psychedelics or entheogens.

So let's provide a little background on the hallucinogens. As we can see in slide two hallucinogens have been decreasing for about the last ten years. When you look at them overall, generally, what they do is cause brain distortions. However, most hallucinogens do not cause a loss of consciousness. They have also been experiencing somewhat of a comeback in the fields of psychiatry. However, these are not used with the levels one sees out on the street. These are used at very low levels primarily to help clients gain enlightenment.

As we see in slide three, hallucinogens are naturally found in a wide variety of plants. However, they can be artificially developed. What they are ultimately designed to do is give a change in self-awareness, increase sensitivity to some sort of stimuli, and even a spiritual awakening.

Now, when you classify the neurotransmitters, as seen in slide four, they are generally categorized by the type of neurotransmitter they influence. For example, Anticholinergic like drugs, catecholamine like drugs, and Serotonin like drugs. Finally, there is another group that we group as "other" for lack of a better term is what we call psychedelic anesthetics.

So let's look at the Anticholinergic first. As we can see in slide five, they are found in Belladonna, Jimsonweed, and a wide variety of other plants. What they basically do is bind on to Ach. Receptors and block the particular site. These then influence memory, learning, and assorted other things. In high doses however, they cause paralysis of the respiratory system.

Catecholamine like drugs, as we see in slide six, is very similar to dopamine and norepinephrine. They also have a structure similar to that of amphetamines. They cause a lot of stimulatory effects and again, there are all sorts of different types. I have listed a few on the slide.

Generally, their effects as seen in slide seven, is the increase levels of serotonin and dopamine in the synaptic cleft. They will also block the reuptake or removal of these neurotransmitters. This influences neurotransmitters such as Norepinephrine. The result is you get good stimulation, a variety of sensory changes, sleep changes and emotional changes as well.

Now, there are lots of synthetics that come along that are very similar to these substances. The first one is "DOM". This is an amphetamine-like substance. It also has hallucinogen-like effects when given at high doses. Ultimately, these can cause convulsions and death. As a result they are not as popular anymore. "MDA" is what is called "the love drug." It heightens sensations to touch and assorted other things. It causes the release of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. As the dosage is increased it causes physical exhaustion and ultimately, at high doses can cause death.

Now its friend, "MDMA" called ecstasy as we see in slide nine, also have more hallucinogen effects than "MDA". It also increases levels of Serotonin, Dopamine and norepinephrine. It has more hallucinogenic effects than "MDA" and it lasts about two to six hours.

"MDMA" causes lots of different kinds of effects. It distorts the time and reality, it causes a wide variety of euphoric effects, and hyperactivity associated with the stimulation that goes along with it. It causes you to go do things for a long time. However, it also causes hyperthermia, that is, your temperature increases. There is also an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. Finally, you also get increases in muscle tension, etc. The one thing about MDMA is that it causes Serotonin receptor degradation. That is, the receptors are destroyed. This is really bad stuff and once those receptors are destroyed they basically never come back. Consequently, you are going to get long term effects. This is really bad stuff as it says here at the bottom of the screen. Unlike what you have probably heard out on the street this is not good stuff that you want to take.

MDMA is also combined with a lot of other drugs. As we can see in slide eleven, it is combined with Viagra, LSD, heroin, and a wide variety of other drugs.

PMA as we see in slide twelve is a different type of hallucinogen. Structurally, it is very similar to MDMA however, it is very toxic. It is every often taken by people who believe it is MDMA. This is really, really, bad stuff in relation to the destruction to serotonin neurons.

There is a wide variety of serotonin-like compounds and as we can see on slide thirteen, these are called the Indoleamine Psychedelics. They are basically serotonin agonists and look very much like serotonin. There are all sorts of different types which are listed here.

The first one of these is LSD. This is the most potent hallucinogen. It has been used to treat a wide variety of disorders including schizophrenia, alcoholism, and other disorders. However, the doses are at much lower levels and also under more controlled conditions than you would see out on the street. Primarily, LSD was used kind of following a Freudian model which basically wanted to help the client to understand why they have particular issues. However, as we see here they were not very effective treatments and you didn't get very good results.

The pharmacokinetics of LSD as we see on slide fifteen, are varied. It can be smoked, taken orally, or even injected. You do not need very much to have an effect. It lasts about six to twelve hours, it is metabolized by the liver and basically what it does is bind on serotonin receptors and causes surges of all sorts of sensory information. Generally, it alters signals of information coming into the brain and this causes surges of sensory information. Ultimately, LSD, like other hallucinogens can cause changes in mood and occur very rapidly, and you can also have a wide variety of effects. This includes enlightenment and even bad trips. Finally, you can also have reoccurring effects such as flashbacks.

A second major group called Psilocybin and Psilocin is basically found in mushrooms or what we also call "shrooms". The effects of these drugs last about two to four hours.

DMT as we see in slide seventeen is like LSD but has a very short duration. It causes the same effects and has been called "the Businessman's lunch break." It is metabolized by enzymes in the synaptic cleft such as MAO.

Morning Glory seeds can also have an effect and as we see in slide eighteen, you need to have quite a lot of them to have an effect. The problem is that these substances cause a wide variety of nausea, vomiting and headache. Consequently, they are not as popular as others.

Finally, there are the psychedelic anesthetics of which there are several types. There is PCP and Ketamine.

So, let's talk about PCP on slide twenty, first. Initially, PCP was developed as an anesthetic. The problem was that it was very problematic in humans in the operating room because they caused all sorts of effects and was stopped being used. However, it worked quite well with large animals and is still used.

PCP can be taken orally, inhalation, or through injection. It is easily distributed through the circulatory system and when it does get into the system it causes a wide variety of effects. This includes brain stimulation and you get major increases in Sympathetic Nervous System arousal, including blood pressure, heart rate and endocrine effects. It also shuts down pain systems and causes a wide variety of effects including hallucinations and feelings of invulnerability. A long time ago when I was in the Navy, I was on an ambulance run where I had to go pick up a person who was on PCP. When I arrived there were four Military Police, big football player types, and they were going to go get this person and put her into the ambulance. She took these four Military Police and threw them all over the place. You could just see those guys flying through the air as she just picked them up and winged them everywhere. The only reason we were able to get her into the ambulance was that they all behaved like a football team and they all jumped on her together to get her into the ambulance. It was a very interesting experience to see how powerful this drug is. People can even be shot and not feel the effects of the bullet because of the anesthetic qualities associated to the drug.

Ketatime as seen in slide twenty-two was developed to replace PCP as an anesthetic. It is odorless and tasteless and is consequently used as a date rape drug. The effects are basically very similar to PCP.

Finally, there is a drug that you may not have heard of. It is called Kinikinik. It is also called Bearberry, Rockberry, and Beargrape. It is found in shrubs and red willow and usually found throughout Idaho. Usually, this drug is smoked and creates all sorts of hallucinations. But it also causes cramping and vomiting as well.

So, in general, as one examines hallucinogens and as we see in slide twenty-four, most from a lethality standpoint are relatively safe. However, they can be very dangerous due to their unpredictability. That is, you do not know what kind of effect you are going to have. They are also, as I mentioned earlier, experiencing a research comeback in Psychiatry at low doses. They are also being used and tested in a wide variety of other countries. However, the effects of these drugs are mixed and we need a lot more research before we know if they are going to have an effect or not.

Well, that concludes this section on hallucinogens. In our next section we are going to talk about steroids. Until then, have a good day and we look forward to talking again with you soon.

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