Hallucinogenic Drugs and Their Negative Impact on the Brain

Hallucinogens are illegal drugs, which have a sizable quantity of psychoactive things that produce hallucinations. The effects of hallucinogens are highly variable, unreliable and also unpredictable due to the significant variations in amount and composition of active compounds. Hallucinogenic drug abuse can be dangerous due to their unpredictable nature.

Ignorant of unpleasant and undesireable effects of Hallucinogenic drugs on brain, many people are getting addicted to this harmful drug. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), more than 1.1 million persons aged 12 or older used hallucinogens for initially in 2008. Hallucinogenic drugs can be broadly classified into three categories based on the impact on the human brain. They are Psychedelics, Dissociatives, and Deliriants.

Psychedelics

Psychedelic drugs alter a user's perception of reality. A few of the samples of this category are LSD (lysergic acid diethylamine), Mescaline (peyote), and MDMA (Ecstasy) etc. These drugs cause their effects by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter'Serotonin '. The Serotonin is distributed throughout the spinal cord and brain and is connected with the control of mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, sensory perception and muscle control. The effectation of these drugs may be intense but brief for some, but it can last for hours or days in some people.

Dissociatives

Dissociative drugs, since the name itself suggests, detaches or dissociates a person's feelings from reality. A few of the drugs in this category are PCP (phencyclidine), Ketamine (anesthetic), Dextromethorphan (DXM), Nitrous Oxide etc. This class of drugs work by functioning on the neurotransmitter'Glutamate ', that will be one of the neurotransmitters connected with the perception of pain, environmental awareness, memory and learning.

Deliriants

Deliriant drugs are believed to induce delirium in the abuser's brain. A few of the common drugs in this category include Nightshade, Mandrake, Henbane, Datura as well as Diphenhydramine (Benedryl). Deliriants act on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, in charge of the stability of the mood. Delirium causes disorientation and confusion helping to make the abuser feel completely disconnected from the surroundings. Deliriants produce effects similar to that particular of Dissociatives, but are extremely toxic in high doses and also can cause overdose deaths.

All hallucinogens restrict the normal operation of the neurotransmitters in the brain. Different types of hallucinogens produce similar psychological effects, nevertheless they differ in intensity, time taken to create effect and how long the effectation of the how to smoke dmt lasts. Hallucinogenic drug abusers can experience'Flashbacks ', a spontaneous recurrence of same effects even without utilizing the drug. Flashbacks occur suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a couple of days as well as years after having a hallucinogen.

Remember, they are the negative aftereffects of hallucinogenic drugs only on the brain. Along with these psychological effects, it causes many physical effects including dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heartbeat and blood pressure, appetite loss, sleeplessness, tremors, headaches, nausea, sweating, heart palpitations, blurring of vision, memory loss and trembling etc.