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Effects of hallucinogen drugs on the brain
History of hallucinogenic drugs
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Recommended: Effects of hallucinogen drugs on the brain
Hallucinogens are drugs that are known to cause halluciantions. These are distortions is a persons sense of reality. When a person suffers from these, they can see images, hear and feel sensastions that they think are real but are not really there.
These types of drugs can cause mood swings also. A persons heart rate and blood pressure can increase and a person can even have convulsions or seizures if these drugs are used at a high dose.
The effect of these drugs can very from users and its effects depends on how much is taken, their mood and if the drug is combined with another drug or alcohol.
Hallucinogens have been around for thousands of years. Some cultures even use plants to these states of confusion and detach a person from reality. The plants contain a chemical compound that is similar to serotonin and the effects produced disrupt the normal functioning of the brain system.
The most common hallucinogen is LSD. This is a synthetic compound that is manufactured anywhere. Other hallucinogens are MDMA, PCP, Ketamine and DXM.
These can mimic neurotransnitters in...
... in the action of hallucinogens has provided a focal point for new studies. Is there a prototypic classical hallucinogen? Until we have the answers to such questions, we continue to seek out the complex relationship between humans and psychoactives.
Some of these side effects can include dry mouth, insomnia, fatigue, increased appetite, constipation and agitation. Relapse is also very common after discontinuing use of antidepressants causes the brain to push back even more against the neurotransmitters in the brain. It is also said that antidepressants were found to kill neurons which in turn can lead to cognitive decline and developmental problems. Another big label of “danger” on antidepressants is the “Black Box” warning. This is a warning that comes on many antidepressants that warn about the potential increase of suicidal thinking and behavior. This is the most serious type of warning when it comes to prescription drugs. There are many other negative effects from antidepressants but these can all be avoided with proper use of the medicine. When patients feel as though they have to depend on these medications, it can lead to an overdose which can be extremely dangerous. Side effects of OD can be delirium, rapid pulse, cardiac arrhythmias, coma, and even death. However, I am on antidepressants myself, and have been for the last year. I have never experience any of these life altering side effects, just the same side effects that could come from taking your everyday over the counter Tylenol. Just like the Black Box warning from earlier states, it is all prescription drugs, not just
A hallucination is defined as a sensory perception in the absence of an externally generated stimulus (4). They are different from illusions in that in an illusion an external object actually exists and is perceived, but is misinterpreted by the individual (4). Main forms of hallucinations are be visual, auditory, and olfactory, but since we have been discussing vision and interpretation of reality lately this paper will focus only on those that are visual. And I will attempt through the examination of two different types of visual hallucinations - release hallucinations and those experienced by schizophrenics - to make an argument for brain equals behavior.
A psychedelic drug is one that alters the brains perception and cognition. Drugs of this sort can cause visual hallucinations. People have said it feels as though everything is alive, breathing, dancing. Of course, like any drug, there is the possibility of having a “bad trip.” This is where things seemingly go wrong. The person tripping feels trapped, frightened, and extremely uncomfortable. The
The medication given to the children is a trial and error situation. The right drug could take years to find. The children taking this drug feel like test subjects when their pediatrician/psychotherapists must monitor them for compliance to the medication. Side effects differ from each individual, ranging from nervous breakdowns, inadequacy, mania, delusions, physical harm, self harm and possible attempted suicide. These symptoms can be treated with even more medication. Other side effects include: headache, stomach ache, dry mouth, constipation, gas, weight loss/gain, and acne. These symptoms might go away or are tolerable. New symptoms are hard to determine whether or not they are due from a new illness, the drugs, or just natural hormone development.
LSD stands for Iysergic acid diethylamide. LSD is a hallucinate know to be the most powerful drug of this kind. LSD is commonly known as acid. This drug changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where at high doses hallucination occurs. Acid is derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is semi-synthetic. It’s manufactured chemically in illicit laboratories, except for a small percent, which is produced legally for research.
Smoking DMT is a life changing event. Although it is highly illegal, it is also harmless and produced naturally within the brain. Sadly, many people have never even heard of DMT, and therefore may be highly uninformed of the drug, if they know anything about it at all. Also, due to it being illegal, it is very hard for research to be done on the drug. DMT is no ‘party drug’; it is absolutely not to be used simply for the purpose of ‘tripping out’. It is to be used for a spiritual experience, to become one with the universe, and truly find yourself.
After doing a little research I have come across a very interesting topic which is Fear-Induced Hallucination. What this paper is going to focus on is How Sleep Paralysis Triggers Hallucination. After researching, I learned that hallucination actually starts during an episode of sleep paralysis. As stated in the textbook, sleep paralysis is often compared to being an evils work of art. It results from some errors of the neural transmission in the brain during REM sleep. Also, during a frightening state of sleep paralysis, one experiences total body immobility and cannot speak or move besides little eye movements and respiration.
Psychedelics have always been a controversial subject in the world of drugs because they have the ability to alter one’s perception of reality. L.S.D, MDMA, and psilocybin are three of the main types of psychedelics on the drug market, all three of which are listed as schedule 1 by the DEA. A schedule 1 drug is considered to have a high addiction risk, has no medical value whatsoever, and is illegal to have in your possession. A schedule 2 drug is considered to have the potential for both medical purposes, and abuse. A schedule 3 drug is considered safe for medical use and can only be prescribed by a doctor. I however, believe that psychedelics should be reconsidered for at least schedule 2 as studies have shown an increase in the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy and can even help the terminally ill come to terms with their own deaths.
Native Americans are probably the people most known for their use of psychedelic drugs. Being a very religious people, their entire society revolved around the spirit world, and some believed that access to this world was possible by eating certain plants that were abundant in their surroundings. In what are now Mexico and the Southwestern United States, tribes familiarized themselves with mescaline, the active ingredient in the peyote cactus. Another drug that was used by tribes in these and many other areas was psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic ingredient of the mushroom Psilocybe mexicana and other psilocybe and conocybe species that grow on the pacific coast of North, South, and Central America. Ritual use of psilocybin and mesca...
There are many side effects and concerns associated with this drug. GHB affects the release of dopamine in the brain, usually causing effects ranging from relaxation to sleep at low doses. Overall the effect is similar to that of alcohol. The difference is that duration is slightly longer and the hangover effects are slightly less and the unpleasant and dangerous overdose effect of possibly causing temporarily unrousable sleep, or coma, ...
Others are made in laboratories by mixing different chemical substances. LSD or acid is one of the most common, well-known hallucinogens. Psilocin or Psilocybin mushrooms, Mescaline or Peyote, MDMA, Bufotenine, Morning Glory seeds, Jimson weed, PCP and DMT are less common psychedelics with effects similar to LSD. PCP and Ketamine are drugs with hallucinogenic properties. Some drugs, such as cannabis, can cause hallucinogen-like effects when used in high doses or in certain ways.
In early man's search for food, he tried all kinds of plants. Some nourished him, some he found cured his ills, and some killed him. A few had strange effects on his mind and body, seeming to place him in a foreign world. These plants are called hallucinogens, because they distort the senses and usually produce hallucinations. Although, most hallucinations are visual, some involve hearing, touch, smell, or taste. Occasionally several senses are effected.
These natural chemicals play a role in normal brain development and function.” National institute on drugs abuse, March 2016 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana