Preface:
Precautions, Adverse Reactions, and Side Effects of Hallucinogen Use
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Every substance, whether it is legal or illegal, has a unique pharmacology. Therefore, it is difficult to broadly describe the precautions, adverse reactions, and side effects for every drug classified as a hallucinogen. We will briefly go over some of them, that apply broadly to most hallucinogens. It is always advisable that, before you ever consider taking in particular substance, you do some research to find out it's specific drug interactions, side effects, and possible adverse reactions.
Pre-existing Mental Illness or Instability
If you have a pre-existing mental illness, like an anxiety disorder, using a hallucinogenic drug could exacerbate the problem. It could possibly aggravate pre-existing conditions, causing them to become more severe mental disturbances. Some believe that use could also cause people to experience their mental illness at an earlier age or that it could provoke a relapse in a person that has previously suffered a psychotic disorder or a major depression (Inaba, 2000). Now, this is not to say that is true with everyone, or every drug classified as a hallucinogen, but it is something to consider before you trip.
Drug Interactions
It is important to understand how the drugs that you are currently on, like psychiatric medications, could possibly interact with and have an effect on the hallucinogens you are about to take. It is difficult to broadly describe all of the possible drug interactions, you'll need to research this on a case by case basis. (Ayahuasca MAOI Food and Drug Interactions)
Side Effects
There many different side effects that are possible depending on the hallucinogen you take. Some are increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, nausea, acute anxiety reactions, teeth grinding/jaw clinching, muscle spasms, uncoordinated movements, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and more (NIDA, 2008). According to NIDA (2008):
Unpleasant adverse effects as a result of the use of hallucinogens are not uncommon—one of the reasons is that there are often a large number of psychoactive ingredients in any single source of hallucinogen.
- LSD. The effects of LSD depend largely on the amount taken. LSD causes dilated pupils; can raise body temperature and increase heart rate and blood pressure; and can cause profuse sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.
- Peyote. Its effects can be similar to LSD’s, including increased body temperature and heart rate, uncoordinated movements (ataxia), profound sweating, and flushing. The active ingredient mescaline has also been associated, in at least one report, to fetal abnormalities.
- Psilocybin. It can produce muscle relaxation or weakness, ataxia, excessive pupil dilation, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness. Individuals who abuse psilocybin mushrooms also risk poisoning if one of the many existing varieties of poisonous mushrooms is incorrectly identified as a psilocybin mushroom.
As with drug interactions, it is difficult to broadly describe all of the possible side effects that could take place with the use of hallucinogens. You'll need to research this on a case by case basis.
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) and Flashbacks
The American Psychiatric Association (2000), in the DSM-IV-TR, explained that the "essential feature" of Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is "...the transient recurrence of disturbances in perception that are reminiscent of those experienced during one or more earlier Hallucinogen Intoxications." Halpern (personal communication, July 14, 2007) explained that the term flashback is often used interchangeably with HPPD but flashback "...only describes the remembrance of the experience; HPPD refers to not just a 'flashback' [but] a constellation of unsettling symptoms associated with it."
Halpern (personal communication, July 14, 2007) explained that, " Most typically, it is LSD that can cause HPPD after one use. Indeed, almost (but not all) people with HPPD report that symptoms started after LSD. There may very well be something unique about LSD and HPPD but I also believe that there is probably something different in the visual cortex of these individuals that pre-date use of an hallucinogen. Careful neurological assessment is important because there are other disorders that may explain what is happening wrong. Quite often, though, people will describe seeing "floaters" in their field of vision as a child and/or that they had visual disturbances (such as micropsia or extreme photo-sensitivity) that also predated first use of a hallucinogen. So, while there may be something about LSD and HPPD, there may also be somethings that are unique to this population of users, as well. I suspect, however, that an extremely ill-prepared person who has issues of need for too much control in his/her personality and has an anxiety-filled traumatic bad trip that afterwards leaves the person convinced that they damaged their personality/their brain permanently - even without a history of visual disturbances pre-dating hallucinogen use - such a person may come to meet criteria for HPPD." So, this means that Trip Preparation and Integration are very important when trying to combat the risk of HPPD. Halpern also explained that statistically, usually only "1 in 50,000 people" develop HPPD and it is most typically caused by the use of LSD.
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