Other Drug Addictions

Other Drug Addictions

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Hallucinogens, PCP, Inhalants, Steroids

Dextromethorphan (DXM)

What is DXM?
DXM is in a class of drugs known as dissociative anesthetics. Many of these have powerful psychedelic effects at sufficiently high doses. Coincidentally, DXM also suppresses the cough reflex. This is why a powerful psychedelic is sold legally OTC in pharmacies and grocery stores throughout the US, and many foreign countries. DXM is one of the main ingredient in most cough syrups sold today. High doses of DXM have been reported as the cause in several deaths across the U.S.

Unlike opiates, relatively few find DXM appealing recreationally. According to William White’s data, 1/3 of all who ever try DXM recreationally hate the effects, 1/3 are indifferent and feel there are better drugs to have fun with, and only 1/3 actually enjoy DXM enough to use it repeatedly. There are at least several reasons for this. One is that about 7% of all Caucasians (the rate varies with other ethnic groups) have a genetic mutation known as CYP2D6 deficiency. This is a liver enzyme that is critical in metabolizing DXM. It turns out if you are one of the unlucky 1 in 14 or so that have this mutation, DXM at recreational doses will likely be an unpleasant, psychotic nightmare. Other reasons are that the effects of DXM are not what many want in a drug, nasty side effects, unpleasantness of drinking cough syrup, and other downsides. These factors, and the availability of better drugs on the street, have kept DXMs recreational use relatively low.

How does DXM affect the brain and body?
The effects of DXM are not really like any other psychedelic drug. The closest comparisons would be to other dissociative anesthetics, such as ketamine or PCP. DXM is closer to ketamine in effects, but can be quite different. The effects of DXM tend to be substantially different than other psychedelics, such as those in the serotonergic subclass (LSD, magic mushrooms, DMT, etc.). Drugs in both the dissociative anesthetic subclass and the serotonergic subclass cause hallucinations and altered states of consciousness, but in qualitatively different ways.

DXM is peculiar in that unlike most drugs, where higher doses just cause stronger effects, DXM is different. For most people, DXM exhibits "plateaus" where at increasingly higher doses the overall effect of the drugs changes dramatically. Within a given plateau, higher doses mean stronger effects. DXM users recognize four actual plateaus, based on dosage.

What are the possible consequences of DXM use and abuse?
The recreational use of DXM can be very dangerous. Using DXM with other medications can be extremely dangerous and possibly fatal. These drugs include: MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor), the antidepressants Desyrel (trazodone) or Serzone (nefazodone), the antihistamine terfenadine (Seldane), SSRI antidepressants, Tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, or the diet drugs phentermine and fenfluramine. Taking DXM with MDMA ("Ecstasy") could result in hyperthermia and hospitalization. DXM has been shown to exaggerate the symptoms of many mental disorders and has been shown to be psychotomimetic, causing psychosis-like symptoms.

Help! I have a loved one that needs help with his or her addiction to DXM.
Many individuals have approached their loved one regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success. It may be helpful when talking with your loved one, to have a third party present that is professionally trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse.
Addiction Intervention Resources moves your family out of crisis and assists in addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.

CLICK HERE for more information on addiction-related crisis interventions.

LSD & other hallucinogens

What are hallucinogens?
Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations - profound distortions in a person's perceptions of reality. Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist.

LSD (“lysergic acid diethylamide”) is the drug most commonly identified with the term "hallucinogen" and the most widely used in this class of drugs. It is considered the typical hallucinogen, and the characteristics of its action and effects described apply to the other hallucinogens, including mescaline, psilocybin, and ibogaine.

LSD, commonly referred to as "acid," is sold on the street in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form. It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste and is usually taken by mouth. Often LSD is added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares, with each square representing one dose.

How do hallucinogens affect the brain and body?
Hallucinogens cause their effects by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord, the serotonin system is involved in the control of behavioral, perceptual, and regulatory systems, including mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception.

What are the possible consequences of hallucinogen use and abuse?
The effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount taken; the user's personality, mood, and expectations; and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user feels the first effects of the drug 30 to 90 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors.

Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user may feel several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations. The user's sense of time and self changes. Sensations may seem to "cross over," giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be frightening and can cause panic.

Users refer to their experience with LSD as a "trip" and to acute adverse reactions as a "bad trip." These experiences are long - typically they begin to clear after about 12 hours.

Some LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and despair while using LSD. Some fatal accidents have occurred during states of LSD intoxication.

Many LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person's experience, without the user having taken the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. Flashbacks usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an underlying personality problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses.

Help! I have a loved one that needs help with his or her addiction to a hallucinogen.
Many individuals have approached their loved one regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success. It may be helpful when talking with your loved one, to have a third party present that is professionally trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and addiction.

Addiction Intervention Resources moves your family out of crisis and assists in addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.

To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here

PCP

What is PCP?
PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Use of PCP in humans was discontinued in 1965, because it was found that patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. PCP, known for its bizarre and volatile effects, is illegally manufactured in laboratories and is sold on the street.

PCP is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. PCP can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illegal drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It is normally used in one of three ways: snorted, smoked, or eaten. For smoking, PCP is often applied to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana.

How does PCP affect the brain and body?
PCP is addicting; that is, its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior.
At low to moderate doses, physiological effects of PCP include a slight increase in breathing rate and a more pronounced rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. Respiration becomes shallow, and flushing and profuse sweating occur. Generalized numbness of the extremities and muscular incoordination also may occur. Psychological effects include distinct changes in body awareness, similar to those associated with alcohol intoxication. Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development as well as with the learning process.

At high doses of PCP, there is a drop in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, flicking up and down of the eyes, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). Psychological effects at high doses include illusions and hallucinations. PCP can cause effects that mimic the full range of symptoms of schizophrenia, such as delusions, paranoia, disordered thinking, a sensation of distance from one's environment, and catatonia. Speech is often sparse and garbled.

What are the possible consequences of PCP use and abuse?
PCP was first introduced as a street drug in the 1960s and quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause bad reactions and was not worth the risk. Many people, after using the drug once, will not knowingly use it again. Yet others use it consistently and regularly. Some persist in using PCP because of its addicting properties. Others cite feelings of strength, power, invulnerability and a numbing effect on the mind as reasons for their continued PCP use.

Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP's unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal, and are very dangerous to themselves and to others. They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone.

People who use PCP for long periods report memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use. Mood disorders also have been reported. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose.

Help! I have a loved one that needs help with his or her addiction to PCP.
Many individuals have approached their loved one regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success. It may be helpful when talking with your loved one, to have a third party present that is professionally trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and addiction.

Addiction Intervention Resources moves your family out of crisis and assists in addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.

To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here

Inhalants

What are inhalants?
Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that produce psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. A variety of products commonplace in the home and in the workplace contain substances that can be inhaled. Many people do not think of these products, such as spray paint, glues, and cleaning fluids, as drugs because they were never meant to be used to achieve an intoxicating effect. Yet, young children and adolescents can easily obtain them and are among those most likely to abuse these extremely toxic substances. Parents should monitor household products closely to prevent accidental inhalation by very young children. Inhalants fall into the following categories:

• Solvents: paint thinners or solvents, degreasers, dry-cleaning fluids, gasoline, glue, correction fluids, felt-tip-marker fluids, and electronic contact cleaners
• Gases: butane lighters and propane tanks, whipping cream aerosols or dispensers (“whippets”), refrigerant gases, spray paints, hair or deodorant sprays, fabric protector sprays, ether, chloroform, halothane, and nitrous oxide ("laughing gas")
• Nitrites: cyclohexyl nitrite (available to the general public), amyl nitrite (available only by prescription), and butyl nitrite (illegal substance).

How do inhalants affect the brain and body?
Although they differ in makeup, nearly all abused inhalants produce short-term effects similar to anesthetics, which act to slow down the body's functions. When inhaled via the nose or mouth into the lungs in sufficient concentrations, inhalants can cause intoxicating effects. Intoxication usually lasts only a few minutes. However, sometimes users extend this effect for several hours by breathing in inhalants repeatedly. Initially, users may feel slightly stimulated. Successive inhalations make them feel less inhibited and less in control. If use continues, users can lose consciousness.

What are the possible consequences of inhalant use and abuse?
Sniffing highly concentrated amounts of the chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can directly induce heart failure and death within minutes of a session of prolonged use. This syndrome, known as "sudden sniffing death," can result from a single session of inhalant use by an otherwise healthy young person. Sudden sniffing death is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols.

High concentrations of inhalants also can cause death from suffocation by displacing oxygen in the lungs and then in the central nervous system so that breathing ceases. Deliberately inhaling from an attached paper or plastic bag or in a closed area greatly increases the chances of suffocation. Even when using aerosols or volatile products for their legitimate purposes (i.e., painting, cleaning), it is wise to do so in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.

Chronic abuse of solvents can cause severe, long-term damage to the brain, the liver and the kidneys. Harmful irreversible effects that may be caused by abuse of specific solvents include: hearing loss, limb spasms, central nervous system or brain damage, liver and kidney damage and blood oxygen depletion. Additionally, abuse of amyl and butyl nitrites has been associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), the most common cancer reported among AIDS patients.

Help! I have a loved one that needs help with his or her addiction to inhalants.
Many individuals have approached their loved one regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success. It may be helpful when talking with your loved one, to have a third party present that is professionally trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and addiction.

Addiction Intervention Resources moves your family out of crisis and assists in addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.

To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here

Steroids

What are steroids?
Anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. "Anabolic" refers to muscle-building, and "androgenic" refers to increased masculine characteristics. "Steroids" refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also used to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Abuse of anabolic steroids, however, can lead to serious health problems, some irreversible.

People most often abuse anabolic steroids to enhance athletic performance and to improve physical appearance. Anabolic steroids are taken orally or injected, typically in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as "cycling"), rather than continuously. Cycling involves taking multiple doses of steroids over a specific period of time, stopping for a period, and starting again. In addition, users often combine several different types of steroids to maximize their effectiveness while minimizing negative effects (referred to as "stacking").

What are the possible consequences of steroid use and abuse?
The major side effects from abusing anabolic steroids can include liver tumors and cancer, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other side effects include kidney tumors, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender-specific side effects:

• For men--shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, and an increased risk for prostate cancer.
• For women--growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, and a deepened voice.
• For adolescents--growth halted prematurely through premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes. This means that adolescents risk remaining short the remainder of their lives if they take anabolic steroids before the typical adolescent growth spurt.

In addition, people who inject anabolic steroids run the added risk of contracting or transmitting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis, which causes serious damage to the liver.

Scientific research also shows that aggression and other psychiatric side effects may result from abuse of anabolic steroids. Many users report feeling good about themselves while on anabolic steroids, but researchers report that extreme mood swings also can occur, including manic-like symptoms leading to violence. Depression often is seen when the drugs are stopped and may contribute to dependence on anabolic steroids. Users may suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility.

Help! I have a loved one that needs help with his or her addiction to steroids.
Many individuals have approached their loved one regarding his/her drug addiction, with no success. It may be helpful when talking with your loved one, to have a third party present that is professionally trained and knowledgeable about drug abuse and addiction.

Addiction Intervention Resources moves your family out of crisis and assists in addressing your loved one’s drug addiction.

To read more information on our Drug Intervention Program, Click Here or call our National Call Center 800.561.8158