Hallucinogens are strong mood-changing drugs with unpredictable psychological effects.17 LSD, or “acid,” is sold as tablets, capsules, liquid, or on absorbent paper.18 PCP is illegally manufactured as tablets, capsules, or colored powder and can be snorted, smoked, or eaten.19 Other hallucinogens can come in many forms, including plants and cough suppressants.
Because hallucinogens alter your brain, they can affect the way you move, react to situations, think, hear and see. These drugs skew your perception of time, reality and the environment around you.20
Hallucinogens affect your self-control and emotions. They can cause you to mix up your speech, lose control of your muscles, make meaningless movements and do aggressive or violent things. These drugs can make you feel confused, suspicious and disoriented.21
Hallucinogens powerfully affect the brain, distorting the way the senses work and changing impressions of time and space. People who use these drugs a lot may have a hard time concentrating, communicating, or telling the difference between reality and illusion.22
Using hallucinogens increases your heart rate and blood pressure. This rapid increase can lead to heart and lung failure, possibly causing coma or even death. At low to moderate doses, PCP use causes breathing to become shallow, and flushing and profuse sweating occur. Generalized numbness of the extremities and loss of muscular coordination also may occur.23