PCP (Phencyclidine) - Effects on the Body
Effects on the Body
One of the most unique and dangerous aspects of PCP is the wide array of unpredictable effects it can have on people. The effect depends on the amount taken, the method of taking it, and the user's mental state.
At low doses of 1 to 5 milligrams, PCP tends to act as a stimulant, causing an increase in breathing rate and blood pressure. As the effects kick in, the user's face may become flushed and sweaty. In addition, muscular coordination decreases, and parts of the user's body, especially the hands and feet, may start to feel numb.
PCP also produces a mental sense of being detached, or disconnected, from one's body and environment. Most users find this effect very frightening and disturbing. For example, people may stare at their hands and not be able to recognize them as their hands. This altered awareness of the body and the feeling of dissociation, or separation from body parts, is similar to what people experience when they are put in sensory deprivation chambers. (Such chambers, also called isolation tanks, keep the body from receiving any outside stimuli. Dark and soundproof, the tanks are used by people wanting to relax, meditate, and achieve an out-of-body experience. However, some people who have used the tanks for long periods of time end up hallucinating and feeling depressed.) PCP users experience similar negative effects.
PCP use has also been described as being similar to the delirious, dreamlike state sometimes experienced during a high fever. Panic is a common response to these unpleasant feelings. Such panic frequently leads to dangerous actions that can cause serious injury to the user or other people.
Feeling No Pain
PCP users frequently display signs of confusion, a decrease in reasoning power, and poor judgment. An inability to reason properly can lead to serious accidents, especially when combined with an inability to feel pain. Individuals on PCP may injure themselves and not even feel it. There have been reports of people setting themselves on fire, banging their heads into walls, pulling out their own teeth,
and gouging and cutting themselves, yet not responding to the pain. More people die as a result of the bizarre, dangerous behavior brought on by PCP use than by the drug's effects on the body itself.
The most frightening stories about PCP intoxication—losing physical and mental control—are those that involve people who explode into violent behavior. They may feel that they have super-human strength or that other people are plotting against them. Because they are temporarily numb to pain, PCP users may aggressively attack large groups of people or even armed police. People have jumped from windows or cliffs, believing that nothing can hurt them.
Hospital records show instances of normally peaceful individuals attacking their families because of some paranoid delusionsFalse, unshakable beliefs indicating severe mental difficulties; 'delusiona' refers to the inability to distinguish between what is real and what seems to be real. brought on by PCP. In most cases, however, extremely violent behavior due to PCP use is more likely to occur in individuals who already have a history of violence.
Mimics Mental Illness
On a chemical level, PCP affects behavior by acting on substances in the brain called neurotransmittersA substance that helps spread nerve impulses from one nerve cell to another.. Alterations in neuro-transmitter levels often result in extreme mood swings, emotional instability, and an inability to organize thoughts logically. PCP scrambles the normal transmission of information in the nerves that run to and from the brain. Scientific studies on animals have shown that the change in brain chemistry typically caused by PCP is similar to changes caused by schizophrenia, a serious mental illness. A person who is suffering from schizophrenia, like a person who has taken PCP, may experience hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and confused thinking.
The effects of PCP are felt most rapidly when the drug is smoked—usually within minutes of the first inhalation. The high typically peaks within thirty minutes and wears off after four to six hours. If the drug is swallowed, the effects are not felt as quickly, but they take longer to subside. Generally, it takes about twenty-four hours for someone who has taken PCP to begin to feel normal again. PCP remains in the body tissues for considerably longer than most other drugs, making it especially dangerous.
Higher Doses
At higher doses, from 5 to 15 milligrams, PCP begins to act like a depressant. The side effects become more numerous. The NIDA research report "Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs" notes that PCP's "sedative and anesthetic effects are trance-like." Users remain conscious but are barely able to move or speak. Blood pressure usually drops, although in some cases it may surge even higher. The pulse rate also decreases, and breathing becomes more shallow. Nausea, vomiting, wheezing, and drooling may occur as well.
Some users run a fever, accompanied by dizziness, shivering, blurred vision, and jerky movements of the body. Spasms and secretions in the lungs can affect the breathing process. Muscles often become so rigid that the body may take on strange poses. Users' eyeballs may flick up and down in rapid, uncontrolled movements. At this dosage level, users typically lose the ability to feel pain. They may also find it difficult to remember simple information about themselves or even recognize familiar surroundings.
At very high doses of 15 milligrams or more, PCP can cause users to act very much like schizophrenics. They may actually hear voices threatening them with death. As the heartbeat becomes irregular and blood pressure shoots up and then falls back down, seizures, convulsions, or coma may result. If a user's body temperature reaches 108°F, he or she runs the risk of permanent damage to the liver, kidneys, or brain.
Addiction and Withdrawal
PCP is an addictive substance, meaning that repeated use is habit-forming. The body becomes dependent on the drug. If the user fails to get a dose, the body will react with withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is the physical and mental effects that the user experiences when he or she stops taking the drug.
Withdrawal symptoms include aggressive behavior, depressionA mood disorder that causes people to have feelings of hopelessness, loss of pleasure, self-blame, and sometimes suicidal thoughts., anxiety, trembling, lack of emotion, upset stomach, and cold sweats. Regular PCP use causes addicts to develop a tolerance to the drug. This means that the user must take higher and higher doses of the drug to produce the original effect or high experienced. This makes it extremely easy for a long-term user to end up overdosing.
PCP can bring on some of the longest-lasting toxic reactions caused by any street drug. Deaths from overdoses are usually attributed to respiratory failure, meaning the user stops breathing. Death may also result from heart attacks, strokes, seizures, or damage to the vital organs from high fever. In addition to deaths from overdose, there is also a high risk of death resulting from dangerous behavior carried out in highly unstable mental states.
Bad Trips and After shocks
Users of all types of hallucinogens sometimes speak of having a "bad tripAn intense and usually very visual experience produced by an hallucinogenic drug.," or a very negative, nightmarish experience with the drug. Anyone using PCP is at significant risk of having a bad trip. Reactions can include intense fear and panic, paranoia, delirium, and feelings of being cut off from one's own body and from reality in general. The most likely candidates for bad trips are people who have previously experienced them or people who do not realize they are taking PCP. Those taking a very impure product or an extremely large dose are also at great risk for a bad trip. Such experiences can cause lasting psychological problems.
Regular use of PCP leads to many physical and mental health problems, including loss of memory, depression, mood disorders, difficulty forming thoughts and speaking, weight loss, rage, and suicidal thoughts. The "memory loss and depression may persist for as long as a year after a chronic user stops taking PCP," according to the "Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs" report. Some researchers suggest that the long-term problems with memory, speech, and thought may be caused by small strokes brought on by PCP use. The effects of the drug greatly increase the likelihood of a stroke. It causes blood vessels in the brain to constrict, or get smaller, while simultaneously sparking a dangerous rise in blood pressure.
People who use PCP can experience "aftershocks." These events are similar to the flashbacks that sometimes occur in users of LSD and other hallucinogens. An aftershock can hit weeks or even months after a user's last dose of PCP. Plus, it can happen to someone who has taken the drug only once. In an aftershock, some or all of the drug's effects are felt again, even though no fresh dose was taken. This occurs because PCP can be stored in the body in areas such as the liver and brain that are high in fat. The stored PCP can be released from these areas by chemical changes in the body that occur due to stress, fatigue, exercise, or the use of certain drugs.
Additional Dangers
If a pregnant woman takes PCP, the drug will pass from her bloodstream into the baby's system. A baby whose mother was addicted to PCP may show signs of withdrawal from the drug soon after birth. These symptoms include irritability, nervousness, and muscle tension. Babies who are breast-fed are also at risk if their mothers use PCP. The drug will quickly pass into the mother's milk and be transmitted to the child when it nurses.
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