PCP (Phencyclidine) - Reactions with Other Drugs or Substances

Reactions with Other Drugs or Substances

PCP is a powerful and dangerous drug when used alone. Among hard-core drug users, however, PCP is often used along with other drugs, both legal and illegal. Popular "club drugs" such as ecstasy and ketamine are closely related to PCP and are sometimes taken with it. The combination intensifies the effects of each of the drugs taken. PCP forms an especially deadly mixture when taken with sedatives, or depressants, such as alcohol, nitrous oxide, and tranquilizers. (Entries on these drugs are available in this encyclopedia.) A user's body can quickly become overwhelmed by the onset of a double sedative effect, and the chance of an overdose increases dramatically. Overdose symptoms in such cases would involve seizures, convulsions, coma, and respiratory failure.

PCP is often applied to marijuana or used along with marijuana. PCP may interact with THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, to produce a more intense and dangerous high.