Adverse Psychedelic Effects
Psychedelics, like any other medicine can cause adverse effects[1]. These negative effects have been shown to be potentiated by[2]:
- Lack of dose knowledge
- Unguided settings
- Pre-existing mental illness
Below is a list of general and then specific potential adverse effects to psychedelics.
General Psychedelic Adverse Effects
Flashbacks
A flashback in the context of psychedelics refers to the drug-like effects that can spontaneously recur following hallucinogen exposure. Symptoms include vision changes, mood changes, and derealization/depersonalization. Whilst uncommon[3] they have been found to be transient, mostly experienced as benign and did not impair daily life.When flashbacks are more persistent and are deemed chronic in nature they are termed Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder.
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a rare clinical condition in which patients who have had previous exposure to a hallucinogenic substance continue to experience perceptual distortions months to years after complete cessation of the initial substance use. HPPD is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
Specific Psychedelic Adverse Effects
Each psychedelic has its own profile of adverse effects which are often associated with the set and setting in which they are taken. For instance:
- LSD: Adverse effects can include increased heart rate and high blood pressure.
- Psilocybin: Adverse effects can include nausea and vomiting. It may also lead to psychological effects like anxiety and paranoia.
- DMT: DMT can lead to intense hallucinations, increased heart rate, nausea and vomiting.
- MDMA: Adverse effects can include can also cause dehydration, hyperthermia, and bruxism (teeth grinding). In some cases, it can lead to more severe effects like hyponatremia (low sodium levels), however many of these effects are associated with the club / rave scene in which it is often taken.
Psychedelic Adverse Effect Resistance
By taking psychedelics within the correct set and setting, many adverse effects can be avoided[1], however it has been found that there are certain demographics of people Age has been found to be negatively correlated with intensity of challenging experience[4]. People who do NOT score highly on neuroticism as per the big five personality traits.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Adverse effects of psychedelics: From anecdotes and misinformation to systematic science. Schlag AK, Aday J, Salam I, Neill JC, Nutt DJ. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2022;36(3):258-272. doi:10.1177/02698811211069100
- ↑ Extended difficulties following the use of psychedelic drugs: A mixed methods study. Evans, J., Robinson, O., Argyri, E., Suseelan, S., Murphy-Beiner, A., McAlpine, R., Luke, D., Michelle, K. and Prideaux, E. (2023). PLOS ONE, 18(10). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0293349
- ↑ Flashback phenomena after administration of LSD and psilocybin in controlled studies with healthy participants. Psychopharmacology volume 239, pages 1933–1943 (2022). Felix Müller, Elias Kraus, Friederike Holze, Anna Becker, Laura Ley, Yasmin Schmid, Patrick Vizeli, Matthias E. Liechti & Stefan Borgwardt
- ↑ Predicting the Intensity of Psychedelic-Induced Mystical and Challenging Experience in a Healthy Population: An Exploratory Post-Hoc Analysis. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2023; 19: 2105–2113. Published online 2023 Oct 5. Accessed on 16th October 2023 via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10561760/