Adverse Psychedelic Effects
All medicines, when administered without proper guidance can cause adverse effects. Psychedelics relative to all other medicines (see Figure 3) cause little harm. However, some adverse effects have been associated with their use[1]. Below is a list of general and then specific 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[2] 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).
Drug Specific Effects
Mescaline
Mescaline can cause stomach cramps.
References
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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