ingestion are chewing or eating dried plants or
mushrooms or drinking liquid brewed from them.
The potency and effect of natural hallucinogens
are unpredictable.
Other Drugs with Hallucinogenic EffectsMany substances can generate hallucinatory expe-
riences, particularly when taken in high doses.
Hallucinations, especially visual, are common with
abuse of many types of AMPHETAMINESand NAR-
COTICS. Among such drugs are
- METHYLENEDIOXYMETHAMPHETAMINE(MDMA), better
known by its slang name ecstasy, a popular
amphetamine-based club drug that produces a
combination of euphoria and excitation - KETAMINE, an anesthetic agent seldom used for
ANESTHESIAin people because it produces hallu-
cinations and sometimes DELIRIUM - PHENCYCLIDINE (PCP), a veterinary anesthetic
agent that produces intense hallucinations,
DELUSION, delirium, and other psychoactive
responses in people
These drugs also produce primary effects such
as CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMstimulation, analgesia
(PAINrelief), and anesthesia (unawareness of sen-
sation). When used as drugs of abuse, the overall
effects are often unpredictable. Illicit chemists
often mix different drugs together to create varia-
tions of these drugs, which are particularly harm-
ful because their actions are unknown in such
combinations.
COMMON HALLUCINOGENS
alpha ethyltryptamine (AET) bufotenine
diethyltryptamine (DET) dimethyltryptamine (DMT)
KETAMINE lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
mescaline peyote
PHENCYCLIDINE(PCP) psilocybin
See also CLUB DRUGS;ILLICIT DRUG USE; HYPNOTICS;
NEURON; NEUROTRANSMITTER; SCHEDULED DRUGS; SUB-
STANCE ABUSE PREVENTION; SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREAT-
MENT.
hangover Unpleasant physical symptoms that
occur as a toxic reaction after excessive consump-
tion of ALCOHOL. These symptoms are most promi-
nent immediately on waking in the morning and
may include- significant HEADACHE
- NAUSEA
- VOMITING
- dizziness and VERTIGO
- PHOTOPHOBIA(aversion to bright light)
Though many remedies profess to prevent or
cure hangover, the only prevention is avoiding
excessive alcohol consumption and the only cure
is time. The folk remedy of consuming an alco-
holic drink to relieve hangover does not really end
the hangover but instead induces mild INTOXICA-
TION. In a person who is addicted to alcohol (ALCO-
HOLISM) this restores the effect of alcohol on the
balance of neurotransmitters in the BRAIN. How-
ever, hangover is an indication that the LIVER’s
METABOLISMof alcohol has not been able to keep
pace with the body’s consumption, allowing
higher concentrations of aldehyde (a toxin that is
the first step of alcohol metabolism) to circulate in
the BLOOD. There is some evidence that the herb
MILK THISTLE(silymarin) improves liver function so
the liver can more efficiently metabolize alcohol.
See also DETOXIFICATION; LIVER DISEASE OF ALCO-
HOLISM; WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME.hashish See CANNABIS.hash oil See CANNABIS.heroin A narcotic DRUGderived from morphine.
Widely used to relieve PAINwhen it first became
available in the early 1900s, heroin even appeared
in over-the-counter pain remedies (as did other
OPIATES) marketed to relieve various aches and dis-
comforts. Today, however, heroin has no thera-
peutic uses and is a schedule 1 drug in the United
States, making it legally available only for clinical
research. Heroin has very high risk for DEPENDENCE
and ADDICTION; heroin addiction presents signifi-
cant health and social problems in the United
States and throughout the world.
Heroin absorbs poorly through the gastroin-
testinal mucosa; thus its classic method of admin-
istration is intravenous injection (injected with a338 Substance Abuse