Author: Gary Jackson

Hallucinogen Effects Short- and Long-Term Side Effects

However, (2R,6R)-HNK does not appear to be as potent as ketamine in relieving the behavioral changes induced by chronic social defeat in mice (Yang et al., 2017), suggesting the involvement of both NMDAR-dependent and -independent pathways. Ketamine induces both synaptic and structural plasticity in the hippocampus, mPFC, and lateral habenula (Li et al., 2010, 2011; Yang et al., 2018b; Moda-Sava et al., 2019), involving signaling pathways that control protein synthesis (Li et al., 2010; Autry et al., 2011), such as the mTORC1 pathway. Indeed, increasing evidence suggests that activation of mTORC1 is a critical mechanism underlying the antidepressant action of ketamine and its metabolite (2R,6R)-HNK (Workman et al., 2018; Zanos and Gould, 2018).

However, it is unclear if this was due to direct effects of ayahuasca or a result of participants’ underlying psychiatric disorder and/or medication. No difference in adverse effects was found between participants who used antidepressants and those who did not (31 participants reported using antidepressant medication). However, the combination of MAOIs, such as that found in ayahuasca, with SSRIs has the potential to lead to serotonin syndrome (Gillman, 2010), highlighting the importance of educating ayahuasca drinkers of this potential risk. Further research is required because the exact knowledge of what causes a challenging experience and who is susceptible to these experiences remains scarce. Importantly, there were no sex differences, and increased age and experience with the drugs was related to slightly less intense effects.

Marijuana and hallucinogen use among young adults reached all time-high in 2021

The effects of psychedelics are not universally euphoric (and can be dysphoric), tolerance develops quickly, cannot be overcome by dose escalation and there is no known withdrawal syndrome (Rucker et al., 2018), indicating a low risk of dependence in line with current DSM-V diagnostic criteria. One explanation for these differences is that psychedelic administration produces a period of behavioral flexibility in which new coping strategies can be learned. These animal studies suggest that psychedelic-assisted therapy may become a powerful tool for treating psychiatric and cognitive disorders, as the timing and the environmental context of administration are relevant for psychedelic therapeutics.

Some former LSD users report experiences popularly known as flashbacks; this phenomenon is called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, or HPPD, by physicians. These episodes are spontaneous, repeated recurrences of the sensory distortions that were originally produced by LSD. The experience may include hallucinations, though usually the flashbacks are visual disturbances such as seeing false motion, trails attached to moving objects, or bright or colored flashes.