Effects of PCP
One of the most unique and dangerous aspects of PCP is the wide array of unpredictable effects it can have on people. The effect depends on the amount taken, the method of taking it, and the user's mental state.
At low doses of 1 to 5 milligrams, PCP tends to act as a stimulant, causing an increase in breathing rate and blood pressure. As the effects kick in, the user's face may become flushed and sweaty. In addition, muscular coordination decreases, and parts of the user's body, especially the hands and feet, may start to feel numb.
PCP also produces a mental sense of being detached or disconnected, from one's body and environment. Most users find this effect very frightening and disturbing. For example, people may stare at their hands and not be able to recognize them as their hands. This altered awareness of the body and the feeling of dissociation, or separation from body parts, is similar to what people experience when they are put in sensory deprivation chambers. (Such chambers, also called isolation tanks, keep the body from receiving any outside stimuli. Dark and soundproof, the tanks are used by people wanting to relax, meditate, and achieve an out-of-body experience. However, some people who have used the tanks for long periods of time end up hallucinating and feeling depressed.) PCP users experience similar negative effects.
PCP use has also been described as being similar to the delirious, dreamlike state sometimes experienced during a high fever. Panic is a common response to these unpleasant feelings. Such panic frequently leads to dangerous actions that can cause serious injury to the user or other people.
Feeling No Pain
PCP users frequently display signs of confusion, a decrease in reasoning power, and poor judgment. An inability to reason properly can lead to serious accidents, especially when combined with an inability to feel pain. Individuals on PCP may injure themselves and not even feel it. There have been reports of people setting themselves on fire, banging their heads into walls, pulling out their own teeth, and gouging and cutting themselves, yet not responding to the pain. More people die as a result of the bizarre, dangerous behavior brought on by PCP use than by the drug's effects on the body itself.
The most frightening stories about PCP intoxication—losing physical and mental control—are those that involve people who explode into violent behavior. They may feel that they have super-human strength or that other people are plotting against them. Because they are temporarily numb to pain, PCP users may aggressively attack large groups of people or even armed police. People have jumped from windows or cliffs, believing that nothing can hurt them.
Hospital records show instances of normally peaceful individuals attacking their families because of some paranoid delusions brought on by PCP. In most cases, however, extremely violent behavior due to PCP use is more likely to occur in individuals who already have a history of violence.
Mimics Mental Illness
On a chemical level, PCP affects behavior by acting on substances in the brain called neurotransmitters. Alterations in neuro-transmitter levels often result in extreme mood swings, emotional instability, and an inability to organize thoughts logically. PCP scrambles the normal transmission of information in the nerves that run to and from the brain. Scientific studies on animals have shown that the change in brain chemistry typically caused by PCP is similar to changes caused by schizophrenia, a serious mental illness. A person who is suffering from schizophrenia, like a person who has taken PCP, may experience hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and confused thinking.
The effects of PCP are felt most rapidly when the drug is smoked—usually within minutes of the first inhalation. The high typically peaks within thirty minutes and wears off after four to six hours. If the drug is swallowed, the effects are not felt as quickly, but they take longer to subside. Generally, it takes about twenty-four hours for someone who has taken PCP to begin to feel normal again. PCP remains in the body tissues for considerably longer than most other drugs, making it especially dangerous.
Higher Doses
At higher doses, from 5 to 15 milligrams, PCP begins to act like a depressant. The side effects become more numerous. The NIDA research report "Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs" notes that PCP's "sedative and anesthetic effects are trance-like." Users remain conscious but are barely able to move or speak. Blood pressure usually drops, although in some cases it may surge even higher. The pulse rate also decreases, and breathing becomes shallower. Nausea, vomiting, wheezing, and drooling may occur as well.
Some users run a fever, accompanied by dizziness, shivering, blurred vision, and jerky movements of the body. Spasms and secretions in the lungs can affect the breathing process. Muscles often become so rigid that the body may take on strange poses. Users' eyeballs may flick up and down in rapid, uncontrolled movements. At this dosage level, users typically lose the ability to feel pain. They may also find it difficult to remember simple information about themselves or even recognize familiar surroundings.
At very high doses of 15 milligrams or more, PCP can cause users to act very much like schizophrenics. They may actually hear voices threatening them with death. As the heartbeat becomes irregular and blood pressure shoots up and then falls back down, seizures, convulsions, or coma may result. If a user's body temperature reaches 108°F, he or she runs the risk of permanent damage to the liver, kidneys, or brain.
The Have I Got A Problem website is a free online resource to help people better understand any issues or concerns they may have about mental health or addiction. The website includes resources specifically focused to; general Mental Health, Depression, Stress, Anxiety, Insecurities, Self-harm Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Anger Management, Eating Disorders, Coping, general Addiction, Alcohol, Smoking, Gambling, Drugs, Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana (Cannabis) Ecstasy, PCP, Mephedrone, Ketamine & Crystal Meth.
The site was created to give the public information to help them understand mental health and addiction issues and to assist people in making better informed decisions about their life and personal choices.
www.haveigotaproblem.com was created and is run by 'Advising Communities’, which is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1061055)
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