Are You Seeking Help?
Seeking Help?
YAB
Donate

Other Drugs

Hallucinogens and inhalants are other drugs that have a potential for abuse.

Seeking Help?

Hallucinogens

The term hallucinogen refers to many different drugs, which are often called “psychedelic” drugs. While the effects of these drugs vary widely, all change the way people see, hear, taste, smell or feel, and affect mood and thought. At high doses, all may cause a person to hallucinate, or see, hear or feel things that aren’t really there.
 
Hallucinogens cause mostly psychoactive, or mind-altering, effects, which can be mild to intense. These effects can vary greatly and change dramatically over the user’s experience. Effects can range from ecstasy to anxiousness, from mild distortion of the senses to full hallucinations. Studies are being conducted on how hallucinogens and other psychedelic drugs can be used in therapeutic environments.

LSD

LSD is a man-made chemical, made from a substance found in ergot, which is a fungus that infects rye grain. LSD commonly comes as a dried solution on gelatin sheets. It is also sometimes sold as liquid, tablets, or capsules.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy, also known as molly, is a man-made drug that is commonly used in raves and night clubs. Ecstasy typically comes in powder or tablet form.

Salvia

Salvia divinorum is an herbal mint plant and a naturally occurring hallucinogen that is native to Mexico. It’s a member of the sage family, and people use it as a recreational hallucinogenic drug.

Psilocybin

Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are used for their hallucinogenic effects. They’re commonly consumed raw, dry, or combined with food.

Frequently Asked Questions

We encourage you to click through to the linked sources to find more detailed information—so you can make informed decisions about your health.

How long does the feeling last?

The effects of some hallucinogens, such as LSD, last for hours, while others, such as salvia, last only a short time.

Is it addictive?

Most people who use hallucinogens do so occasionally. Sensitivity to the drug returns if the person stops using it for a period of time, and then uses it again. Stopping use of hallucinogens does not cause withdrawal symptoms.

What are the risks?

Hallucinogens affect perception and behavior. Taking them may cause people to become disoriented, have poor judgment and take risks.

Inhalants

The term “inhalants” refers to chemical vapors or gases that produce a “high” when they are breathed in. Most of the substances used as inhalants, such as glue, gasoline, cleaning solvents and aerosols, have legitimate everyday uses, but they aren’t intended for human consumption. Inhalants are cheap, legal and easy to get. They have a high potential for abuse—especially by children and teens. In the US, inhalant abuse results in 100-200 deaths per year due to cardiac arrest. Asphyxiation, suffocation, convulsions, onset comas, and choking are also potential side effects.

Solvents

These are the most commonly abused type of inhalants. These include products like gasoline, cleaning fluids, paint thinners, glue, and markers.

Aerosol

These are aerosol cans that contain pressurized liquids or gasses. These include hair spray, spray paint, and cooking spray.

Gases

These include some medical anesthetics such as nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and gasses found in products like butane lighters and propane tanks.

Nitrites

These “poppers” are different from other inhalants in effect. Air fresheners, liquid incense, deodorizers, solvents, and nail polish removers are examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

We encourage you to click through to the linked sources to find more detailed information—so you can make informed decisions about your health.

How does it make you feel?

All inhalants are absorbed through the lungs and travel quickly in the blood to the brain. This produces an immediate and brief intoxication. Different types of inhalants produce different effects. Inhaled solvents usually produce an alcohol-like effect, but with more distortion of perception, such as the shape, size and color of objects, and distortion of time and space.

How long does the feeling last?

Several breaths of solvents will produce a high within a few minutes of use. This high may last up to 45 minutes if no more breaths are taken. Some people continue to take additional breaths to sustain the effects for several hours. As the effects wear off, the person may feel drowsy and have a hangover with a mild-to-severe headache for up to several days.

Are inhalants dangerous?

Yes. Inhalant use is dangerous in many ways. Most inhalants are highly flammable; recklessness with lit cigarettes and flames while using inhalants has caused tragic accidents. Suffocation, sudden sniffing death (heart failure), and permanent nerve damage are just a few potential side effects of inhalant use.

Seeking Help?

Get real support when you need it.

Resources

Resources for parents, teens, and kids.

Programs

Community programs to stay involved.

Calendar

Annual and current events coming up.

Scroll to Top