The natural hallucinogen mescaline is found in some Mexican cacti. As a drug, a synthetic compound having a similar structural formula is used.
Mescaline as a drug
Synthetic analogue of mescaline is a psychotomimetic poisonous hallucinogenic substance, when it enters the body it destroys the psyche, leads to a disruption of communication with reality, unpredictability of behavior.
Mescaline refers to alkaloids phenylethylamines - compounds exhibiting high physiological activity. Substances of this group in their structure coincide with the predecessors of hormones, neurotransmitters.
In mescaline there is a similarity in structure with dopamine, serotonin - catecholamine neurotransmitters. Synthetic pills Mescaline has an LSD-like effect on the human psyche, is listed in the register of prohibited psychotropic substances in many countries, refers to as LSD, psilobicin, to serotonergic hallucinogenic drugs.
Mechanism of action
Mescaline penetrates the blood-brain barrier into the brain, acts on neurons, disrupts transmission of nerve impulses, renders:
- hallucinogenic;
- psychotic effect.
The psychoactive compound begins to function 40-90 minutes after ingestion, the elimination half-life is between 6 and 12 hours.90% of the drug is excreted within 24 hours.
The peculiarity of serotonin 5 HT2A receptors is the ability to exert not only a stimulating effect on the brain under the action of mescaline, but also the properties of the inhibitor.
Interaction with serotonin receptors affects:
- on the nerve centers responsible for behavioral reactions, emotions;
- smooth musculature of the digestive tract, bronchi;
- the balance of hormones, increasing, including, the synthesis of prolactin, cortisol;
- platelet capacity for aggregation;
- degree of narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels.
Mescaline affects sensory sensations, causing distortion of the real world picture. The use of the drug changes the visual, auditory perception, distorts the sense of smell, taste. The main influence of mescaline on the visual and orbitofrontal cortex of the brain.
Basic data on the drug Mescaline:
Action on the orbitofrontal cortex
Orbitofrontal cortex is located in the frontal lobes of the brain, responsible for the ability to learn, adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Intervention in the work of this section of the cerebral cortex disrupts the complex abilities of the brain, it is difficult for a person:
- to analyze information;
- to think logically;
- to regulate emotions;
- to choose from several solutions the most accurate.
Orbitofrontal cortex is associated with a striped body - the basal nucleus of the brain, which regulates muscle tone. In the striped body are the neurons, their long processes associated with skeletal mice, internal organs, which have a relaxing effect on them.
Under the influence of mescaline, a nerve impulse is disrupted, it is noted:
- increased muscle tone, convulsions;
- simplification of movements;
- inability to acquire new motor skills.
Action on the visual cortex
By binding to serotonin receptors of neurons, mescaline affects the impulses in the visual cortex, in which information from the outside world is processed.
The visual series breaks up into an alternating kaleidoscope of brightly colored spots, patterns, shapes, simple fractals, acquires volume.
Effect of
The use of mescaline acts on the autonomic nervous system, causing abdominal pain, redness of the skin in this area, nausea, vomiting. Nausea in addicts taking mescaline, and noted some time after using the drug.
The fact that hallucinations appear with closed eyes indicates a significant damage to the brain structures responsible for perception of visual images.
Light is perceived more brightly, faces become shiny, saturated colors. The effect of mescaline can be synesthesia - a phenomenon in which an object or a condition is endowed with features that are not characteristic of it in reality.
This effect occurs as a result of the irritation of several sensory areas in the brain simultaneously. So, music can have a smell, letters - take a three-dimensional form, color, taste. The various sensory sensations that arise in the chaotic excitation of the brain were adopted in the last century by drug addicts for the "expansion of consciousness".
Artists, writers used this property to spur fantasy. In fact, the high appreciation that a person gives to his work under the influence of a drug is in most cases erroneous, the "masterpiece" is recognized as untenable and destroyed by the creator himself.
Mescaline affects the mood, the brightness of emotions. Harm of tablets is that emotions are disinhibited, acquire a multi-layered character, change very quickly.
The man then laughs, then cries, then trembles with fear. His speed of thinking changes. It accelerates, evokes a sense of detachment, of its separation from the world.
On the video, a person under Mescalin describes his state:
Negative trip
Quickly changing sensory impressions, emotions( trip) can be both euphoric and intimidating. With a bad mescaline trip, a person experiences anxiety, he has the most bizarre fears.
So, a person can be afraid of himself, his reflection in the mirror, ordinary objects take an awesome mystical meaning. Negative trip can be accompanied by repetitions, when one and the same action is done again and again, for hours, painstakingly drawing out a line on the canvas, or repeating the same phrase.
Man is overwhelmed by monstrous working capacity, when, as it seems, the concept of time disappears. The patient works for hours, completely without feeling tired. Distortion of perception exaggerates the scale of what was done, slyly forcing the "creator" to consider his creations as genius.
Dependence formation
Mescaline is not considered a strong drug, does not cause persistent physical addiction. But mental dependence develops quickly enough, differs stability. In addition, with constant use of mescaline develops tolerance - it is required to constantly increase the dose of the drug to achieve a positive mescaline trip.
The peculiarity of the drug is that after a while the tolerance to it completely disappears, and the dependence on the psychedelic mescaline is predominantly psychic.
The patient is attracted by the richness of emotional experiences that he feels when taking a drug. The nature of the experiences does not necessarily have to be positive. The brightness of the experiences makes the patient again and again seek an emotional shake-up, even of a negative quality.
Imperceptibly for a person, the circle of his interests narrows, confining himself to the illusory world in which he is the center of the universe, the genius creator, the ruler of the world.
Intelligence, the memory of the patient thus little suffer, which creates the illusion of the safety of the "easy" drug. Drug addicts in every way resist treatment. Often he is not even able to realize that the psychedelic occupies too much space in his life, displacing, as a matter of undesirable attachment to the family, hobbies, work.
Symptoms, symptoms of use
The first sign of eating a psychedelic mescaline is usually a joyful animation, an uncharacteristic openness to the person, a desire to share joyful feelings. In addition to changes in mood, objective physiological changes are noted.
In the first 10 minutes after the administration of mescaline in the body of the patient:
- dilates the pupils;
- changes the body temperature - there is a feeling of fever or chills;
- coordination is disrupted;
- is intensified by sweating;
- appears tremor of the extremities;
- increases heart rate;
- increases blood pressure;
- there is nausea.
After 20-30 minutes, the patient under mescaline has dry mouth, vomiting, suddenly headache, there is a sense of anxiety, panic. The patient loses orientation in space, time, connection with reality, he may have suicidal thoughts or, on the contrary, develop euphoria.
Consequences of
In case of an overdose of mescaline, lengthening the duration of the drug, increasing effects, developing psychoses, increasing the risk of death. Drug use deprives a person of the ability to think analytically, to logical reasoning.
The world around seems unreal, non-existent. With long-term use of mescaline develop:
- isolation on unreal sensations, isolation of personality;
- loss of contact with others, family;
- depression;
- deterioration of immunity, the emergence of internal somatic diseases.
The reception of hallucinogens provokes illogical actions, asocial behavior, causing harm to someone else's property, health. Under the influence of psychedelics there are suicidal tendencies, aggression directed at themselves or others.
A dangerous consequence of taking mescaline can be death due to an overdose. Although this psychedelic does not apply to potent drugs, the dose that addicts use to reach a trip is 200-500 mg, which is close enough to a lethal dose of 800 mg mescaline.
Treatment of dependence
With intravenous drug use it is useless to do gastric lavage, to try to clean the intestines with an enema. No home methods help a patient with a psychedelic poisoning is impossible.
If you have symptoms of overdose, you should immediately call an "ambulance".Prior to the arrival of an expert in narcology, the patient should be monitored, without letting go for a moment out of sight. It is necessary to provide him with a calm environment, to adjust to a positive attitude towards what is happening, to try to convince that the symptoms of the disease will disappear after treatment.
With prolonged hallucinations lasting more than 12 hours, medical treatment is medicated:
- is administered intravenously with lorazepam, tranquilizers are given diazepam, phenazepam.
- is immersed in drug-induced sleep with barbiturates.
- is administered antipsychotic haloperidol;
- put a dropper with ammonium chloride, vitamin C.
Mescaline poisoning is manifested by intense excitation, unpredictable behavior, a violation of understanding of what is happening. Without treatment, there is a risk of suicide or death of the patient through negligence.