LSD and hallucinogens
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20882/adicciones.460Keywords:
LSD, hallucinogenic substances, flashbacks, persistent perception disorder due to hallucinogenic substancesAbstract
Objective: to review LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs from a historical, cultural, and pharmacological perspective and with a view to the clinical and particularly psychiatric consequences derived from their use. Results: data contributed by the PNSD reveal that more than 2% of the Spanish population admit to having consumed this substance that acts on the serotoninergic, dopaminergic, and glutaminergic neurotransmission systems. LSD and its analogues have been used as experimental psychotomimetics, although there are several disadvantages associated with them (rapid tolerance to subjective effects and visual hallucinations) that reduce the credibility of the hallucinogenicpsychedelic model of the schizophrenic syndrome. The most frequent psychiatric adverse effects that appear following LSD use-abuse are: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, perception disorders (persistent perception disorder due to hallucinogenic substances, flashbacks), and psychotic disorders. Treatment for these adverse effects is symptomatic, with anxiolytic and antipsychotic drugs being the most widely used. Finally, insofar as the potential therapeutic use of this substance both in psychedelic therapies and in alcoholism is concerned, few repercussions are found in both cases. Conclusions: LSD and other hallucinogenic drugs are substances used for recreational purposes, but that are not exempt of the potential to provoke psychiatric injury that can be prevented and adequately treated.References
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