Dissociative Drugs: What Are They and Are They Dangerous?

Dissociative drugs are a type of drug that makes a person feel disconnected or disassociated with their body. While they’ve been used for religious rituals for hundreds of years, these days, people often take them in order to escape their surroundings and the reality of life.

However, is abusing this type of drug safe? In order to understand that, it’s first important to understand more about how dissociative drugs work.

What Are Some Common Dissociative Drugs?

While there are many different dissociative drugs in the world, the four most common ones are PCP, Ketamine, DXM, and Salvia divinorum.

PCP – With nicknames like rocket fuel and embalming fluid, this drug has a dangerous reputation. It was created in the 1950s for use as a general anesthetic, but quickly emerged as a dissociative drug.
Ketamine – While this drug is nicknamed Special K or vitamin K, there’s no part of it that’s good for your body. Its intended purpose is to be a anesthetic for humans and animals, but many people abuse it.
DXM – Ordinarily, DXM is a cough suppressant and expectorant used in cold medicine. However, it can be abused if too much is taken at one time.
Salvia divinorum – This is a psychoactive plant that grows in southern Mexico as well as South and Central America. It’s also known as diviner’s sage or magic mint and can be ingested by chewing leaves of the plant.

How Do Dissociative Drugs Work in the Body?

As a dissociative drug enters your body, it disrupts the activities of a brain chemical known as glutamate. Glutamate is essential for mental processes such as cognition, learning, memory, emotion, and how you perceive pain.

This is what causes the memorable side effects of these drugs.

If you’ve ever taken any of these drugs, it’s important to get off them now before they cause permanent damage to your brain. Simply call us at 800-411-9312 (Who Answers?) to speak with a specialist who can talk with you more about how dissociative drugs disrupt the function of your brain.

What Are the Immediate Effects of Dissociative Drugs?

Numbness and disorientation are common side effects of dissociative drugs.

As soon as you take dissociative drugs, you will begin to notice some side effects:

Hallucinations
Numbness
Disorientation
Nausea and vomiting
Chances in sensory perception
Increased blood pressure and heart rate
Dizziness
Feelings of detachment

If you take a high dose of dissociative drugs, these effects will be increased. Additionally, you might experience these more severe side effects:

Memory loss
Dangerous changes in respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature
Fear, paranoia, and anxiety
Respiratory distress or arrest

Are There Long Term Effects When Using Dissociative Drugs?

Unfortunately, scientists have not spent a lot of time investigating long-term effects of dissociative drug use. However, researchers have discovered that taking PCP repeatedly can lead to increased tolerance and addiction.

This means that you will need to keep taking the drug to avoid having terrible withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, PCP can cause memory loss, problems with speech, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, or suicidal thoughts for over a year after you stop using it.

So, back to the original question – are dissociative drugs dangerous? In short, yes. They can cause undesirable side effects that could put you in dangerous situations. Even worse, they can produce a number of long-term side effects that could permanently alter your life.

Therefore, it’s vital to stay away from these drugs. If you currently suffer from an addiction to dissociative drugs and need help getting off them, please call 800-411-9312 (Who Answers?) to speak to an expert.