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PCP - phencyclidine
Street Names
Angel Dust, Embalming Fluid, Killer Weed, Rocket Fuel, Supergrass.
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Know the Facts
PCP, or phencyclidine, is a dissociative anesthetic that was developed in the 1950s as a surgical anesthetic.
Its sedative and anesthetic effects are trance-like, and patients experience a feeling of being "out of body"
and detached from their environment.
Use of PCP in humans was discontinued in 1965, because it was found that
patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects.
PCP is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste.
PCP is sold in the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders.
It is normally used in one of three ways - snorted, smoked, or eaten. When it is smoked, PCP is often applied to tobacco or marijuana.
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Many people who use PCP may do it unknowingly because PCP is often used as an additive and can be found in marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, and club drugs.
PCP disrupts the functioning of receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate, which plays a major role in the perception of pain as well as in learning, memory, and emotion.
It also influences the actions of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which causes the euphoria associated with drug use.
Immediate Effects
A moderate dose of PCP can cause subtle changes in body awareness, similar to alcohol intoxication.
Other effects can include shallow breathing, flushing, profuse sweating, numbness of the extremities, and poor muscular coordination.
Use of PCP among adolescents may interfere with hormones related to normal growth and development as well as with the learning process.
At high doses, PCP can cause hallucinations as well as seizures and coma which can result in death; however,
the most frequent fatalities reported are usually a result of accidental injury or suicide.
Other effects that can occur at high doses are nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, uncontrollable blinking of the eyes, drooling,
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loss of balance, and dizziness. High doses can also cause effects similar to symptoms of
schizophrenia, such as delusions, paranoia, disorderly thinking, sensations of distance from one's environment,
and a catatonic state. Speech is often sparse and garbled.
Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP's unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses.
In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal and are very dangerous to themselves and to others.
They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone.
Long-Term Effects
PCP is a highly addictive drug; its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive
PCP-seeking behavior.
People who use PCP for long periods report memory loss, difficulties with speech and
thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after cessation of PCP use.
Mood disorders also have been reported.
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