Drugs that cause the user to see, hear and feel things that are not really there.
Effects:
Effects can be mild as in the case of Dagga where the user may experience distortions of time. It can also be dramatic, for example when an LSD user experiences visual and auditory hallucinations.
Generally, there is an altered sensory perception of reality; changes in what you feel, taste, touch, hear and see are experienced.
Psychosis can also be triggered. That means a person may lose touch with reality and have impaired judgement.
Examples of drugs that are hallucinogens:
- Dagga
- LSD
- Substances occurring naturally like magic mushrooms and Moonflowers
- PCP (“Angel Dust”)
Withdrawal
Hallucinogens are not physically addictive. Tolerance to the drug will develop over time and there are severe side effects. These include a predisposition to psychosis; exacerbation of depression and other mental illnesses. A specific side effect of LSD is flashbacks.