Phencyclidine: Health Hazards
PCP is addictive, that is, repeated use can lead to drug craving and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior of it. The PCP was first introduced as a drug sales on the street in the sixties, and quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause adverse reactions, not worth the risk. After using PCP once, many people do not deliberately eat again. Meanwhile, others attribute their continued abuse to feelings of strength, power, invulnerability and a numbing effect on the mind.
Many people who abuse PCP come to the emergency room from an overdose or unpleasant psychological effects of the drug. Within the hospital or a detention center, these people often become violent or suicidal, a serious danger to himself and others. They should be kept in a quiet, never left alone.
At low to moderate doses, physiological effects of PCP include a slight increase in respiratory rate and a pronounced rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Breathing becomes shallow, and flushing and profuse sweating. It can also occur Generalized numbness of the limbs and loss of muscle coordination.
In high doses, PCP can reduce blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, rapid eye movements up and down, drooling, loss of balance and dizziness. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide that occur when the user is intoxicated with PCP). The symptoms that result from high doses of the drug may resemble those of schizophrenia such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered thinking, a sense of detachment from one’s environment, and catatonia. Often, speech is sparse and garbled.
People who abuse PCP for long periods report that they have memory loss, difficulty with speech and thinking, depression and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after they stopped using PCP. Have also been reported emotional disorders. PCP has sedative effects and drug interactions with other central nervous system depressants such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, can lead the user to a coma