The effects of psychedelic drugs vary depending on the person. Factors such as dosage, environment, and personality play a role in how psychedelics affect people.
Effects of psychedelic drugs may include:4
- Altered perception of time
- Difficulty communicating clearly with others
- Hallucinations such as feeling sensations, hearing sounds, and/or seeing images that aren’t real
- Heightened awareness or understanding
- Increased energy
- Lack of ability to think rationally
- Mixed sensory experiences (e.g., seeing sounds)
- Nausea
- Spiritual experiences
- Vivid sensory experiences
Short-term effects of LSD, peyote, and DMT may include an increase in heart rate. LSD and peyote may also cause an increase in body temperature. Additionally, LSD can cause dizziness, sleepiness, increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, dry mouth, sweating, numbness, weakness, tremors, and impulsive behavior.
Psilocybin can cause feelings of relaxation or introspection, but it can also produce nervousness, paranoia, and even feelings of panic.
Effects of peyote include uncoordinated movements, excessive sweating, and flushing. DMT can cause agitation and body/spatial distortions.
Ololiuqui’s effects are similar to those of LSD, but the drug may also cause nausea, vomiting, headache, high blood pressure, and drowsiness.
Tolerance and Addiction
Psychedelics do not appear to be addictive.5 Addiction is defined as chronic use of a substance despite negative consequences.6
However, some hallucinogenic drugs may lead to tolerance and some people report experiencing withdrawal effects when they stop using such substances.7
LSD use can lead to tolerance, which means people require more of the substance in order to achieve the same effects. This can be risky due to the unpredictable effects that the drug may have.8
Cross-tolerance to other substances can also occur. Developing a tolerance to LSD means that people will experience a decreased reaction to some substances, including mescaline and psilocybin.