PCP

PCP may cause psychosis and mania at a significantly higher rate than other dissociatives. It is strongly discouraged to use this substance in high doses or multiple days in a row. Please see this section for more details.

This article is a stub. As such, it may contain incomplete or wrong information. You can help by expanding it.

PCP
Chemical Nomenclature
Common names	PCP, Angel Dust, Sherman, Sernyl, Wet, Dust, Supergrass, Boat, Tic Tac, Zoom
Substitutive name	Phencyclidine
Systematic name	1-(1-phenylcyclohexyl)piperidine
Class Membership
Psychoactive class	Dissociative
Chemical class	Arylcyclohexylamine
Routes of Administration
WARNING: Always start with lower doses due to differences between individual body weight, tolerance, metabolism, and personal sensitivity. See responsible use section. ⇣ Smoked Dosage Threshold 1 mg Light 2 - 4 mg Common 4 - 8 mg Strong 8 - 12 mg Heavy 12 mg+ Heavy doses may result in psychosis and mania. Duration Total 4 - 6 hours Onset 2 - 20 minutes Come up 20 - 40 minutes Peak 2 - 3 hours Offset 1 - 2 hours After effects 4 - 48 hours ⇣ Oral Dosage Threshold 1 mg Light 3 - 5 mg Common 5 - 10 mg Strong 10 - 15 mg Heavy 15mg+ Heavy doses may result in psychosis and mania. Duration Total 4 - 8 hours Onset 30 - 90 minutes Come up 40 - 120 minutes Peak 2 - 3 hours Offset 1 - 2 hours After effects 4 - 48 hours ⇣ Insufflated Dosage Threshold 1 mg Light 2 - 4 mg Common 4 - 8 mg Strong 8 - 15 mg Heavy 15mg+ Heavy doses may result in psychosis and mania. Duration Total 4 - 6 hours Onset 3 - 30 minutes Come up 30 - 90 minutes Peak 2 - 3 hours Offset 1 - 2 hours After effects 4 - 48 hours DISCLAIMER: PW's dosage information is gathered from users and resources for educational purposes only. It is not a recommendation and should be verified with other sources for accuracy.
Interactions
MXE
Caffeine
Opioids
DOx
Amphetamines
MDMA
Cocaine
Alcohol
Benzodiazepines
SSRIs
2C-T-x
ΑMT
5-MeO-xxT
DXM
GHB
GBL
Tramadol
MAOIs

Summary sheet: PCP

Phencyclidine (also known as PCP, Angel Dust, or Sernyl) is a dissociative drug. PCP was brought to market in the 1950s as an anesthetic pharmaceutical drug but was taken off the market in 1965 due to the high prevalence of dissociative hallucinogenic side effects. Likewise ketamine was discovered by Parke-Davis researchers as a better-tolerated derivative for use as an anesthetic pharmaceutical drug. Since this time a number of synthetic derivatives of PCP have been sold as dissociative drugs for recreational and non-medical use.

In chemical structure, PCP is a member of the arylcyclohexylamine class, and, in pharmacology, it is a member of the family of dissociative anesthetics. PCP works primarily as an NMDA receptor antagonist, where it blocks the activity of the NMDA receptor. As an addictive drug, PCP is associated with compulsive abuse.

As a recreational drug, PCP may be ingested orally, smoked, insufflated or injected.

Chemistry

PCP, or phencyclidine, is a synthetic dissociative of the arylcyclohexylamine class. PCP contains cyclohexane, a six member saturated ring, bonded to two additional rings at R₁. One of these rings is a piperidine ring, a nitrogenous six member ring, bonded at its nitrogen group. The other ring is an aromatic phenyl ring. PCP is an initialism named from the first letters of the three constituent rings piperdine, cyclohexane and phenyl.

Pharmacology

Main article: NMDA receptor antagonist

PCP acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist. NMDA receptors allow for electrical signals to pass between neurons in the brain and spinal column; for the signals to pass, the receptor must be open. NMDA receptor antagonists close the NMDA receptors by blocking them. This disconnection of neurons leads to loss of feeling, difficulty moving, and eventually an almost identical equivalent of the famous “k-hole”.

PCP also acts as a dopamine-reuptake inhibitor and a serotonin reuptake inhibitor with alleged µ-opioid affinity and typical dissociative effects. This provides an explanation for its euphoric and often stimulating effects.

Subjective effects

This subjective effects section is a stub. As such, it is still in progress and may contain incomplete or wrong information. You can help by expanding or correcting it.

The effects listed below are based upon the subjective effects index and personal experiences of PsychonautWiki contributors. The listed effects will rarely (if ever) occur all at once, but heavier dosages will increase the chances and are more likely to induce a full range of effects.

PCP is considerably more likely to induce psychosis than other dissociatives and is therefore potentially dangerous regardless of setting.

Physical effects

• Tactile disconnection
• Spontaneous tactile sensations
• Tactile suppression
• Physical autonomy
• Motor control loss
• Physical euphoria
• Perception of decreased weight
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Visual sliding

Cognitive effects

The general head space of PCP is often described as particularly euphoric and clear-headed in comparison to that of DXM and ketamine. The specific cognitive effects can be broken down into several separate subcomponents which are listed and described below:

• Psychosis - This effect is more common on PCP than other dissociatives.
• Delusions
• Depersonalization
• Derealization
• Consciousness disconnection
• Memory suppression
  • Ego death
• Thought deceleration
• Immersion enhancement
• Information processing suppression
• Time distortion
• Euphoria
• Introspection
• Déjà vu
• Conceptual thinking
• Unity and interconnectedness
• Compulsive redosing
• Anxiety suppression
• Disinhibition
• Amnesia
• Feelings of impending doom
• Creativity enhancement

Visual effects

Suppression

This substance does not enhance visual stimuli; instead, it tends to degrade and decrease visual aptitude in a variety of ways which generally include:

• Visual disconnection - This eventually results in PCP's equivalent of the famous "k-hole" or more specifically, holes, spaces and voids alongside of structures.
• Visual acuity suppression
• Double vision
• Pattern recognition suppression
• Frame rate suppression

Distortions

PCP exhibits a full array of dissociative distortions and alterations in visual perception which generally includes:

• Perspective distortions
• Environmental cubism
• Environmental orbism
• Scenery slicing

Hallucinatory states

At high doses, PCP can produce a full range of high level hallucinatory states in a fashion that is less consistent and reproducible than that of many other commonly used psychedelics. These effects include:

• External hallucinations
• Internal hallucinations

Auditory effects

The auditory effects of PCP are common in their occurrence and exhibit a range of effects which commonly includes:

• Suppression
• Distortions
• Hallucinations

Toxicity and harm potential

Psychosis

PCP has been reported to cause psychosis and mania at a significantly higher rate than other dissociatives like ketamine, diphenidine, or MXE. Multiple scientific papers describe states of psychosis, mania, and/or delirium occurring after moderate to large doses of the drug were ingested. In one initial human trial, it was reported that one-sixth of the patients who had received anaesthetic doses became psychotic. In some cases, it took up to a week or more to resolve. Similar results (although less severe) were reported during trials using subanesthetic doses of PCP for pain relief.

It is strongly recommended that one use extreme caution and harm reduction practices when using this drug. Users should avoid taking the drug multiple days in a row or becoming addicted to it as this increases the risk of severe adverse effects. The recommended dosage range should not be exceeded as high doses can trigger these effects as well. Users should start with extremely low doses and work their way up as slowly as possible. Volumetric liquid dosing should preferably be used due to the drug's potency; most standard milligram scales cannot accurately weigh out doses below 10-15mg. Compulsive redosing before one has fully sobered up is not recommended and can result in too high of a dose.

Due to the risk of psychosis, it is not recommended to combine this drug with other substances, especially stimulants, psychedelics, or other dissociatives like MXE. Independent research should always be done to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe before consumption.

Tolerance and addiction potential

In terms of PCP tolerance, similar to any other NMDA antagonist, this can take weeks to build up for some, but for others it can take merely a single night of heavy use. Once a physical tolerance to PCP has set itself in, it can often take a month or more to reset itself.

PCP has a fairly high potential to be abused. It does not seem to be physically addictive, but can become habit-forming, meaning that it could potentially be used multiple days in a row if somebody chooses to do so. There have been multiple reports across the internet of people becoming seriously addicted daily users of this substance so serious precautions and considerations should be taken before trying this substance.

Reports of compulsive redosing during high dose trips resulting in overdoses have also been reported. This can be prevented by keeping PCP far away from oneself whilst under its influence. Addiction can be avoided by manually limiting one's usage of the drug. It’s worth noting, however, that as with most hallucinogens, many users note that the desire to use them can actually decrease with use.

Urinary tract effects

In terms of its long-term health effects when used repeatedly and with excess for extended periods of time, PCP seems to exhibit almost identical bladder and urinary tract problems to those found within ketamine.

• Urinary frequency - Urinary frequency is the need to empty the bladder every few minutes.
• Urinary urgency - This can be described as a sudden, compelling need to urinate.
• Urinary pressure - This is experienced as a constant sensation of fullness in the bladder that is unrelieved by urination.
• Pelvic and bladder pain - Pain can develop suddenly and severely, particularly as the bladder fills with urine.
• Hematuria - Hematuria is visible blood in the urine.
• Incontinence - This is the leakage of urine.

All of these, however, can easily be avoided by simply not using PCP on a daily or even weekly basis and manually limiting one's usage of the substance.

Dangerous interactions

Warning: Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).

Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume. Some of the listed interactions have been sourced from TripSit.

• Psychedelics - This combination is not advised because PCP has been reported to cause extreme psychological disturbances such as psychosis and mania at a significantly higher rate than other dissociatives.
• Stimulants - This combination is not advised because PCP has been reported to cause extreme psychological disturbances such as psychosis and mania at a significantly higher rate than other dissociatives.
• Stimulants - Both stimulants and dissociatives carry the risk of adverse psychological reactions like anxiety, mania, delusions and psychosis and these risks are exacerbated when the two substances are combined.
• Depressants - Because both depress the respiratory system, this combination can result in an increased risk of suddenly falling unconscious, vomiting and choking to death from the resulting suffocation. If nausea or vomiting occurs, users should attempt to fall asleep in the recovery position or have a friend move them into it.

Legal issues

• Canada - PCP is Schedule I in Canada.
• New Zealand - PCP is Schedule I (class A) in New Zealand.
• Poland - PCP is Schedule II (II-P group) in Poland.
• Portugal - Effective July 2001, personal use of PCP was decriminalized by Law 30/2000. Possession of less than 100 mg is not regarded as a criminal offence, though the substance is liable to be seized and the possessor can be referred to mandatory treatment. Sale or possession of quantities greater than the personal possession limit are criminal offences punishable by jail time.
• U.K. - PCP is a class A in the U.K., making it illegal to buy or possess without a prescription.
• U.S. - PCP is a Schedule II controlled substance.

See also

• Dissociative
• MXE
• Ketamine