Author: Charles Frank

What Is Angel Dust? PCP Abuse Signs, Overdose & Withdrawal

Despite this fall in its use, PCP is still a matter of concern to health authorities and drug agencies. The behavior of a person using PCP can be dangerous to themselves and to others. It is important for the person to seek help, or for their loved ones to intervene, if possible.

PCP is used in several ways, including swallowing pills or tablets, injecting the drug, inhaling, smoking, vaporizing, or snorting. When a person is on PCP, the drug can also block memories, emotions and pain. This euphoric effect can make it powerfully attractive for those with significant trauma in their past.

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PCP (or angel dust) is an illegal street drug that can be taken by mouth, injected, snorted, smoked, or combined with other drugs and alcohol. It can make you feel euphoric, disconnected from reality, and give you hallucinations. Side effects at low doses include numbness and loss of coordination. In large doses you may become violent and agitated, as well as have a racing heart, high blood pressure, and extreme sweatiness. A very large dose can lead to kidney failure, seizures, coma, or death. PCP (phencyclidine), also known by its street name “angel dust,” is an illegal drug that’s commonly sold as a white powder or in liquid form.

1. PCP is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either smoked, taken orally or by the intranasal route (“snorted”).
2. The consistency can vary from a powder to a moist, almost tarry substance.
3. Combining PCP with other substances, including prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), and other recreational substances, raises the risk of serious effects and overdose.

But if you’re looking to cut back your PCP use, therapy may help. Experts have found that programs like cognitive behavioral therapy or talk therapy can be effective for substance addiction. The withdrawal symptoms can be hard to manage or cope with. If you’re unable to resist angel dust, talk to your doctor about PCP treatment options such as in-patient recovery.

The Product Forms of PCP

However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. When a person becomes addicted to any substance or activity, there’s also the potential for side effects such as anxiety and depression. And, these side effects tend to worsen when attempting sobriety. Some sellers may even offer angel dust weed at no upcharge to bring in new customers. A study published by the National Institute of Health found that up to 24% of street marijuana is laced with PCP.

Liquid for dipping is an increasingly popular method of getting high with angel dust. Interrupting these receptors allows the brain to disconnect from normal sensory experiences, or “reality.” In higher doses, however, it may also excite these receptors. In its purest form, PCP is a white crystalline powder that readily dissolves in water or alcohol and has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. On the illicit drug market, PCP contains a number of contaminants causing the color to range from a light to darker brown with a powdery to a gummy mass consistency. AddictionResource aims to present the most accurate, trustworthy, and up-to-date medical content to our readers.

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Beyond withdrawal symptoms, long-term effects of PCP use include issues with memory and learning, persistent problems with speech, flashbacks, psychosis, and severe depression. People who stop ongoing use of PCP experience drug cravings, increased appetite, headaches, sleepiness, depression, and sweating as common withdrawal symptoms. While studies are looking at options for drug treatment of PCP dependence, there are no specific approved treatments for PCP abuse and addiction. Patients may need to be hospitalized and receive behavioral treatments to address abuse issues with PCP. Angel dust is a particularly dangerous dissociative drug. It can cause a wide variety of harmful symptoms in users, especially those who are in their teen years.

PCP was a very popular street drug in the 1970s and 1980s. It then fell out of fashion but has resurged in the 21st century. Use is still at much lower levels than other drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines. PCP is known by many other names, including horse tranquilizer. Though it’s no longer approved for use in humans, it’s still sometimes used as a tranquilizer for animals. Higher doses or frequent use can cause severe depression and anxiety, along with suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Severe depression

The drug LSD isn’t considered addictive in the strict sense. Yet using LSD results in tolerance to the drug, meaning that users who repeatedly take it must take increasingly higher doses to achieve the same desired effect. LSD is wildly unpredictable, however, so upping the drug dose is an unsafe practice that could have catastrophic consequences. Finally, using LSD is known to produce tolerance to other types of hallucinogens, which includes psilocybin. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (often due to accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication).

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. It is used to determine if a person has been using the substance is not the most common way that such testing is done.

Some drugs that have tested false positive for PCP include alprazolam, carvedilol, clonazepam, dextromethorphan, diphenhydramine, and tramadol. When you take a higher dose of angel dust, it might cause you to have strange behaviors and postures, such as spasms that cause you to arch your back, head, and neck. You might experience beautiful visions, a sensation of floating, and feel fearless.

How Long Does PCP Stay in Your System?

If you’re using angel dust regularly, you need to know it’s addictive, and overdose can be deadly. Long-term use of PCP (phencyclidine) abuse can cause hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPS), which makes you have flashbacks and hallucinations long after using angel dust. Over time, the more you use the drug, the more tolerance you’ll build. This means you’ll need to use higher doses to get the same level of high. The combination of addiction and increasing tolerance makes it very hard to quit. Though withdrawal from PCP is not life threatening, it may require treatment from a trained healthcare professional.