Nicotine is highly addictive, highly toxic, and used worldwide.

Nicotine can act as a stimulant,

depressant, or tranquilizer. A high proportion of psychiatric outpatients are nicotine dependent, which
makes them even more susceptible to the medical sequelae o cigarette smoking. High on the list of
sequelae are lung cancer and other cancers, emphysema, and cardiovascular disease, as well as the
adverse pregnancy outcomes discussed earlier. Nicotine can also be chewed (in smokeless tobacco),
which adds mouth cancer to the long list of dangers. Nicotine use results in dependence, and when users
try to stop they experience an “abstinence syndrome.” It is or that reason that individuals and it difficult to
stop smoking. Major withdrawal symptoms include strong cravings, impaired concentration, nervousness,
restlessness, irritability, impatience, and increased appetite, which usually leads to weight gain. There are
currently seven pharmacological aids approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help
people decrease nicotine cravings and suppress symptoms of withdrawal. Five pharmacological aids to
help in smoking suppression are nicotine-based: nicotine patches, nicotine gum, nicotine lozenges,
nicotine nasal sprays, and nicotine inhalers. Nicotine- free products include varenicline (Chantix,
Champix) and bupropion (Zyban, Buproban). The latter is the first choice or smokers with depression

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a mind-altering drug that may lead to hallucinations (a profound distortion in
a person’s perception of reality). It is considered a dissociative drug, leading to a distortion of sights,
colors, sounds, self, and one's environment. PCP was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous
anesthetic, but due to the serious neurotoxic side effects, its development for human medical use was
discontinued. Ketamine (Ketalar), an anesthetic used for surgery and painful procedures was developed
instead and is structurally similar to PCP.

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 PCP (Phencyclidine)

Common or street names: Angel dust, boat, hog, love boat, wack, ozone, peace pill, dust, embalming
fluid, rocket fuel. Supergrass, superweed, whacko tobacco, and killer joints refer to PCP combined with
marijuana.

What is PCP?

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a mind-altering drug that may lead to hallucinations (a profound distortion in a
person’s perception of reality). It is considered a dissociative drug, leading to a distortion of sights, colors,
sounds, self, and one's environment. PCP was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic, but
due to the serious neurotoxic side effects, its development for human medical use was discontinued.
Ketamine (Ketalar), an anesthetic used for surgery and painful procedures was developed instead and is
structurally similar to PCP.

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.

What are PCP's effects on the brain?

Pharmacologically, PCP is a noncompetitive NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist and

glutamate receptor antagonist, but also interacts with other receptor sites, and may have effects with
dopamine, opioid and nicotinic receptors.
How is PCP used?

PCP is available in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders, which are either smoked, taken
orally or by the intranasal route ("snorted").

Smoking is the most common route when used recreationally. The liquid form of PCP is actually PCP
base often dissolved in ether, a highly flammable solvent. For smoking, PCP is typically sprayed onto
leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana. PCP may also be injected. The effects of
PCP can last for 4 to 6 hours.

What are the effects of recreational PCP use?

Numbness of the extremities, slurred speech, and loss of coordination may be accompanied by a sense
of strength and invulnerability. A blank stare, rapid and involuntary eye movements, and an exaggerated
gait are among the more observable effects. Auditory hallucinations, image distortion, severe mood
disorders, and amnesia may also occur. Acute anxiety and a feeling of impending doom, paranoia, violent
hostility, a psychoses indistinguishable from schizophrenia.

Physiological effects of low to moderate doses of PCP include:

 slight increase in breathing rate

 rise in blood pressure and pulse rate
 shallow respiration
 flushing and profuse sweating occurs.

Physiological effects of high doses of PCP include:

 a drop in blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration.

 nausea, vomiting
 blurred vision
 flicking up and down of the eyes
 drooling
 loss of balance and dizziness
 violence, suicide

High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (often due to accidental injury or suicide
during PCP intoxication). Psychological effects at high doses include delusions and hallucinations. Users
often refer to the experiences from hallucinogens as a "trip", or calling an unpleasant experience a "bad
trip."

As with any recreational drug that may be injected, the risk for HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious
diseases from shared needles is a possibility.

PCP is addictive and its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-
seeking behavior. Long-time users of PCP report symptoms of:
  memory loss
 difficulties with speech and learning
 depression
 weight loss that can persist up to a year after stopping PCP use.

PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as
alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma or accidental overdose. Many PCP users are brought to
emergency rooms because of PCP's unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. 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.

How do you treat a PCP addiction?

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.