Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: RE: PCP info sought possible FAQ beginnings
Date: 6 Jan 1995 22:57 EST
Message-ID: <6JAN199522575532@utkvx.utk.edu>
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41
From several sources I've heard that PCP is making a reappearence on
the drug scene.
I have some excerts from _Clinical_Management_of_Poisoning_and_Drug_
Overdose by Haddad Winchester. A thourghly excellent reference,
with very few errors, those errors that I have found (only one) is
understandable due to lack of information at the time of printing.
Chapter 33 Phencyclidine (PCP) written by Toby L. Litovitz, M.D. pg.
448-455
.. History of PCP as a anesthetic, but that it produced psychotic reactions
in 15 to 20 percent of patients for 3 to 18 hours.
Then a short history of its debut in San Francisco as PeaCe Pill and
Hog.
... Now back to the text:
In the early 1970s, phencyclidine reappeared on the streets, this time
as a
drug of deceit. Since it was easily and cheaply synthesized in clandestine
"kitchen" laboratories without the risk of illegal importation, it
was
frequently substituted for and sold on the street as THC, cannabinol,
mescaline, psilocybin, LSD, amphetamine, cocaine, Hawaiian woodrose,
and
other psychedelics. In fact, in one study only 3 per cent of analyzed
street
drug samples that contined PCP were actually sold as PCP. THC, which
actually
is not available on the street, was the most frequent misrepresenatation.
.... More text on it's use through the 70s ...
Considerable conflicting evidence exists in the literature regarding
the
mechanism of action of phencyclidine. Phencyclidine is thought to stimulate
alpha-adrenergic receptors and to potentiate the pressor response to
epinephrine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Other studies have shown
phencyclidine to have brief low level anticholinergic activity during
the
intial phase of intoxication. Phencyclidine is also thought to inhibit
acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterase. Others postulate that phencyclidine
may
act on opiate receptors.
Phencyclidine abusers feel the onset of drug effect in 2 to 5 minutes
when it
is smoked, compared with 30 to 60 minutes when ingested orally. The
peak
effect is reached in 15 to 30 minutes after smoking the drug and abusers
report that they stay "loaded" for 4 to 6 hours, then feel normal in
24 to
48 hours.
...
PCC (1-piperidinocyclohexanecarbonitrile) appears in poorly synthesized
batches as a by-product of the manufacturing process. When present
in
significant amounts (10 to 25 per cent), this contaminant causes
abdominal cramps, bloody emesis, diarrhea, and coma. PCC is an unstable
compound, degrading to piperidine. As a result, contaminated batches
of
PCP can sometimes be recognized by the strong fishy odor of piperidine.
On heating (smoking), PCC liberates hydrogen cyanide, so the possibility
of cyanide poisoning in PCP smokers should also be considered.
..
Patients ingesting small amounts of phencyclidine present prominent
body image distortions (enlarging limbs, detached head) on a background
of sensory blockade described as a "numbness", depersonalization,
"sheer nothingness" or "endless isolation". These patients feel inebriated,
are usually disoriented, and sometimes have amnesia for the experience.
Somatic sensation is dissociated: patients lose track of their bodies
and
are at risk of seriously injuring themselves because they do not perceive
pain. Though visual, auditory, and tactile illusions and delusions
(especially
of being God, the devil, or an animal) are common, frank hallucinations
are
relatively uncommon when compared with those produced by LSD. Anxiety
and, sometimes, outright hostility may be present. Disrobing in public
is seen in a small percentage of patients. Perhaps the hallmark of
PCP
intoxication is the recurring delusion of superhuman strength and
invulnerability resulting from the analgesic and dissociative properties
of
the drug. Intoxicated patients have been known to snap hancuffs and,
unarmed,
attack, large groups of people or police officers. This loss of fear
has
led patients to try to stop a train by standing in front of it, to
grossly
mutilate themselves and others, to climb into a polar bear's cave to
take
a picture, and to jump from windows or cliffs. The bizarre behavior
is often
violent, sometimes with gruesome mutilation of both the patient and
his
or her victim. One intoxicated abuser pulled out his front teeth with
a
pair of pliers. Another woman fried her baby in cooking oil. There
are many
reported assaults of friends and strangers, both with and without weapons.
Many of these violent acts are committed by drug users who were
previously totally nonviolent individuals.
...
Note from Me: this is refering to moderate to high doses in the preceeding
paragraph
...
Patients with moderate or high dose intoxications are intially comatose.
Those
with moderate-dose intoxications have a relatively short duration of
coma
(several hours) compared with the prolonged coma associated with higher-dose
exposures (usually lasting 6 hours to several days but occasionally
persisting
as long as 10 days).
... Much technical medical data deleted here ...
Mildly intoxicated patients are best treated with sensory isolation
in a
nonthreatening environment on a cushioned surface in a darked, quiet
room,
without neglecting the need for frequent monitoring of vital signs.
Instrumentation should be avoided.
...
The techniques of "talking down" as advocated for most hallucinogens
are
ineffective for PCP and may instead further agitate patients.
.. Medical data about higher doses and effective means of sedation
...
-----
My notes follow
Woah! Sounds damn bad. Highly not recommended, be careful this stuff
is rarely sold for what it is. It is making another round right now.
This is the kind of stuff that fuel prohibitionists, avoid it, tell
others and spread the word. Print this out and distribute it. It
is not just propaganda, the source of this information is highly
reliable.
Read it and believe it.
Shawn
..
=============================================================================
From: garbett@utkvx.utk.edu (Garbett, Shawn)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: PCP reading list
Date: 9 Jan 1995 19:48 EST
Message-ID: <9JAN199519484160@utkvx.utk.edu>
Well here's the reading list and references for that paper on PCP that
I posted excerts from by Toby L. Litovitz, M.D.
Burns RS, Lernet SE: Causes of phencyclidine-related deaths. Clin
Toxicol 12:463, 1978
Burns RS, Lerner SE: Perspectives: Acute phencyclidine intoxication.
Clin Toxicol 9:477, 1976
Cogen RC, Rigg G, Simmons JL, Domino EF: Phencyclidine-associated
acute rhabdomyolysis. Ann Intern Med 88:210, 1978.
Ogelsby EW, Faber SJ, Faber SJ: Angel dust: What everyone should know
about
PCP. Lega-Books, Los Angeles, 1979.
Rumack B: Phencyclidine overdoes: An overview. Ann Emerg Med 9:595,
1980.
Welch MJ, Correa GA: PCP intoxication in young children and infants.
Clin Pediatr 19:510, 1980.
References:
Misra AL, Pontani RB, Bartolomea J: Persistence of phencyclidine (PCP)
and metabolites in brain and adipose tissue. Research Communications
in
Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology 24:431, 1979
Aronow, R, Done AK: Phencyclidine overdose: An emerging concept of
management. J Am Coll Emerg Phys 7:56, 1978
Rappolt RT, Gay GR, Farris RD: Phencyclidine (PCP) intoxication:
Diagnosis in stages and algorithms of treatment. Clin Toxicol 16:509,
1980.
Sioris LJ, Krenzelok EP: Phencycliidine intoxication: A literature
review.
Am J Hosp Pharm 35:1362, 1978.
McCarron MM, Schulze BW, Thompson GA, et al: Acute phencycline intoxication:
Incidence of clinical findings in 1000 cases. Ann Emerg Med 10:237,
1981.
Perterson RC, Stillman RC(eds): Phencyclidine (PCP) Abuse: An Appraisal.
NIDA Research Monograph 21. DHEW, Washington, DC, Aug 1978.
Goode DJ, Meltzer HY: The role os isometric muscle tension in the production
of muscle toxicity by phencyclidine and restraint stress. Psychopharmacologia
(Berl) 42:105, 1975.
The infomation in the report is dated, so if someone is really interested,
maybe they can do a current library search. It looks like Clin Toxicol
abstracts would be a good place to start. The paper with 1000 cases
reviewed
also looks interesting to me, I'll try and get a copy.
Shawn
=============================================================================
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
From: bwhite@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (William E. White )
Subject: Re: PCP info sought possible FAQ beginnings
Message-ID: <D23zA7.6ox@boss.cs.ohiou.edu>
Date: Sun, 8 Jan 1995 22:46:54 GMT
In article <3el61f$ev2@explorer.clark.net>, Murple <murple@clark.net>
wrote:
>What a crock of shit. Where did you get this "reliable" book, the
PDFA?
While I don't believe that PCP (or any other drug for that matter,
except
maybe alcohol (just kidding)) is an "evil" drug, I believe there is
evidence
to show that a PCP trip in a naive user can be a very frightening thing.
Although the text in question may have shown the extreme to the absence
of the normal PCP "trip", I think this is only natural since the only
"trips" which would have become relevant to law enforcement would be
precisely those which were extreme. Sorta like the phenomenon
that the
most nutty segments of a group (e.g., televangelists of Christians)
tend
to be the most noticed.
Some things to consider:
-- PCP is not necessarily more likely to lead to criminal behaviour
than
other drugs, and in fact some studes (sorry I don't have
references for
this one, it's been awhile) show that PCP-intoxicated
users are less
likely to pose a threat to law enforcement than alcohol-intoxicated
users.
-- PCP does, however, have a fairly high rate of inducing "bad trips"
in
users who are naive to its effects, and/or not expecting
them. I know
several people who *have* obtained PCP laced MJ, occasionally
without
knowing it (this based on a friend who is experienced
with PCP, and
sampled the material in question). Furthermore,
in some areas PCP is
not particularly expensive, and PCP-MJ combinations do
tend to show
up and be about the same cost as "kind" (e.g., $50 to
$75 per quarter
ounce). This is regional; YMMV. Yes, this
is a shitty thing to do to
someone, but sometimes it was unintentional (e.g., friend
A "borrows"
some of friend B's dope, and sells it to friends C, D,
and E). Which
just goes to show, know your source.
-- In particular, most people who aren't expecting a dissociative
anaesthetic can get *quite* disturbed by the experience.
Many people
find it unpleasantly reminiscent of fever dreams.
That, coupled with
the lack of feedback from sensory and muscle input, can
be a dangerous
combination simply because people can injure themselves
and not know
it.
-- PCP shares with alcohol certain effects on ion channels (in particular
NMDA), and some of alcohol's "inhibition releasing" effects
may be
NMDA related as opposed to GABA related. Any drug
capable of reducing
inhibitions can be undesirable in people not particularly
comfortable
with themselves.
-- PCP's pharmacology (as well as that of ketamine and dizocilpine,
and
to a lesser extent dextromethorphan and noscapine) is
unique in that
it affects a set of receptors whose role seems to be much
more involved
in "ordinary" neurotransmission (*), i.e. the NMDA receptor.
Contrast
with the indolealkylamines (e.g., LSD), phenylalkylamines,
etc., which
primarily affect "regulatory" neurotransmitter systems
-- 5HT, dopamine,
and noradrenaline.
-- People expecting to "wig out" on PCP are likely to do so, regardless
of
whether they would have absent from the expectations.
* Actually the NMDA receptors are involved in long-term potention,
but
I think there's evidence that LTP is involved in more
than just
hippocampal short-term memory encoding. If nothing
else, people with
no hippocampi don't show sensory blockade like NMDA antagonists
produce. In any case NMDA neurotransmission is widespread
and
ordinary.
In general, although I have not taken PCP myself, I tend to agree that
it
is not something to be entered lightly. *MANY PEOPLE REACT POORLY
TO
DISSOCIATIVE ANAESTHETICS* If you don't like the idea of being
"out of
touch" with your body, feeling cut off from reality like that, it's
not
for you.