Effects of PCP: Side Effects and Risks

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What you will learn

• Phencyclidine (PCP) is a hallucinogenic dissociative drug that causes reality-distorting effects that alter your perception of your senses and your surroundings.
• PCP has many short- and long-term effects, including hallucinations, mood swings, and possible adverse health effects.
• With regular use, PCP can cause tolerance, dependence, and addiction.

Phencyclidine, otherwise known as PCP, is a hallucinogenic dissociative drug that’s available as a white crystalline powder or a clear, yellowish liquid. Though it was once used as an intravenous anesthetic, PCP is now used for its psychoactive effects.

Find out more about the short- and long-term effects and risks of PCP.

What Is PCP?

PCP is a hallucinogenic dissociative drug that was introduced as an intravenous anesthetic in the 1950s, but it was discontinued because of its serious neurotoxic side effects and substance abuse consequences. Now, it’s used as a recreational drug for its psychoactive effects, particularly as a “party drug.”

Also known as angel dust, rocket fuel, and amp, PCP may be ingested as a tablet or capsule or snorted as a powder. Some people may smoke PCP by mixing it with tobacco or marijuana. Though less common, PCP can be added to eye drops. Injection and smoking bring the most rapid onset of effects because of how quickly the drug hits the bloodstream and brain.

PCP goes by many other street names, including boat, hog, ozone, wack, peace pill, dust, and embalming fluid. When it’s mixed with marijuana, it may be referred to as supergrass, superweed, whacko tobacco, and killer joints.

Why Do People Use PCP?

As of 2015, 120,000 people aged 12 or older had used PCP in the past year.[1] In a lifetime, 6.3 million people aged 12 or older have used PCP.[2] Millions of people have tried PCP to experience its mind-altering effects, worsening phencyclidine impact.

When PCP acts on the brain, it changes mood and behavior. It can cause vivid hallucinations, leading people to abuse it to experience a separation from their body and its surroundings. People may feel floating, uninhibited, or have no fear.

Typically, most PCP use is intermittent, but it’s possible to experience a tolerance and addiction to PCP with regular use. The onset of PCP’s effects is rapid, often within just a few minutes with smoking or injection. The person may not feel “normal” again for 24 hours.

Short-Term Effects of PCP

As a dissociative drug, PCP causes hallucinations that profoundly distort your perception of reality through the distortion of sights, sounds, colors, self, and environment.

The effects of PCP can last for 4 to 6 hours. Just a moderate amount of PCP can cause feelings of detachment, distance, and estrangement from your surroundings, leading to dangerous consequences.

Some of the common effects of PCP include:[3]

• Slurred speech
• Loss of coordination
• Numbness of the extremities
• Feelings of invulnerability
• A blank stare
• Exaggerated gait
• Auditory hallucinations
• Severe mood swings
• Amnesia
• Acute anxiety
• The feeling of impending doom or paranoia

With low or moderate doses, PCP can cause a slight increase in the breathing rate and a rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. With high doses, PCP can cause a drop in blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, drooling, dizziness, and violence.[4] In severe cases, PCP can cause seizures, coma, and death, often due to suicide or injury caused by hallucinations.

Like any recreational drug that’s injected, PCP use increases the risk of hepatitis, HIV, and other infectious diseases.

From a pharmacological perspective, PCP is a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and glutamate receptor antagonist, but it also interacts with other receptor sites and may affect opioid, dopamine, and nicotine receptors.

Long-Term Effects of PCP

PCP can cause severe effects with long-term use, such as memory loss, weight loss, depression, and trouble speaking or thinking.[5] People may also experience suicidal thoughts or social withdrawal. Often, the behaviors of someone on PCP can appear like schizophrenia. The long-term effects of PCP can last up to a year after stopping the use of the drug.

PCP can be especially dangerous when it’s mixed with other drugs, such as depressants like barbiturates or alcohol. Together, these drugs may trigger life-threatening seizures, coma, or death.

If you take PCP for a long period and develop tolerance and dependence, you may experience withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, agitation, increased body temperature, or twitching.[6] Seizures are also possible with PCP withdrawal, causing potentially dangerous complications.

Other Dangers of PCP

Aside from the direct risks of PCP, there are other dangers to consider related to the purity of the drug. Cigarettes dipped in PCP solutions – a common way to use the drug – can cause variable dosage. Fry, a street name for marijuana or tobacco mixed with PCP, may also include embalming fluid, a combination of formaldehyde, ethanol, and methanol. Embalming fluid can severely damage the lungs, brain, nose, and throat.

The concentrations of PCP and its byproducts can vary significantly depending on street sources. The drug is difficult to synthesize, so illicit samples may contain PCC, a precursor to PCP that’s highly toxic and contains cyanide.[7] The PCP precursors can cause more damage than the drug itself.

Is PCP Addictive?

PCP is psychologically and physically addictive. The mind-altering effects can cause you to use it more often, leading to tolerance and dependence. You’ll need higher and higher doses to feel the same effects, and eventually, your body will become accustomed to the drug’s presence. If you stop suddenly, withdrawal may occur.

A PCP addiction is a phencyclidine use disorder, which includes an addiction to PCP or PCP-like substances like ketamine, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The criteria for a phencyclidine use disorder include:[8]

• Taking PCP in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended.
• A persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control PCP use.
• Spending a great deal of time obtaining, using, or recovering from PCP.
• Experiencing cravings for PCP.
• Failing to fulfill obligations at work, school, or home due to PCP use.
• Continuing PCP use despite persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused by PCP use.
• Giving up on social, occupational, or recreational activities because of PCP use.
• Using PCP in situations when it’s physically hazardous.
• Developing a tolerance for PCP.

PCP Addiction Treatment

Addiction to PCP can be difficult to overcome, especially with potential withdrawal complications like seizures. Treatment for PCP addiction typically begins with medical detox to manage withdrawal symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. Benzodiazepines or other medications may be used to manage seizures or other complications.

Once detox is complete, a full treatment program in an inpatient or outpatient setting may be recommended. Treatment plans are individualized, but PCP addiction treatment may include a combination of modalities like talk therapy, group therapy, and behavioral therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy.

Get Help for PCP Addiction

PCP has powerful effects that come on quickly, leading to short- and long-term health consequences. If you or a loved one is struggling with PCP abuse or addiction, it’s important to get help as soon as possible to reduce the risk of serious complications.