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Information about Dissociative Drug

See dissociation for the dissociative state in psychology. For the Australian band, see The Dissociatives.


A dissociative is a drug which reduces (or blocks) signals to the conscious mind from other parts of the brain, typically, but not necessarily, limited to the physical senses. Such a state of sensory deprivation and dissociation can facilitate self-exploration, hallucinations, and dreamlike states of mind which may resemble some psychedelic mindstates. Essentially, similar states of mind can be reached via contrasting paths—psychedelic or dissociative. That said, the entire experience's risks and benefits are markedly different.

The primary dissociatives are similar in action to phencyclidine (PCP), and include ketamine and dextromethorphan (DXM). Also included are nitrous oxide (laughing gas), salvia divinorum, and muscimol from the amanita muscaria (fly agaric) mushroom.

Many dissociatives also have central nervous system depressant effects, thereby carrying similar risks with opioids that slow breathing and lower the heart rate to levels which can result in death, when used in very high doses.

Their effects are characterized by intense feelings of depersonalization, derealization, and analgesia.

Pharmacological classes of dissociatives, and their general subjective effects

Entries marked with a # are naturally occurring.

NMDA Receptor Antagonists

Main article: NMDA Receptor Antagonists
Uncompetitive channel blockers include: Non-competitive antagonists include:
  • Aptiganel (Cerestat, CNS-1102). Binds the Mg2+ binding site within the channel of the NMDAR.
  • Memantine (Axura®, Akatinol®, Namenda®, Ebixa®, 1-amino-3,5-dimethylada-mantane). Approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.[3]
  • Remacimide. Principle metabolite is an uncompetitive antagonist with a low affinity for the binding site.[4]
Drugs that act at the glycine binding site include 7-chlorokynurenate.

κ-opioid receptor agonists

σ-opioid receptor agonists

Amanita muscaria constituents

These four groups of dissociatives have slightly different effects but also share similarities separating them from other classes of hallucinogens. They are markedly different from psychedelics such as LSD, where alert and fully conscious users experience cognitive distortion while simultaneously interacting with the "real world". Hallucinations from these dissociatives are generally only experienced in dark rooms or with eyes closed, unless at very high doses above what is normally consumed recreationally. Nitrous oxide has very different effects however, and even at low doses includes auditory distortions. Unlike with many other psychedelic chemicals, salvia users are generally not ambulatory and the experience is frequently dissociative. Often a very brief trance is entered, where the user experiences an intense and very realistic dream state. On the other hand, the effect of salvia on emotion has been reported to be less marked than that of true psychedelics.

Although muscimol does not usually cause normal hallucinations, it has a tendency to put the user to sleep, during which the user is able to have very vivid dreams with good dream recall.

See also

References

1. ^ "Effects of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA)-Receptor Antagonism on Hyperalgesia, Opioid Use, and Pain After Radical Prostatectomy", University Health Network, Toronto, September 2005
2. ^ Popik P, Layer RT, Skolnick P (1994): "The putative anti-addictive drug ibogaine is a competitive inhibitor of [3H]MK-801 binding to the NMDA receptor complex." Psychopharmacology (Berl), 114(4), 672-4. Abstract
3. ^ Chawla, PS; Kochar MS (2006). "What's new in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics". WMJ 105 (3): 24-29. PMID 16749321. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 
4. ^ Muir, KW (2005). "Glutamate-based therapeutic approaches: clinical trials with NMDA antagonists". Current Opinion in Pharmacology 6 (1): 53-60. PMID 16359918. Retrieved on 2007-01-17. 
Dissociation is a state of acute mental decompensation in which certain thoughts, emotions, sensations, and/or memories are compartmentalized because they are too overwhelming for the conscious mind to integrate.
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Psychology (from Greek: Literally "talk about the soul" (from logos)) is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
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The Dissociatives is an Australian band consisting of Daniel Johns of Silverchair and Australian dance producer Paul Mac. Their debut single "Somewhere Down the Barrel" entered the Australian Top 40 charts on debut on March 15, 2004 and was one of the five most played tracks on
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Senses are the physiological methods of perception. The senses and their operation, classification, and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields, most notably neuroscience, cognitive psychology (or cognitive science), and philosophy of perception.
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Sensory deprivation is the deliberate reduction or removal of stimuli from one or more of the senses. Simple devices such as blindfolds or hoods and earmuffs can cut off sight and hearing respectively, while more complex devices can also cut off the sense of smell, touch, taste,
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Dissociation is a state of acute mental decompensation in which certain thoughts, emotions, sensations, and/or memories are compartmentalized because they are too overwhelming for the conscious mind to integrate.
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A hallucination is a perception in the absence of a stimulus that is believed to be genuine, ie. the subject experiences an imaginary stimulus as being real. A pseudohallucination is similar to an hallucination in all respects except that of absolute belief in the authenticity of
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DREAM may refer to:
  • DREAM (software), a tool for the verification and analysis of distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems
  • DREAM (protocol), an ad hoc geographical data routing protocol

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psychedelic is an English term coined from the Greek words for "mind," ψυχή (psyche), and "manifest," δήλος (delos).
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Phencyclidine (a contraction of the chemical name phenylcyclohexylpiperidine), abbreviated PCP, is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent, exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects.
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Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic for use in human and veterinary medicine developed by Parke-Davis (1962). Its hydrochloride salt is sold as Ketanest, Ketaset, and Ketalar.
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Dextromethorphan (DXM or DM) is an antitussive (cough-suppressant) drug found in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. Dextromethorphan has also found other uses in medicine, ranging from pain relief to psychological applications.
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Nitrous oxide, dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N2O. Under room conditions, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly sweet odor and taste.
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S. divinorum

Binomial name
Salvia divinorum
Epling & Játiva[1]

Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviner's Sage,[2] María Pastora,[3]
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Muscimol (Agarin, Pantherine) is the major psychoactive alkaloid present in many mushrooms of the Amanita genus. Unlike psilocybin, a tryptamine, muscimol is a potent, selective agonist of the GABAA receptor.
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A. muscaria

Binomial name
Amanita muscaria
(L.:Fr.) Hook.

Amanita muscaria (also known by the English-language common name fly agaric or Fly Amanita
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The central nervous system (CNS) represents the largest part of the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. Together with the peripheral nervous system, it has a fundamental role in the control of behavior.
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A depressant, referred to in slang as a "downer," is a chemical agent that diminishes the function or activity of a specific part of the body. (See also sedative.) The term is used in particular with regard to the central nervous system (CNS).
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An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body. The main use is for pain relief. These agents work by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
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Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. It is considered one of the four vital signs. Usually it is calculated as the number of contractions (heart beats) of the heart in one minute and expressed as "beats per minute" (bpm).
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Death is the permanent end of the life of a biological organism. Death may refer to the end of life as either an event or condition.[1] Many factors can cause or contribute to an organism's death, including predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence,
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Depersonalization is an alteration in the perception or experience of the self so that one feels detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one's mental processes or body.
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Derealization (DR) is an alteration in the perception or experience of the external world so that it seems strange or unreal.[1] It is a dissociative symptom of many conditions, such as psychiatric and neurological disorders, and not a standalone disorder.
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An analgesic (colloquially known as a painkiller) is any member of the diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain (achieve analgesia). The word analgesic derives from Greek an- ("without") and -algia ("pain").
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NMDA receptor antagonists are a class of anesthetics that work to antagonize, or inhibit the action of, the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). They are used as anesthesia for animals and, less commonly, for humans; the state of anesthesia they induce is referred to as
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NMDA receptor antagonists are a class of anesthetics that work to antagonize, or inhibit the action of, the N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). They are used as anesthesia for animals and, less commonly, for humans; the state of anesthesia they induce is referred to as
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Amantadine (1-aminoadamantane, sold as Symmetrel) is an antiviral drug used both as an antiviral and an antiparkinsonic.

Uses

Approved

It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1976 for the treatment of Influenzavirus A in adults.
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APV (2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid; AP5, 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate) is a selective NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist that competitively inhibits the active site of NMDAR. Its chemical name is R-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate.
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Butorphanol (INN) is a morphinan-type synthetic opioid analgesic marketed in the U.S. under the trade name Stadol. It is most closely structurally related to dextromethorphan.
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Dextromethorphan (DXM or DM) is an antitussive (cough-suppressant) drug found in many over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. Dextromethorphan has also found other uses in medicine, ranging from pain relief to psychological applications.
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