PCP

(Phencyclidine, Angel Dust, Sernyl, Sherm)

TrippyWiki score: 2.9/10

What is PCP?

Phencyclidine (PCP) is a dissociative substance of the arylcyclohexylamine class. The drug usually makes users feel detached from their bodies and senses. PCP is different from other dissociatives in that it energizes you and allows you to stay functional during the trip.

Long-term benefits & side effects

Many of the benefits will only occur if you take this substance the right way.
Some of the side effects are preventable if you follow the harm reduction practices below.

PCP…

Can be an effective way to temporarily lower depression, stress, and anxiety (typically for 1-2 weeks after the drug leaves your system)
Works instantly, therefore it helps prevent suicide
Can cause temporary ego-dissolution at higher doses
May increase neuroplasticity
Makes users more creative and open-minded
Helps you introspect and look at your life from a different perspective
Allows you to forgive people who’ve hurt you
…

Can be lethal if taken at very high doses and mixed with other drugs (although death is an extremely rare side effect)
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis even if you’re not predisposed to it (and this side effect is a lot more common than with other dissociatives like ketamine or DXM)
Appears to be neurotoxic for those who take it regularly
Might impair your memory, especially if you take the substance every week or more often
Can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms and might speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Might cause bladder pain and can lead to long-term urinary tract and bladder damage
Can cause HPPD and physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Could cause you trauma due to bad set and setting
Can be psychologically addictive (but only if you use the psychedelic recreationally)
Can damage your kidneys over time
Is a lot more addictive and habit-forming than ketamine, MXE, and most other dissociatives
Typically leads to depression when taken on a regular basis
Speeds up cognitive decline
Can lead to manic episodes, even if you are not predisposed to bipolar disorder
Can cause seizures when combined with other substances
May lead to heart problems for those who are predisposed to them
May get you imprisoned (not only is the drug illegal in most countries but it also makes some users violent)
Has led to rhabdomyolysis (rapid muscle breakdown) in some users, although this is rare
…

How to take PCP

Administration

Since PCP is taken in tiny amounts, you need to use an extremely accurate, 0.001g scale.

To get an accurate dose, weigh 50-100 mg and dissolve the drug in a solvent.

You can either take the substance intramuscularly, intravenously, orally, smoke it, or snort it.

Snorting PCP can be irritating and cause temporary tissue damage. If you are going to snort the drug anyway, use a saline nasal spray to soften the load on your nasal cavities.

Snorting the drug is likely to give you more energy and a clearer headspace.

Those who snort PCP tend to become addicted to it more often and are more likely to redose compulsively.

It is not recommended to take the substance sublingually or rectally. These routes are unpleasant and can also lead to tissue damage.

Injection (either intramuscular or intravenous) is the most common route of administration. If you use this method, the drug will kick in faster.

Make sure your needle is clean and nobody has used it before you, otherwise you’ll be at risk of getting infected. One additional downside of injecting the drug is that you may experience muscle pain.

The drug can also be swallowed. When taken orally, PCP is more dissociative and less stimulating than with other routes.

Interestingly, the higher the dose you take, the less it matters which route of administration you chose as far as the effects of the drug.

Dosage

1 mg = Threshold
3-5 mg = Light dose
5-10 mg = Regular dose
10-15 mg = Strong dose
15+ mg = High dose

Doses higher than 15 mg are not recommended since they can easily lead to mania and psychosis. Never take such a high dose if you value your mental health.

Never start with a strong dose. You may be more sensitive to the substance than others and it might cause you irreversible damage if you don’t take it responsibly.

Those who need less of the substance to reach desired effects include older and extremely lean people.

Since tolerance to PCP is developed quickly, you want to wait for at least 1-2 weeks between dosing. Otherwise, you would need a higher dose to reach the desired outcome.

Safety checklist

Maximize the benefits

Keep in mind that integration is even more important than the trip itself. Taking the drug would be almost useless if you didn’t retain any lessons in your day-to-day life.

What will help you the most is contemplating about the experience – be it by journaling, thinking about the trip, or sharing your memories with a trusted friend.

Distracting thoughts can get in the way, which is why you want to spend the day after your trip without TV, social media, and other distractions.

If you can, spend time in silence and solitude. Meditate, go for a walk, contemplate the experience.

Duration

Onset = 3-30 minutes
Come up = 30-90 minutes
Peak = 2-3 hours
Come down = 1-2 hours

You should notice the first effects within 40 minutes after you take the psychedelic
You will reach the maximum effect around the 2-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 4-6 hours
At high doses, your trip may last for even longer
If you take the substance orally, expect the substance to take longer to kick in (up to 3 hours)
It’s common to feel altered for up to 30 hours after you’ve taken the drug, especially when you take a high dose

What does PCP feel like?

Compared to ketamine, DXM, and most other dissociatives, PCP is more energizing, euphoric, and less dissociative.

Unlike most dissociatives, PCP allows you to stay more clear-headed and “functional” at lower doses. You can still go about your day at these doses and perform human activities.

Unfortunately, higher doses can cause psychosis and manic episodes and the chance is higher than with most other drugs. These can last for a long time after you get off the substance.

At high doses, PCP can cause hallucinations that are a lot less predictable than with most psychedelics or dissociatives.

As a dissociative, PCP can detach you from your body, senses, and the environment. You may feel like you’re controlling your body from a distance (similarly to playing a 3rd person video game).

At high doses, you may also enter the K-hole. When that happens, you will not be conscious of your body but with PCP, you may still be able to move around so never take a high dose in an unsafe environment!

Memory loss is a common effect. This can be pleasant because you’ll forget about your struggles, but it can also make you anxious since you may not remember where you are or that you’ve taken PCP.

PCP makes some users violent although this is not nearly as common as most people believe. If alcohol doesn’t make you violent, PCP shouldn’t either.

Symptoms of schizophrenia can occur.

You may also think that you are capable of anything when you’re impaired. Beware that this is often a delusion. You may believe that your exercise capacity is enhanced but it is not. People sometimes think that they can drive but they cannot.

Other common short-term effects include:

Euphoria
Increased creativity and open-mindedness
Mindfulness, being present
Introspection
Higher capability for love and compassion
Pain relief
Memory suppression
Anesthetic effects
Numbness
Visual effects (typically weak and unpredictable)
Distortions of size, shape, and distance
Manis
Psychosis
Confusion
Inability to talk
Increased body pressure
Worse thermoregulation
Difficulty urinating
Anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability

The higher the dose you take, the more intense these effects will be. This especially applies to the dissociative effects.

Your past experiences with drugs also play a big role in the effects of PCP.

With all this said, it is impossible to accurately describe the experience through human language.

Bad trips can happen but you can partially prevent them by following the tips below.

After-effects

PCP rarely causes a withdrawal. If you take the drug regularly, some withdrawal symptoms may occur but they will be mild.

It is, however, common to feel altered for up to 30 hours after you’ve taken PCP, especially when you take a high dose.

You may experience insomnia and find it hard to fall asleep.

Cognitive impairment, numbness, and impaired vision can also stick for over a day after taking the drug. Do not drive if you don’t feel 100% sober!

Many users get a pleasant afterglow when the drug wears off. They feel better and their depression can disappear for a few days, sometimes even weeks.

Bad trips

Bad trips mostly happen because people take the substance irresponsibly. If you take this drug the right way, there is a much lower chance you’ll get a bad trip but it still can happen.

In case you take PCP responsibly and you still get a bad trip, there is a positive side to that.

During a “bad” trip, negative emotions are coming up from your subconscious mind. They have always been there whether you are aware of it or not. They have been damaging your life and a difficult trip is an opportunity to process these traumas and unpleasant feelings and let go of them.

So instead of calling bad trips bad, call them challenging.

Why they happen

The most common reasons for getting a bad trip are:

Tripping in an unsafe environment (in public, at a party, even nature doesn’t feel safe if you take higher doses)
Facing difficult times in your day-to-day life (a break-up, death of a loved one, …)
Rejecting to let go and trying to hold on to your ego and control the state
Being afraid of the trip (either because of the stigma around psychedelics or because you are not sure how pure your substance is)
Mixing the psychedelic with alcohol, weed, or other drugs
Expecting a bad trip (it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy)
Taking a high dose

How to cope with a bad trip

Do not perceive this experience as something bad, remember that facing these difficult emotions can be extremely healing
Fully surrender to the experience, do not try to feel good
If you’re alone, call a trusted friend to come over and keep you safe

How to end a bad trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons yet, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

Interactions

Qualia Mind
This nootropic is comprised of 28 ingredients designed to support and maximize your brain function. These ingredients act synergistically and many of them will protect you from the neurotoxic effects of psychedelics. Qualia will also make your trips more pleasant and help you retain more benefits from them.
Herbs
Herbs can help calm you down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
Weed
Marijuana will greatly intensify the trip.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide will multiply the intensity of your trip.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
The combination may lead to a loss of consciousness and vomiting. Vomit aspiration is the most dangerous risk.
Alcohol, GHB, GBL, Opioids
Just like benzodiazepines, these drugs can cause vomit aspiration if you combine them with dissociatives. PCP can also reduce opioid tolerance, increasing the risk of overdose.
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects. You may also go unconscious and die from vomit aspiration.
Stimulants
The combination can lead to heart problems or hyper mania.
Tramadol
Combining the two can cause seizures.

Legality

As of 2021, there is no country where PCP is legal.

In many countries, you can own a small amount of the substance for personal use without getting in legal trouble.

FAQ

Yes. Tolerance develops quickly and can last for months or even years.

However, it usually takes 3-7 days to cut the tolerance in half and by 2 weeks, most users will be as sensitive to PCP as if they never took it before.

PCP also has cross-tolerance with other dissociatives, like ketamine and DXM.

PCP acts primarily as an NMDA receptor antagonist, meaning it binds to and blocks the activity of the NMDA receptor, the receptor responsible for the transmission of neural impulses in the central nervous system.

Always take the substance in a safe place and keep a trusted friend nearby to take care of you in case something goes wrong.

Unfortunately, the answer is yes. High doses of PCP can lead to mania and drug-induced psychosis. The drug isn’t nearly as psychologically safe as most other dissociatives.

The drug stays in your blood for around 24 hours, in your saliva for up to 2 days, in your urine for 14-30 days and in your hair, the substance can be detected for a few months.

Order a Marquis test and follow the instructions on its label. If the test shows no color or the color changes slightly, the substance is most likely pure.

Keep your powder or liquid in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

If you don’t do this, the drug will lose potency over time.

It is recommended to stop eating 2-3 hours before taking the substance, especially if you take it orally.

Alcoholics
Those who don’t want to put their mental health at risk
Brain cancer patients
Those who have uncontrolled hypertension (high blood pressure)
People with a history of heart attacks
People with thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism)
Immature psychonauts who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are are predisposed to bipolar disorder or are going through a manic phase
Those who tried other dissociatives and noticed unpredictable side effects

Compared to other dissociatives, PCP is extremely addictive because of its stimulant and euphoric effects. This is especially the case for users who take the substance with the purpose of having fun.

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