Mescaline is a naturally occurring hallucinogen. Like other drugs that belong to the hallucinogenic category, mescaline can be habit forming. Mescaline addiction treatment is offered along with various hallucinogen addiction treatments.
Mescaline is derived from the cactus peyote (Lophophora williamsii), a psychotropic plant commonly found in Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States. Peyote is a spineless cactus that has been used by natives in ceremonial or religious rites, and for its medicinal purposes.
Why is Mescaline Consumed?
The cactus peyote is considered a divine plant, along with morning glory seeds, psilocybin mushrooms, and datura. It is used by Toltec Indians and Aztecs to divine the future, and to produce visions during ceremonial rites. Peyote buttons, which contain the active ingredient mescaline, are chewed to enter a psychedelic state. During this state, an individual experiences hallucinations, trance, and other mind alterations. Native users of peyote believe that eating the buttons of the cactus will enable them to absorb the spirit power residing in the cactus and allow them to experience a strong spiritual force. Other natives ingest the peyote buttons for divination purposes, as they believe that they can foretell the future with the help of the plant.
Did you know?
Peyote has been used by natives for thousands of years as a sacrament for religious rites. Mescaline, however, was only isolated in 1896. Mescaline is named after the Mescalero Apaches, natives of the American Great Plains.
Are There Medicinal Benefits?
Mescaline and peyote are used by Mexican natives for their therapeutic benefits. From the 1950s to the 1960s, psychedelic drugs like mescaline and LSD were used for experimental psychiatry. For a time, these drugs were used for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including alcoholism, neurotic disorders, and childhood autism. However, due to increased illicit use, it became difficult to access the drugs and obtain funds for additional professional research. The abusive use of mescaline led to various mescaline addiction treatment options and therapies.
Did you know?
The federal government allowed the Native American Church to use mescaline as a part of their sacraments. The church members use peyote not to generate visions, but to open a portal to an alternative reality. The Native American Church practices what is called peyotism, or the Peyote Religion.
Effects Associated with Using
There are several ways to obtain the psychedelic effects of peyote and mescaline. It can be chewed directly, or boiled in water and made into tea. The latter is the most common practice, as peyote extract has a vile, bitter taste. The extract can also be combined with milk, soda, soft drink, orange juice, and coffee. Effects can be felt two to three hours after ingestion. Mescaline effects can produce a high that lasts for five to 12 hours. Mescaline addiction treatment is designed to relieve the continued effects of the drug.
“Mescaline effects can be a ‘good trip’ or a ‘bad trip’.”Mescaline effects can be a ‘good trip’ or a ‘bad trip’. A good mescaline trip can induce mystical experiences, new thought processes, laughter, euphoria, closed- and open-eyed visualizations, and a dreamy experience. A bad mescaline trip, also called psychedelic crisis, can be a disturbing experience. A mescaline user who has a bad trip may experience anxiety attacks and unrelenting terror. After a bad trip, a user can fall into a state of fear, feel like they are going insane, and experience a temporary splitting or destruction of the ego.
Other effects of mescaline use include dizziness, headaches, tachycardia, vomiting, and skin irritation. Depending on the trip, a mescaline user can wake up as an enlightened person, or feel like he or she is dying or being annihilated. During mescaline addiction treatment, the patient undergoes various visual stimulation to reduce these visual side effects.
Did you know?
Mescaline can be formed by mixing three different substances, including trimethoxybenzaldehyde, nitromethane, and cyclohexylamine. However, the production of synthetic alkaloid mescaline is quite expensive, limiting the supply of synthetic mescaline.
When Dependence Develops into Abuse
Mescaline, like other hallucinogens, is classified as Schedule I drug. This means that it has a high potential for drug abuse. Drugs categorized as Schedule I drugs are not recognized for any medical use in the United States due to the lack of safety and high risk for drug abuse. Other Schedule I drugs are LSD, marijuana, heroin, and methaqualone.
“…the drug can cause moderate psychological dependence especially if taken regularly in large doses. “
Although there are addiction treatment facilities that offer mescaline addiction treatment, mescaline itself does not cause physical dependence. However, the drug can cause moderate psychological dependence especially if taken regularly in large doses. Mescaline tolerance is also possible, which can lead to mental or psychological dependence.
Even if mescaline does not cause physical addiction, it must be noted that any substance can be addictive to a certain extent. A person who uses mescaline for recreational purposes can develop tolerance and use more of the substance to gain the defined effect. A regular mescaline user who is using the drug for therapeutic purposes might also develop dependence on the drug because it prevents reoccurrence of the condition’s symptoms.
Did you know?
The dried peyote cactus is legal to buy and sell in the United Kingdom. The pure powder form of mescaline, however, is classified as a Class A drug
The Detoxification and Rehabilitation Process
Most psychedelic drugs do not require detoxification or medical treatment to effectively withdraw from the drug. Mescaline effects usually subside after 12 hours of the last ingestion. However, like treating other hallucinogenic drug addictions, entering a mescaline addiction treatment facility is recommended if the mescaline user has developed mild to moderate tolerance and dependence on the drug. Although self-detoxification from mescaline can be possible in cases of mild addiction, the mescaline detox and the withdrawal process can be difficult for mescaline addicts. It may be best to call , a free helpline that provides useful information about mescaline detoxification and rehabilitation.
Mescaline rehab centers focus on supportive care and provide a quiet environment for mescaline addiction treatment. Because mescaline can cause psychological or mental alterations, visual stimulation treatment is often performed. This is done to decrease the external and internal stimuli that magnify serotonin-produced hallucinations and dreams.
Although psychedelic drugs do not induce withdrawal syndrome, abrupt discontinuation can cause a dysphoric state, which can be the result of a decrease in serotonin activity. Benzodiazepines are also administered due to their inhibitory effects on serotonin release. The benzodiazepine Xanax, also known as alprazolam, can prevent violent attacks and agitation during mescaline addiction treatment. Dysphoric state, also known as chronic fatigue disorder, can be relieved with Prozac or fluoxetine. Depending on the occurrence of the disorder, the drug can be administered for three to six months as part of mescaline addiction treatment.
Did you know?
Most hallucinogenic drugs are derived from plants. D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is generally found in ergot, a fungus that grows on grains like rye. Psilocybin is derived from some certain types of tropical and subtropical mushrooms. Marijuana is taken from the cannabis plant. These drugs are also called organic hallucinogens.
Commonly Asked Questions and Answers
What is the difference between peyote and mescaline?
Peyote is a small and spineless cactus that grows in northern Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States. Mescaline, a hallucinogenic substance, is the main active ingredient derived from the peyote button, or crown, of this cactus plant. It can be extracted from the peyote cactus or be created chemically or synthetically inside a laboratory. Mescaline addiction treatment is indicated for mescaline tolerance and dependence.
What are the common street names of mescaline?
Mescaline is often called peyote, mesc, and buttons. The last name is derived from the disc-shaped peyote buttons on the top of the peyote cactus. This is also where mescaline is extracted.
How are mescaline and peyote taken?
Peyote buttons can be chewed directly, as has been done by American and Mexican natives for thousands of years. The buttons are taken off the crown of the cactus and dried before being chewed or soaked in water. However, due to the bitter and vile taste, the buttons are generally made into a tea. The extract can be mixed with more delectable beverages, such as coffee, orange juice, milk, or soft drinks. Mescaline can also be injected. Mescaline addiction treatment addresses tolerance and dependence to mescaline caused by drug ingestion and injection.
How much mescaline is needed to achieve hallucinogenic effects?
A dose of 350-500 milligrams of mescaline will last for 12 hours. A mescaline user who has developed a tolerance to the drug may require more of the drug to achieve the same effects.
What are the effects of mescaline in the brain?
Mescaline is a psychedelic drug that affects the user mentally or psychologically. Most hallucinogenic drugs contain nitrogen and are classified as alkaloids. They affect the chemical structures of natural neurotransmitters, such as serotonin-, catecholamine-, and acetylcholine-like neurotransmitters. The effects of mescaline in these neurotransmitters are unclear, but researchers have suggested that mescaline can interfere with the actions of neurotransmitters by binding to the receptor sites. Mescaline addiction treatment corrects any changes or effects caused by mescaline addiction.
How is mescaline abused?
Mescaline is used recreationally outside of religious ceremonies and rites. It can be combined with other hallucinogenic drugs like LSD, PCP, and marijuana. Users of mescaline use the drug to induce a high that can be dreamy and mystical, an experience that is often called heavenly or divine.
Abuse of mescaline alone is rare because the drug is expensive and has a bitter taste. The supply of mescaline is also scarce, which accounts for the high price.
Is mescaline legal?
Mescaline is legal when used by Native Americans who belong to the Native American Church, a religious sect that has approximately 250,000 members. It is also legal to obtain mescaline for research and laboratory use.
What are the adverse physical side effects of mescaline use?
Mescaline users often exhibit signs of mental illness during and after taking the drug. Mescaline can also cause high blood pressure, appetite loss, dry mouth, dilated pupils, palpitations, numbness, sweating, anxiety, nausea, tremors, insomnia, and uterine contractions. Mescaline addiction treatment is performed to reduce or prevent the occurrence of these physical side effects.
What happens when an overdose occurs?
Mescaline overdose is rare due to the dreadful taste of peyote. However, injectable mescaline can adversely affect the mental state of the user. Large doses of mescaline can cause temporary psychosis and destructive actions. Panic, anxiety attacks, and other dissociative disorders can also be experienced when too much mescaline is ingested.
Does mescaline cause withdrawal symptoms?
Peyote and mescaline do not cause addiction, and discontinuation of drug use does not cause withdrawal side effects. Withdrawal symptoms are only possible when mescaline is used together with other addictive drugs. Mescaline addiction treatment often includes other treatment options to treat coexisting drug addiction.
What are the long-term side effects of mescaline?
A long-term user of mescaline can develop tolerance. Mescaline can also cause long-term psychological disorders, such as hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD) and drug-induced psychosis. HPPD is also known as flashbacks, as a person with this disorder experiences continuous visual disturbances reminiscent of the hallucinations generated during mescaline ingestion. The disorder can carry on for years, long after discontinuing use of mescaline. Drug-induced psychosis, on the other hand, is characterized by severe mood swings, depression, visual disturbances, and hallucinations. Drug-induced psychosis, like HPPD, can continue for years.
Mescaline addiction treatment employs various medications to address both the physical and psychological disorders caused by mescaline addiction.
Mescaline may not induce fatal withdrawal symptoms and side effects, but it can cause serious mental or psychological issues.
