Hallucinogens are drugs that people take to make them see things that aren’t real. These are called hallucinations. Hallucinations are like strange daydreams. When people have hallucinations, this is sometimes called “tripping”.

Hallucinations can last for a long time. Sometimes they feel really good to the person, but other times they feel horrible.

Hallucinogens change the way a person’s brain works. They affect all five senses. People who take hallucinogens sometimes cannot tell the different in what is real and what is fantasy or a hallucination.

Some hallucinogens come from plants. There are certain kinds of mushrooms that have hallucinogens. These are not the mushrooms you buy in a grocery store.

Other hallucinogens are made by people.

Some of the types of hallucinogens are: 

• Ecstasy
• LSD
• MDA
• PCP (also called angel dust)

Hallucinogens can be addictive. That means once a person takes them, the person wants to take them more and more.

There are some symptoms to look for if you think someone is taking hallucinogens. These are:

• Drowsiness
• Sleeplessness
• Rapid heart beat
• Raised blood pressure
• Trembling
• Feeling several things at once
• Hearing sounds that aren’t real
• Seeing colors that aren’t there.

If you know someone who you think is using hallucinogens, please tell a responsible adult. Anyone who uses hallucinogens or any other drug needs your help!

To learn more about ecstasy, which is a kind of hallucinogen, visit this site:  http://kidshealth.org/kid/grow/drugs_alcohol/know_drugs_ecstasy.html.

Pictures used with permission from http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Ecstasy or drawn by group members.