A retrospective analysis of the "Neverending Trip" after administration of a potent full agonist of 5-HT2A receptor - 25I-NBOMe

Association of Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder with Trait Neuroticism and Mental Health Symptoms

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is considered rare in hallucinogen users although there are conflicting reports about its incidence and prevalence. HPPD may be more common in those with trait neuroticism. In this study, we invited hallucinogen and other drug users to complete an online questionnaire about their use of hallucinogens, their experience of HPPD symptoms, and their trait neuroticism and mental health symptoms. We received 802 responses with 415 of these containing adequate data for further analysis. 39.7% of responders reported symptoms corresponding to Type I HPPD, and 4.3% reported symptoms corresponding to Type II HPPD. We found no significant difference between neuroticism scores for participants with or without HPPD. Individuals with Type II HPPD were more likely to report mental health symptoms including anxiety, obsessional thoughts, paranoia, hypochondria and panic attacks (p < .05). We also found that individuals with Type II HPPD were more likely to report the use of 25I-NBOMe, dextromethorphan, nitrous oxide and benzodiazepines (p < .05). 47.3% of participants had never tested their drugs, making the attribution of HPPD severity to specific drugs difficult. Further work into the development of HPPD is required, particularly with the rise of hallucinogens as potential treatments for depression and other mental illnesses.

Acute, chronic, and post-mortem toxicity: a review focused on three different classes of new psychoactive substances

PURPOSE

New psychoactive substances (NPS) are not controlled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the 1971 Convention, but they may pose a public health threat. Knowledge of the main properties and toxicological effects of these substances is lacking. According to the current Drugs Law (Law n. 11.343/2006), the Brazilian Surveillance Agency issues directives for forbidden substances in Brazil, and structural classes of synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, and phenylethylamines are considered illicit drugs. Considering that data on these controlled substances are scattered, the main objective of this work was to collect and organize data to generate relevant information on the toxicological properties of NPS.

METHODS

We carried out a literature review collecting information on the acute, chronic, and post-mortem toxicity of these classes of NSP. We searched info in five scientific databases considering works from 2017 to 2021 and performed a statistical evaluation of the data.

RESULTS

Results have shown a general lack of studies in this field given that many NPS have not had their toxicity evaluated. We observed a significant difference in the volume of data concerning acute and chronic/post-mortem toxicity. Moreover, studies on the adverse effects of polydrug use are scarce.

CONCLUSIONS

More in-depth information about the main threats involving NPS use are needed.