Various drugs are omnipresent in the market, making it even more dangerous to use substances nowadays because of all the strange mixtures they contain. Toying with the effects of these drugs can often lead to addiction and, in most cases, death. Some substances can be more potent than others, with various psychedelic properties that make people see the world differently. Many are unaware of a particular drug since the more popular ones overshadow it. This drug is popularly known as angel dust, a potent substance that is extremely powerful in producing hallucinations and elevating a person’s sensations from their surroundings. Toying with illegal substances like this can be dangerous, so here is what you need to know about it: Phencyclidine Angel dust is known as phencyclidine or PCP, for short. The origins of this drug date back to the 1950s, when it was developed for surgical anesthetic use. However, it was discontinued shortly in 1967 after it was found to cause a state of mania and agitation, heavy hallucinations, and damaging thought patterns in patients. The effects of PCP vary for each person who uses it, but it is overall considered dangerous due to its street drug status. It can often lead to violence and aggression and increased psychosis that can lead to death. Overdosing is even worse, as this can often be hard to treat and save a person. On the market, it initially appeared as an anesthetic and tranquilizer by the name of Sernyl. After it was discontinued in 1967, it became legal for use only for veterinary purposes. In the last years of the 1970s, manufacturing PCP in the United States became illegal and is now a Schedule II controlled substance because of its addictive nature. Angel Dust Angel dust is the street name, among other names like elephant tranquilizer, embalming fluid, hog, ozone, wack, killer joints, rocket fuel, The PeaCe pill, and supergrass. You won’t find a clean version of the substance anymore, as US-based manufacturing is now illegal. The only places that make PCP are illegally operated secret laboratories that create dozens of similar street drugs. The labs are said to be located in Southern California and then distributed across the country. Knowing how this isn’t regulated by the FDA or other medical safety agencies, you won’t want this coursing through your body, as the effects can be fatal in most instances. PCP looks like a white crystalline substance, and the powder tastes bitter. This substance quickly dissolves in water or alcohol and can be in both tablet and capsule form. Taking this drug can be via smoking, snorting, swallowing, or directly injecting it into the bloodstream. Some users love to use it with leafy plants like marijuana by dipping a joint into a PCP based solution and smoking it. What Is Angel Dust? So, what is angel dust? Or rather, what are its effects on the brain? PCP is known to have psychedelic effects and can alter the status of the mind. PCP is a mind-altering substance, and it is easy to develop an addiction because of the unique high it gives off. Angel dust changes a person’s mood, behaviors, and how one can deal with the world around them. It floods the brain with certain chemicals, blocking standard actions and creating intense hallucinations and other agitations. Phencyclidine is under the drug class of hallucinogens, which are responsible for giving people hallucinations. Under this class, some other substances are specific strains of cannabis, psilocybin, and LSD, as these can warp reality through their high. The mind will transform various sensations, so whatever is perceived through the senses aren’t always real and will have a strange effect. It can also make a person dissociate with the world around them, as this can cause an elevated sensation from the body and a person’s surroundings. PCP use will make users feel like they are floating and in a whole new dimension, followed by a rush of euphoria similar to intoxication on alcohol. Thinking is clear, and typical fears are removed as a result of the high. Feeling the effects vary depending on its consumption. Shooting it with a needle into your bloodstream will start the high in a period of two to five minutes. Smoking PCP will begin the effects in two to five minutes, peaking between 15 to 30 minutes. Whether in pill form or mixed with food and drink, taking it via oral ingestion is the slowest, starting at 30 minutes and a peak in effects after two hours. How Long Does PCP Stay in Your System PCP has a lasting presence of almost one whole day but can be detected in a drug test for a few days or even months post-use. Drug tests play a significant role in how they are caught, as urine tests can identify these from a day and a half to 10 days. Saliva tests are similar, except the findings can start after 24 hours. Hair tests will show the presence of angel dust for a period of up to 90 days. A person’s body mass, metabolism, hydration levels, age, usage frequency, and dosage will determine the presence or absence of PCP in a test, similar to other substances. The Dangers of Mixing Substances Combining angel dust with prescription medication, over-the-counter drugs, and other illegal and legal forms of substances can hike the overdosing risks. When taking drugs that depress the central nervous system or using other stimulants, this can cause slowed down breathing, leading to respiratory arrest or a coma. The dirty nature of modern-day PCP makes it challenging to know what exactly goes into it, which means mixing this drug with other substances can be fatal. It is not advisable to take it with alcohol, amphetamines, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, prescription medications, and other narcotics. Angel Dust Side Effects PCP has side effects that vary depending on the dosage used. Most people experience extreme euphoria, sensational distortion, detachment, loss of coordination, reduced pain, agitation, anxiety, and numbness. These are common side effects of using angel dust, and there can be even worse when combined with other substances due to the unregulated production of modern PCP. People might notice a person using angel dust if they have poor coordination, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, confusion, disorientation, stalled movements, aggressive behaviors, and others. You might notice people experiencing paranoia, which is another sign that a person has been using PCP. These symptoms are similar to those of other drugs and can similarly lead to death when higher doses are used. Those who overdose on angel dust get seizures, a coma, damage to the skeletal muscles, and ultimately leading to fatalities because of these. Conclusion Phencyclidine is a decades-old drug that had its medical applications in the past. However, modern variants of the drug are produced in shady laboratories with no regulation by government bodies and are illegal by law. Angel dust can be fatal when used in large doses, and even smaller quantities can get people to develop an addiction to the drug. Ensure that if you ever get addicted to PCP, you seek treatment from a drug rehabilitation center before the symptoms and damage worsen. Addiction.IO is your premium resource for help with drug addiction and substance abuse. If you need assistance with getting help for a loved one suffering from it, visit our website to understand the field of addiction and find the right places to help them find recovery.