PCP Dependence: Facts and Treatment Options

By JP Reagan MA

PCP refers to Phencyclidine. Phencyclidine is a drug that was originally used as an anesthetic agent. Some people indulge in PCP abuse as a refuge from daily problems. Others use it to soothe themselves. Many also use it to get high as PCP can causes euphoria in a person, making him feel very happy and light. If you or a loved one are suffering from PCP abuse, this must-have guide includes treatment options and rehab facilities in the United States.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andale LLC
• Release date: Oct 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466073418

Book preview

PCP Dependence: Facts and Treatment Options

J.P.Reagan MA

M. Awad MD (Ed.)

Smashwords Edition

****

Copyright 2011 J.P. Reagan and M. Awad MD

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

One: What is PCP Dependence?

Two: A brief history about PCP

Three: Side-effects of PCP use:

Four: Common symptoms of PCP Dependence

Five: Medical Treatment

List of Rehab Clinics in the United States

Glossary of Medical Terms

Appendix A: Internet Resources/ Further Reading

One: What is PCP Dependence?

PCP refers to Phencyclidine. Phencyclidine is a drug that was originally used as an anesthetic agent. Its dose is typically given to a patient through an injection. It is a white crystalline powder with a bitter taste that can easily be dissolved into water. It is sold as a pill, capsule, injectable liquid or powder. PCP was used in both humans and in animals. For humans, it served the purpose of soothing and suppressing pain during surgical operations. In animals, it produced a desired effect of being calm and serene. According to animal research, it was confirmed that the drug caused a loss of sensation, specifically pain.

But soon the side-effects of PCP were revealed. The side-effects of PCP indicated that apart from temporarily causing loss of pain and sensation, PCP also caused its users to suffer from confusion, delirium and severe depression. Patients who were given the drug reported symptoms which showed that due to the use of PCP, they lost touch with reality and felt delusional. These symptoms were felt strongly by patients after an operation if they were given a dose of PCP during operations. In other words, patients suffered from the symptoms closely related to a famous disease schizophrenia, in which patients suffer from a distorted view of reality and may have delusional visions.

Due to this, researchers and clinicians became highly interested in the drug. They thought that by experimenting with the drug and by testing it, they could understand schizophrenia in a far better way. Psychiatric researchers were specifically interested because they felt that by creating schizophrenic symptoms by the use of this drug, they can finally understand schizophrenia and find suitable cures for it. They carried out a number of clinical experiments on the animals to analyze the symptoms. Clinical PCP trials were stopped in 1965.

Another disturbing aspect of PCP is that it’s addictive. Users who used PCP became addicted to it and they gradually had to increase their dose amounts to feel the same effects. PCP abusers also start giving PCP priority over many other more important things in their life. Like typical addicts, they neglect their daily activities for the sake of taking a PCP dose and become more and more addicted to it. This can lead to a socially destructive behavior because the