Pharmacological Effects of the drug "Phencyclidine" as a Psychomimetic

Phencyclidine was originally intended to be used as an intravenous anaesthetic agent, but it has shown the effects of disorientation and hallucinations in the patients, followed by the recovery of consciousness. The close analogue of phencylidine is ketamine which is a better anaesthetic, it can also cause the symptoms of disorientation. Now a days phencyclidine is the drug of abuse. It is a ‘Angel dust’ and its popularity is getting declined now.

Pharmacological Effects of Phencyclidine:

• It produces analgesia, hence it was introduced as an anaesthetic agent.
• It causes stereotyped motor behaviour. This behaviour is seen with amphetamine.
• It causes occasional bad trips like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and leads to recurrent psychotic episodes.
• Its main effect is to block the NMDA receptor channel.
• It is an antagonist at the sigma receptors.
• The sigma receptors are activated by the various opioids of the benzomorphan type.
• The blocking of the NMDA channel is primarily responsible for the psychomimetic effects.
• It mimics the manifestations of Schizophrenia both behaviourally and biochemically.
• It exacerbates the symptoms in stabilised schizophrenic patients. It is not known whether the habitual use of the phencyclidine can cause the development of the schizophrenia.