People turn to drugs for a number of reasons. Some use them to become better athletes or to fit in with a more popular crowd while others are looking to escape the stressors in their lives. The appeal of using drugs is that they usually make the user feel an intense state of happiness. However, it is not uncommon for a drug user to experience a “bad trip”. Listed below are the top ten bad trips associated with using illegal drugs.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system by elevating your heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and body temperature. A bad reaction from cocaine usually occurs after the effects of the drug wear off. When the user “comes down”, they tend to feel an intense state of depression.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy is a designer drug that combines a hallucinogenic with a stimulant effect that intensifies the emotions of the user leaving them feeling depressed, paranoid, anxious or confused.

Inhalants

Inhalants are substances such as glues, paint thinners, gasoline, hair spray, aerosol deodorants and spray paint that are breathed in making the user feel giddy and confused as if they were drunk. Bad trips usually occur when the high associated with inhalants is too intense for the user. The user’s body sometimes becomes numb and their head starts to spin. Users even state on a regular basis that they thought they were going to die from the experience.

LSD

LSD is a combination of a hallucinogen and a mood-changing chemical that is licked off small squares of blotting paper. The drug causes the user to experience delusions such as melting walls and a loss in any sense of time. A bad trip on LSD is often considered one of the worst trips that a drug user can experience. A user can have such a bad reaction to the drug that they can violently hurt themselves or other people. Individuals experiencing a bad trip on LSD are usually so desperate to get rid of it that they will do almost anything to stop the feeling, including suicide.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that is smoked or injected leaving the user with intense delusions such as believing that there are insects crawling under their skin.

Marijuana

Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States and users may experience mood swings or changes in coordination. A bad trip can cause a user to become overly paranoid and even hallucinate. It is common for a person to “bug out” when having a bad reaction to pot.

Ketamine

Ketamine hydrochloride is an anesthetic that is legally used as a sedative for minor surgery and as a tranquilizer for animals. At high doses, Ketamine causes intoxication resulting in hallucinations, movement problems, body numbness and slowed breathing.

Heroin

Heroin comes from the dried milk of the opium poppy and gives the user a burst of euphoria when injected. With long-term use, heroin ravages the body with chronic constipation, dry skin, scarred veins and breathing problems. Users experiencing a bad trip on heroin often start to feel numb, think that their heart is slowing down, and even that they are dying.

GHB

Gamma hydroxybutyrate (or GHB) is a depressant drug that can cause both euphoric and hallucinogenic effects. It has several dangerous side effects including breathing problems, decreased heart rate and seizures. GHB has grown in popularity as a date rape drug and it can be fatal when mixed with alcohol. Mixing GHB with alcohol is usually how a “bad trip” occurs. A user often blacks out to excess, feels dizzy, and loses control over their body and mind.

Amphetamines

Amphetamines are stimulants that accelerate functions in the brain and body. Also known as “uppers,” amphetamines pump up heart rate, breathing and blood pressure causing sweating, shaking, headaches, sleeplessness and blurred vision. Prolonged use can cause hallucinations and intense paranoia.