How long does PCP last?

The total duration of PCP via insufflated is 4 hours to 6 hours. Onset typically occurs within 3 minutes to 30 minutes. Peak effects last 2 hours to 3 hours.

PCP — SubstanceWiki

Phencyclidine or phenylcyclohexyl piperidine (PCP), also known in its use as a street drug as angel dust among other names, is a dissociative anesthetic mainly used recreationally for its significant mind-altering effects. PCP may cause hallucinations, distorted perceptions of sounds, and psychotic behavior. As a recreational drug, it is typically smoked, but may be taken by mouth, snorted, or injected. It may also be mixed with cannabis or tobacco. Adverse effects may include paranoia, addiction, and an increased risk of suicide, as well as seizures and coma in cases of overdose. Flashbacks may occur despite stopping usage. Chemically, PCP is a member of the arylcyclohexylamine class. PCP works primarily as an NMDA receptor antagonist. PCP is most commonly used in the US. While usage peaked in the US in the 1970s, between 2005 and 2011, an increase in visits to emergency departments as a result of the drug occurred. As of 2022, in the US, about 0.7% of 12th-grade students reported using PCP in the prior year, while 1.7% of people in the US over age 25 reported using it at some point in their lives.

Harm Reduction

PCP is widely regarded as one of the more unpredictable and potentially dangerous dissociative substances due to its long duration (4-8 hours), potent dopaminergic activity (contributing to agitation ...

How It Feels

It begins with a numbness so total it feels like a philosophical statement — the body does not merely lose sensation but seems to declare sensation unnecessary, a relic of a more limited form of consciousness. Within fifteen minutes the numbness has reached the core, and with it comes a surge of power: raw, undifferentiated, almost electrical, as though the body has been plugged into a source of energy that operates without the usual safety limiters. Your limbs feel capable of anything. Pain is not dulled — it has been abolished, categorically, as though the concept itself has been removed from the operating system.

The come-up is rapid and overwhelming. The stimulation builds into something that transcends ordinary energy and becomes a kind of possession — a driven, relentless momentum that infects every thought and every movement. You walk and the walk becomes a march. You speak and the speech becomes a proclamation. There is a grandiosity here that is legendary for good reason: you do not merely feel confident, you feel chosen, anointed, operating on a plane of reality that the people around you cannot perceive. Sound takes on an artificial, processed quality, as though the world is being broadcast through a cheap speaker at enormous volume. Vision narrows into a tunnel of absolute focus.

At the peak, PCP produces a state that has no real parallel among other dissociatives. The dissociation and the stimulation and the mania fuse into a single overwhelming experience of detached omnipotence. You are, simultaneously, nowhere and everywhere — removed from your body yet capable of directing it with terrifying force. Reality has been replaced by a narrative in which you are the central figure, and every element of the environment has been recruited into this narrative as either ally or obstacle. At high doses, the paranoia can become total, and the conviction absolute. The body is a machine running without governors: pain-free, fatigue-free, and operating with a strength and endurance that will exact its cost later, when the compound withdraws its support.

The descent is brutal and protracted. The omnipotence drains away first, leaving behind the stimulation and the paranoia, now stripped of their grandiose context and simply unpleasant. You are wired, suspicious, and unable to sleep. The body, which has been performing without complaint for hours, begins to report the accumulated damage: muscle soreness, joint pain, injuries sustained without awareness. The emotional crash can be severe — a flat, hostile depression that settles in like weather and may persist for days. PCP does not leave gracefully. It leaves the way a storm leaves: with wreckage to assess, repairs to make, and the slow, humbling work of returning to ordinary human scale.

Subjective Effects

The effects listed below are based on the Subjective Effect Index (SEI), an open research literature based on anecdotal reports and personal analyses. They should be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism. These effects will not necessarily occur in a predictable or reliable manner, although higher doses are more liable to induce the full spectrum of effects.

Physical Effects

Physical(10)

Appetite enhancement— A distinct increase in hunger and desire for food, often accompanied by enhanced enjoyment of taste ...
Dizziness— A sensation of spinning, swaying, or lightheadedness that impairs balance and spatial orientation, o...
Increased libido— A marked enhancement of sexual desire, arousal, and sensitivity to erotic stimuli that can range fro...
Motor control loss— A distinct decrease in the ability to control one's physical body with precision, balance, and coord...
Nausea— An uncomfortable sensation of queasiness and stomach discomfort that may or may not lead to vomiting...
Pain relief— A suppression of negative physical sensations such as aches and pains, ranging from dulled awareness...
Physical disconnection— A perceptual distancing from one's own physical body that ranges from a subtle sense of numbness or ...
Physical euphoria— An intensely pleasurable bodily sensation that can manifest as waves of warmth, tingling electricity...
Sedation— A state of deep physical and mental calming that manifests as a progressive desire to remain still, ...
Stimulation— A state of heightened physical and mental energy characterized by increased wakefulness, elevated mo...

Tactile(1)

Tactile suppression— A progressive decrease in the ability to feel physical touch, ranging from mild numbness to complete...

Cognitive & Perceptual Effects

Visual(8)

Double vision— The visual experience of seeing a single object as two separate, overlapping images, similar to cros...
Environmental cubism— A visual distortion in which the environment and objects within it appear fragmented into geometric,...
Frame rate suppression— Perception of visual motion as choppy discrete frames rather than smooth continuous flow, resembling...
Geometry— The experience of perceiving complex, ever-shifting geometric patterns superimposed over the visual ...
Internal hallucination— Vivid, detailed visual experiences perceived within an imagined mental landscape that can only be se...
Perspective distortions— Distortion of perceived depth, distance, and size of real objects, making things appear closer, furt...

Detection Methods

Standard Drug Panel Inclusion

PCP (phencyclidine) IS included on the standard 5-panel drug test, making it one of the most commonly screened substances in workplace and clinical drug testing. The standard immunoassay cutoff for PCP in urine is 25 ng/mL. PCP has been included on drug screening panels since the earliest days of workplace drug testing and remains a mandatory analyte in most testing programs.

Urine Detection

PCP is detectable in urine for approximately 3 to 7 days after a single dose in occasional users. In chronic, heavy users, PCP can remain detectable for 2 to 4 weeks due to its high lipophilicity and accumulation in adipose tissue. The compound undergoes extensive hepatic metabolism via oxidative hydroxylation, producing multiple metabolites. However, approximately 10 to 15 percent of a dose is excreted unchanged in urine, which is the primary target of immunoassay screening. Urinary excretion is pH-dependent, with acidic urine significantly increasing clearance rates.

Blood and Serum Detection

Blood detection windows are 1 to 3 days for single use and up to 1 to 2 weeks for chronic use. Pharmacologically active blood concentrations range from 7 to 240 ng/mL. Concentrations above 100 ng/mL are associated with severe toxicity including coma and seizures.

Hair Follicle Detection

Hair testing detects PCP for up to 90 days. PCP is a basic compound that incorporates readily into the hair shaft, and detection in hair is well established. Both the parent compound and metabolites are targeted.

Confirmatory Methods

GC-MS and LC-MS/MS are used for confirmation. GC-MS is the traditional reference method, providing definitive identification with characteristic mass spectral fragmentation. LC-MS/MS offers improved sensitivity and the ability to simultaneously screen for PCP analogues. The standard confirmatory cutoff is 25 ng/mL, matching the screening cutoff.

Reagent Testing

The Marquis reagent produces no significant reaction with PCP. The Mandelin reagent yields an orange-brown color. The Mecke reagent may produce a faint yellow-green response. The Simon reagent, which detects secondary amines, produces a blue color with PCP. Fentanyl test strips should be used on any PCP obtained from unregulated sources.

Interactions

Substance	Status	Note
2C-T-x	Dangerous	—
5-MeO-DALT	Dangerous	—
5-MeO-DiPT	Dangerous	—
5-MeO-DMT	Dangerous	—
5-MeO-MiPT	Dangerous	—
Desomorphine	Dangerous	Both cause respiratory depression and unconsciousness; vomiting while dissociated risks aspiration
Dextromethorphan	Dangerous	—
GBL	Dangerous	—
GHB	Dangerous	—
MAOI	Dangerous	—
Naloxone	Dangerous	Both cause respiratory depression and unconsciousness; vomiting while dissociated risks aspiration
2-FA	Unsafe	—
2-FMA	Unsafe	—
3-FA	Unsafe	—
3-FEA	Unsafe	—
4-FA	Unsafe	—
4-FMA	Unsafe	—
Alcohol	Unsafe	—
Amphetamine	Unsafe	—
Benzodiazepines	Unsafe	—
Cocaine	Unsafe	—
Dextroamphetamine	Unsafe	—
DOx	Unsafe	—
Fenethylline	Unsafe	—
Lisdexamfetamine	Unsafe	—
MDMA	Unsafe	—
Methamphetamine	Unsafe	—
PMA	Unsafe	—
3-Cl-PCP	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
3-HO-PCE	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
3-HO-PCP	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
3-MeO-PCE	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
3-MeO-PCMo	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
3-MeO-PCP	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
4-MeO-PCP	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Anandamide	Caution	Cannabis can intensify dissociation and increase confusion and disorientation
APICA	Caution	Cannabis can intensify dissociation and increase confusion and disorientation
Atropa belladonna	Caution	Unpredictable compounding of hallucinogenic effects with anticholinergic delirium
Benzydamine	Caution	Unpredictable compounding of hallucinogenic effects with anticholinergic delirium
Cake	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Cannabidiol	Caution	Cannabis can intensify dissociation and increase confusion and disorientation
Datura	Caution	Unpredictable compounding of hallucinogenic effects with anticholinergic delirium
Deschloroetizolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Deschloroketamine	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Diclazepam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Diphenhydramine	Caution	Unpredictable compounding of hallucinogenic effects with anticholinergic delirium
Diphenidine	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Ephenidine	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Eszopiclone	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Etizolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Flubromazepam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Flubromazolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Flunitrazepam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Flunitrazolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Gaboxadol	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
HXE	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Inhalants	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Lorazepam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Memantine	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Mephenaqualone	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Metizolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Midazolam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
MXiPr	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Nicotine	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Nifoxipam	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
O-PCE	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
PCE	Caution	Compounding dissociative effects can cause confusion, mania, and loss of motor control
Pentobarbital	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Phenobarbital	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
SAMe	Caution	Both cause CNS depression; increased risk of vomiting, unconsciousness, and respiratory depression
Caffeine	Uncertain	—
Codeine	Uncertain	—
Fentanyl	Uncertain	—
Heroin	Uncertain	—
Kratom	Uncertain	—
Morphine	Uncertain	—
Oxycodone	Uncertain	—
1,3-Butanediol	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
25E-NBOH	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
2C-T	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
2C-T-2	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
2C-T-21	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
2C-T-7	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Allylescaline	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Ayahuasca	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
DET	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
DiPT	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
DOM	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
DPT	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Efavirenz	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
EPT	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Ibogaine	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
MET	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Methallylescaline	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
MiPT	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
MPT	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined
Psilocybin Mushrooms	Low Risk & Synergy	Produces unique synergistic effects; often combined

Showing 97 key interactions out of 110 total.

Toxicity & Safety

Further information: Responsible use § Hallucinogens The long-term use of PCP may lead to schizophrenia-like psychotic episodes, severe lasting memory loss, disorganized thinking, depression, weight loss, liver abnormalities and rhabdomyolysis (skeletal muscle breakdown).

It is very strongly recommended that one use extreme caution and harm reduction practices when using this substance. For example,

Users should avoid taking the drug multiple days in a row or becoming addicted to it as this increases the risk of severe adverse effects.
The recommended dosage range should not be exceeded as high doses can trigger adverse effects.
Users should start with extremely low doses and work their way up as slowly as possible. Volumetric liquid dosing should preferably be used due to the drug's potency; most standard milligram scales cannot accurately weigh out doses below 10-15mg.
Compulsive redosing before one has fully sobered up is not recommended and can result in too high of a dose.

Psychosis

PCP has been reported to cause psychosis and mania at a significantly higher rate than other dissociatives such as ketamine, diphenidine, or MXE. Multiple scientific papers describe states of psychosis, mania, and/or delirium occurring after moderate to large doses of the drug were ingested.

In one initial human trial, it was reported that one-sixth of the patients who had received anesthetic doses experienced acute psychosis. In some cases, it took up to a week or more to resolve. Similar results (although less severe) were reported during trials using subanesthetic doses of PCP for pain relief.

Due to the risk of psychosis, it is not recommended to combine this substance with other substances, especially stimulants, psychedelics, or other dissociatives like MXE and DXM.

Neurological effects

Some studies found that, like other NMDA receptor antagonists, PCP can cause brain damage called Olney's lesions in rats. Studies conducted on rats showed that high doses of the NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine caused reversible vacuoles to form in certain regions of the rats' brains. All studies of Olney's lesions have only been performed on non-human animals and may not apply to humans.

One unpublished study by Frank Sharp reportedly showed no damage by the NMDA antagonist ketamine (a similar drug) far beyond recreational doses but its validity is controversial since it was never published.

PCP has also been shown to cause schizophrenia-like changes in N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartylglutamate levels in the rat brain, which are detectable both in living rats and upon necropsy examination of brain tissue. It also induces symptoms in humans that mimic schizophrenia.

Urinary tract effects

In terms of its long-term health effects when used repeatedly and excessively for extended periods of time, PCP seems to exhibit almost identical bladder and urinary tract problems to those produced by ketamine.

Urinary frequency - Urinary frequency is the need to empty the bladder every few minutes.
Urinary urgency - This can be described as a sudden, compelling need to urinate.
Urinary pressure - This is experienced as a constant sensation of fullness in the bladder that is unrelieved by urination.
Pelvic and bladder pain - Pain can develop suddenly and severely, particularly as the bladder fills with urine.
Hematuria - Hematuria is visible blood in the urine.
Incontinence - This is the uncontrolled leakage of urine.

Dependence and abuse potential

The chronic use of PCP can be considered highly addictive with a high potential for adverse side effects such as psychosis. In comparison to other dissociatives, PCP has been reported to be more addictive than MXE, diphenidine, ephenidine, and ketamine.

When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage. There have been multiple reports across the internet of people becoming seriously addicted daily users of this substance so serious precautions and considerations should be taken before trying this substance.

Tolerance to many of the effects of PCP develops with prolonged and repeated use. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects. After that, it takes about 3 - 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 - 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). PCP presents cross-tolerance with all dissociatives, meaning that after the consumption of PCP, all dissociatives will have a reduced effect.

Dangerous interactions

Warning: Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).

Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume. Some of the listed interactions have been sourced from TripSit.

MXE - There are no reports available about this combination.
Caffeine - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
Opioids - PCP can reduce opioid tolerance, increasing the risk of overdose.
DOx - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
Amphetamines - This combination can easily lead to hypermanic states.
MDMA - This combination can easily lead to hypermanic states.
Cocaine - This combination can easily lead to hypermanic states.
Alcohol - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
Benzodiazepines - Both substances potentiate the ataxia and sedation caused by the other and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. While unconscious, vomit aspiration is a risk if not placed in the recovery position. Memory blackouts are likely.
SSRIs - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
2C-T-x
ΑMT
5-MeO-xxT
DXM
GHB - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
GBL - Details of this combination are not well understood but PCP generally interacts in an unpredictable manner.
Tramadol
MAOIs - Little information exists about this combination.

Addiction Potential

Moderately to highly addictive. PCP is self-administered in animal models and induces delta-FosB expression in D1-type medium spiny neurons of the nucleus accumbens. Its rewarding effects are mediated through NMDA receptor blockade in glutamatergic inputs to the nucleus accumbens. Tolerance and psychological dependence develop with repeated use.

Overdose Information

PCP overdose is a medical emergency that can be fatal. The primary dangers include seizures, respiratory depression, extreme hypertension (which can cause stroke or intracranial hemorrhage), severe hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown leading to kidney failure), and coma. PCP-related deaths have also occurred from trauma during PCP-induced psychosis.

Signs of PCP overdose include: seizures, unresponsiveness, extremely high blood pressure, very high body temperature, rapid horizontal or vertical nystagmus (eye movements), muscle rigidity, violent or bizarre behavior, and inability to feel pain (which may lead to self-injury without awareness).

Call emergency services (911) immediately. While waiting: do not attempt to restrain the person unless absolutely necessary for safety. Keep them in a quiet, low-stimulation environment. If they are seizing, protect their head. If unresponsive and not breathing, begin CPR. In the emergency department, benzodiazepines are first-line for agitation and seizures. Active cooling is used for hyperthermia. Urine acidification (previously recommended to hasten PCP excretion) is no longer recommended due to the risk of worsening rhabdomyolysis-induced kidney damage. Good Samaritan laws apply.

Full	with prolonged and repeated use
Half	3 - 7 days
Zero	1 - 2 weeks

PCP

Quick Dosage

Dosage

insufflated

oral

smoked

Duration

insufflated

oral

smoked

How It Feels

Subjective Effects

Physical Effects

Physical(10)

Tactile(1)

Cognitive & Perceptual Effects

Visual(8)

Pharmacology

Detection Methods

Standard Drug Panel Inclusion

Urine Detection

Blood and Serum Detection

Hair Follicle Detection

Confirmatory Methods

Reagent Testing

Interactions

History

Harm Reduction

Toxicity & Safety

Addiction Potential

Overdose Information

Dangerous Interactions

Tolerance

Cross-tolerances

Legal Status

Experience Reports (12)

Tips (10)

Community Discussions (2)

Further Reading

Hamilton Morris

Hamilton's Pharmacopeia

See Also

References (5)

Frequently Asked Questions

Cognitive(21)

Auditory(3)

Transpersonal(1)