Cocaine hallucinations.
The American journal of psychiatry March 1978 DOI: 10.1176/ajp.135.3.309 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 85 |
| Population | Recreational cocaine users |
| Key findings | Among 85 recreational cocaine users, 15 reported hallucinations in visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, and gustatory modalities. The author proposes that a phenomenon he terms "snow lights" can begin a progression of symptoms leading to the classic "cocaine bugs," and argues that similarities between cocaine hallucinations and entoptic and migraine hallucinations suggest a common mechanism based on CNS excitation and arousal. |
Abstract
The author reviews the literature on hallucinations that occur as a result of acute and chronic administration of cocaine. He examined the phenomenology of cocaine hallucinations in a group of 85 recreational cocaine users, 15 of whom reported hallucinatory experiences in visual, tactile, olfactory, auditory, and gustatory modalities. He discusses a new phenomenon of "snow lights" in terms of initiating a progression of symptoms leading to the classic "cocaine bugs." He also points out the similarity of cocaine hallucinations to entoptic phenomena and migraine hallucinations, which suggests a common mechanism of action based on CNS excitation and arousal.