Mescaline Addiction and Treatment

Dealing with mescaline addiction side effects? Learn how detox and rehab can help.

Mescaline is a drug native to the southwestern part of the U.S. and northern Mexico and it has been used for centuries as a medicine and antiseptic. It is a hallucinogenic drug that is used in the religious ceremonies of some Native American Indian Tribes to produce feelings of inner peace and altered states of consciousness. The drug is derived from a variety of different cacti, especially peyote. While there is no proof of physical addiction, people who use mescaline recreationally can become psychologically addicted to the drug. Mescaline addiction can have a great impact on someone’s life and that person may need professional help to stop taking the drug.

Mescaline is prepared by removing the “crown” or cactus head, which is shaped like discs or “buttons” from the root of the plant and left to dry. The buttons can then be chewed or brewed as a tea for drinking. Mescaline can also be synthetically made in a laboratory where it is usually crushed into a powder to be taken orally or smoked. The most common ways that mescaline is available is as a powder, in a capsule or tablet, or in liquid form. The usual dosage taken by users is three to six buttons, or three to five mg. Because the cacti plants are restricted to a small land area of growth, supplies of natural mescaline can be limited. Addicts may be buying LSD or other hallucinogens on the street that are being passed off as natural mescaline. Some common street names for mescaline are mese, moon, peyoto, mesc, musk, cactus, buttons and topi. Mescaline is classified as a Schedule I controlled drug in the U.S. that is illegal for use except among Native American tribes who use it for religious purposes.

After mescaline is ingested it crosses the blood-brain barrier and affects the communication of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. It affects some of the physical processes of the body, and also alters mood and sensory perception. Mescaline is a psychoactive hallucinogenic amphetamine, and mescaline side effects create a psychedelic experience similar to the drug LSD. Some of the mescaline side effects of mescaline addiction include:

  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Increased blood pressure
  • Increased body temperature
  • Increased heart rate
  • Psychosis
  • Hallucinations
  • Altered perception & cognition of reality
  • Strong emotions
  • Increased heart rate
  • Mood swings
  • Confusion
  • Depression
  • Tension and anxiety
  • Loss of appetite
  • Insomnia
  • Sweating
  • Muscle twitching
  • Numbness
  • Loss of reality
  • Paranoia, terror and panic

Psychological addiction, and not a physical addiction, is the driving motivation for using mescaline. Mescaline addiction treatment is designed to address the psychological habits and conditioned responses to the drug. When the mind finds the mescaline experience desirable, exciting or pleasing, it wants to keep repeating the experience and this becomes a conditioned response.

Mescaline addiction should be treated at a rehab facility that offers psychological counseling and behavioral therapies, and in some cases hypnosis. These modalities have been shown to be effective mescaline addiction treatment programs. The treatments are structured to change dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns into positive alternatives, and also to build up a willingness in the patient to begin to make the right kind of choices for his life.

Mescaline addiction treatment programs also provide family counseling and education, peer group support, relapse prevention and aftercare counseling and support. If the patient also has a co-occurring mental disorder or physical illness, these problems are also integrated into the mescaline addiction treatment program. If you are struggling to free yourself from mescaline addiction, you can get help at a certified drug rehab center. You will learn how to take control of your thoughts, behavior and life through a comprehensive mescaline addiction treatment program.

If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.

About the Author

is a proud alumni member of WhiteSands Treatment. After living a life of chaos, destruction and constant let downs, Mark was able to make a complete turnaround that sparked a new way of life. He is serious about his recovery along with helping others. At WhiteSands Treatment, we offer support to you in your homes or when you are out living in your daily lives.