Acute Mescaline Intoxication Followed by Catatonia
Din Duraković, Ante Silić, Vjekoslav Peitl, Darko Vlahović, Daniela Vojnović, Dalibor Karlović
Archives of Psychiatry Research October 20, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.20471/dec.2022.58.02.12 via OpenAlex
Summary
A 41-year-old man experienced a psychotic reaction with catatonia after ingesting mescaline from San Pedro cactus during a shamanic ritual. His hallucinations began 9.5 hours after ingestion, and he was treated with a second-generation antipsychotic in the Psychiatry Department. The symptoms resolved approximately 60 hours later, primarily due to the antipsychotic's antagonistic effect on serotoninergic 5-HT2A receptors.
Study at a glance
| Design | case study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | a 41-year-old man |
| Key finding | The man's psychotic symptoms resolved about 60 hours after treatment with an antipsychotic that antagonizes serotoninergic 5-HT2A receptors. |
Abstract
The paper deals with a case report of a 41-year-old man who in search of the meaning of life in a so-called “shamanic ritual” drank tea made from the San Pedro cactus as well as paste made of the same plant. The hallucinations were post poned and started after 9.5 hours caracterised by a psychotic reaction with symptoms of catatonia. He was admitted to our Department of Psychiatry where he was administered a second generation antipsychotic. The clinical presentation disappeared about 60 hours after the ingestion of mescaline mainly because of the antagonistic effect the antipsychotic has on the serotoninergic 5-HT2A receptors.