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| What are Dissociative Drugs? |  Drugs such as phencyclidine (PCP) and ketamine, which were developed as general anesthetics for surgery, distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of dissociation from the environment and self. But such effects are not hallucinations.
Ketamine and PCP are widely known as "dissociative anesthetics". Dextromethorphan is a widely available cough suppressant. Taken it in high doses can produce effects like PCP and ketamine effects.
The dissociative drugs act by changing distribution of the neurotransmitter glutamate throughout the brain. Glutamate is involved in sensation of pain, responses to the memory and environment. PCP is the typical dissociative drug.
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