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Serotonergic psychedelic

Original Wikipedia articleen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_drug revision used (24 October 2026)

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Overview

Serotonergic psychedelics (also known as serotonergic hallucinogens) are a class of hallucinogenic substances with a method of action strongly tied to modifying the normal neurotransmission of serotonin in the central nervous system (CNS). PW

Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic hallucinogens or serotonergic hallucinogens, the term psychedelic is sometimes used more broadly to include various other types of hallucinogens as well, such as those which are atypical or adjacent to psychedelia like ketamine and MDMA, respectively. They are widely illegal to sell, possess, or to prescribe; but are nevertheless part of the global illegal drug trade.[1][2][3] WP

Classic psychedelics generally cause specific psychological, visual, and auditory changes, and oftentimes a substantially altered state of consciousness. They have had the largest influence on the science and culture of hallucinogens, and include mescaline, LSD, psilocybin, and DMT. There are a large number of both naturally occurring and synthetic serotonergic psychedelics.[4–11] WP

Most psychedelic drugs fall into one of the three families of chemical compounds: tryptamines, phenethylamines, or lysergamides. They produce their psychedelic effects by binding to and activating a receptor in the brain called the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, and hence are a type of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist. By activating serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, they modulate the activity of key circuits in the brain involved with sensory perception and cognition. However, the exact nature of how psychedelics induce changes in perception and cognition via the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor is still unknown. The psychedelic experience is often compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as those experienced in meditation, mystical experiences, and near-death experiences, which also appear to be partially underpinned by altered default mode network (DMN) activity. The phenomenon of ego death is often described as a key feature of the psychedelic experience.[1][2][3][5][6][7][12–19] WP

Many psychedelic drugs are illegal to possess without lawful authorisation, exemption or license worldwide under the UN conventions, with occasional exceptions for religious use or research contexts. Despite these controls, recreational use of psychedelics is common. There is also a long history of use of naturally occurring psychedelics as entheogens dating back thousands of years. Legal barriers have made the scientific study of psychedelics more difficult. Research has been conducted, however, and studies show that psychedelics are physiologically safe and rarely lead to addiction. Psychedelic drugs are being studied for use in medicine, including treatment of depression, anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other conditions. Although further research is needed, existing results suggest that psychedelics could be effective treatments for certain conditions. A 2022 survey by YouGov found that 28% of Americans had used a psychedelic at some point in their life.[5][19–27] WP

Drugs in this class on intoxicant.wiki

Every page on this site that a cited source puts in this class: 264 pages. A drug is listed when PsychonautWiki's "Serotonergic psychedelic" page, revision 159374 lists it, or when its own PsychonautWiki, TripSit or Wikipedia entry names this class. Each name opens our page for that drug; long chemical names are shown by a shorter name the drug is also known by (hover for the full name).

Tags show who puts each drug in this class (hover for the exact wording): PW list = listed on PsychonautWiki's page for this class; PW = the drug's PsychonautWiki entry; TS = the drug's TripSit entry (drug category); WP = the drug infobox of the drug's Wikipedia article. These are classifications only, not dosage guidance.

References

  1. Journal / agency Aghajanian, G. Serotonin and Hallucinogens. Neuropsychopharmacology. August 1999. doi:10.1016/S0893-133X(98)00135-3 · PMID 10432484
  2. Journal / agency Millière, Raphaël; Carhart-Harris, Robin L.; Roseman, Leor; Trautwein, Fynn-Mathis; Berkovich-Ohana, Aviva. Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology. 2018. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01475 · PMID 30245648 · PMC6137697
  3. Journal / agency McClure-Begley, Tristan D.; Roth, Bryan L. The promises and perils of psychedelic pharmacology for psychiatry. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2022. doi:10.1038/s41573-022-00421-7 · PMID 35301459
  4. Journal / agency Nichols DE. Hallucinogens. Pharmacol Ther. February 2004. doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2003.11.002 · PMID 14761703
  5. Journal / agency Nichols, David E. Psychedelics. Pharmacological Reviews. 2016. doi:10.1124/pr.115.011478 · PMID 26841800 · PMC4813425
  6. Journal / agency Timmermann, Christopher; Roseman, Leor; Williams, Luke; Erritzoe, David; Martial, Charlotte; Cassol, Héléna; Laureys, Steven; Nutt, David; Carhart-Harris, Robin. DMT Models the Near-Death Experience. Frontiers in Psychology. 2018. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01424 · PMID 30174629 · PMC6107838
  7. Journal / agency R. R. Griffiths. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology. 7 July 2006. doi:10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 · PMID 16826400
  8. Other McKenna, Terence. Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge: a Radical History of Plants, Drugs and Human Evolution. 1999
  9. Other W. Davis (1996), One River: Explorations and Discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest. New York, Simon and Schuster, Inc. p. 120
  10. Journal / agency Kelmendi B, Kaye AP, Pittenger C, Kwan AC. Psychedelics. Curr Biol. January 2022. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.009 · PMID 35077687 · PMC8830367
  11. Journal / agency Kwan AC, Olson DE, Preller KH, Roth BL. The neural basis of psychedelic action. Nat Neurosci. November 2022. doi:10.1038/s41593-022-01177-4 · PMID 36280799 · PMC9641582
  12. Other Crystal Structure of LSD and 5-HT2AR Part 2: Binding Details and Future Psychedelic Research Paths. 2020-10-05
  13. Journal / agency Nichols DE. Chemistry and Structure-Activity Relationships of Psychedelics. 2018. doi:10.1007/7854_2017_475 · PMID 28401524
  14. Other Siegel, George J. Basic neurochemistry: Molecular, cellular and medical aspects. 11 November 2005
  15. Journal / agency Smigielski, Lukasz; Scheidegger, Milan; Kometer, Michael; Vollenweider, Franz X. Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. NeuroImage. August 2019. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009 · PMID 30965131
  16. Journal / agency Letheby, Chris; Gerrans, Philip. Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience. Neuroscience of Consciousness. 2017. doi:10.1093/nc/nix016 · PMID 30042848 · PMC6007152
  17. Journal / agency Van Eyghen, Hans. Psychedelic Mystical Experiences Are Authentic. Religions. 2025. doi:10.3390/rel16101294
  18. Journal / agency Brewer, Judson A.; Worhunsky, Patrick D.; Gray, Jeremy R.; Tang, Yi-Yuan; Weber, Jochen; Kober, Hedy. Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2011-12-13. doi:10.1073/pnas.1112029108 · PMID 22114193 · PMC3250176
  19. Journal / agency Siegel JS, Liston C, Nicol GE, Carhart-Harris RL, Bogenschutz MP. The science of psychedelic medicine. Nat Med. February 2026. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-04194-5 · PMID 41652120
  20. Journal / agency Krebs, Teri S. Over 30 million psychedelic users in the United States. F1000Research. 28 March 2013. doi:10.12688/f1000research.2-98.v1 · PMID 24627778 · PMC3917651
  21. Journal / agency Garcia-Romeu, Albert. Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. August 2016. doi:10.1037/pha0000084 · PMID 27454674 · PMC5001686
  22. Other Le Dain, Gerald. The Non-medical Use of Drugs: Interim Report of the Canadian Government's Commission of Inquiry. 1971
  23. Journal / agency Lüscher, Christian; Ungless, Mark A. The Mechanistic Classification of Addictive Drugs. PLOS Medicine. 14 November 2006. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030437 · PMID 17105338 · PMC1635740
  24. Journal / agency Bender, David; Hellerstein, David J. Assessing the risk–benefit profile of classical psychedelics: a clinical review of second-wave psychedelic research. Psychopharmacology. 2022. doi:10.1007/s00213-021-06049-6 · PMID 35022823
  25. Journal / agency Reiff CM, Richman EE, Nemeroff CB, Carpenter LL, Widge AS, Rodriguez CI, Kalin NH, McDonald WM. Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy. The American Journal of Psychiatry. May 2020. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19010035 · PMID 32098487
  26. Journal / agency Tupper, Kenneth W.; Wood, Evan; Yensen, Richard; Johnson, Matthew W. Psychedelic medicine: a re-emerging therapeutic paradigm. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2015-10-06. doi:10.1503/cmaj.141124 · PMID 26350908 · PMC4592297
  27. Other Orth, Taylor. One in four Americans say they've tried at least one psychedelic drug. July 28, 2022

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