consciousness-altering drug vs psychoactive drug

consciousness-altering drug and psychoactive drug both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
consciousness-altering drug	Yes	No	No	No
psychoactive drug	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, consciousness-altering drug and psychoactive drug are synonyms defined as:

consciousness-altering drug and psychoactive drug: a drug that can produce mood changes and distorted perceptions

Other synonyms of consciousness-altering drug include mind-altering drug, psychoactive substance.

consciousness-altering drug (noun)	psychoactive drug (noun)
a drug that can produce mood changes and distorted perceptions	a drug that can produce mood changes and distorted perceptions