Author: Alex Thompson

LSD: What to Know

Anyone with existing mental health issues is advised against taking LSD, as the drug may exacerbate these issues, both in the short and long term. LSD is often considered to be a “safe” drug as there is very little chance of overdosing on it and normal use doesn’t pose any long-term physical damage. Like many hallucinogens, LSD is most commonly taken in a quiet and controlled environment. However, some people take LSD in place of more expensive party drugs, like ecstasy, at raves, festivals, concerts, and parties.

However, LSD’s Substance I classification limits research and access to LSD as a treatment. More research is necessary to explore the potential of this drug. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD or acid) is a powerful synthetic hallucinogen. A lysergic acid found in ergot—a fungus that grows on rye and other grains—produces LSD.

1. After 24 hours, you excrete only about 1 percent of unchanged LSD via your urine.
2. Chronic LSD use can cause long-term health problems such as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder.
3. Anyone with existing mental health issues is advised against taking LSD, as the drug may exacerbate these issues, both in the short and long term.
4. Like many hallucinogens, LSD is most commonly taken in a quiet and controlled environment.
5. This post examines LSD’s physical and mental health effects during and after misuse.

Each dose contains approximately 20 to 80 micrograms.10 Users typically chew or swallow them. However, they can also inhale, inject, or apply LSD to their eyes. It underwent thousands of medical experiments until authorities deemed it illegal in the 1960s. Adrienne Santos-Longhurst is a freelance writer and author who has written extensively on all things health and lifestyle for more than a decade. If you’re concerned about your substance use, you have a few options for support.

How many people have a hallucinogen use disorder?

As a result, routine drug tests — often urine tests — can’t detect LSD. There are a few variables that can affect when acid kicks in and how intense the effects are. But how often they happen and intense they are tend to dip after you stop using LSD for a while. When you take LSD, it reacts with these receptors to trigger the hallucinogenic effects within your senses. Researchers believe this reaction is also what causes the long-lasting high.

Powdered LSD can also be compacted into small balls known as microdots. Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 0.2% (or about 493,000 people) had a hallucinogen use disorder in the past 12 months. When someone takes LSD, it distorts the world around them. Someone that has just taken LSD may be very in their head and act quieter than usual. Every person’s experience with LSD is unique, as the effects feed off the person’s imagination.

What are examples of psychedelic and dissociative drugs?

Some people might also develop a condition called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD). It’s similar to flashbacks, but if you have HPPD, you might get flashbacks long after you stop using LSD. Some long-term LSD users may experience “flashbacks.” This comes from stress, where feelings or visuals that you once had during a trip might pop back into your head. Although acid is not physically addictive, people can become psychologically dependent on the substance.

When you place it on your tongue or swallow it, it releases the drug into your system. Scientists first made LSD in 1938, from a chemical they took from a type of fungus called ergot.

Dissociative Drugs

Chronic LSD use can cause long-term health problems such as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder. The disorder causes flashbacks to spontaneous visual distortions that may reoccur months to years after a person quits using LSD. NIDA supports and conducts research to learn whether some of these drugs may help treat substance use disorders in medical settings. LSD isn’t considered an addictive substance, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, but you can develop a tolerance to it and other hallucinogens if you take it often.

Some people have experienced fatal accidents while high on acid. Acid is common at dance clubs, music festivals and underground parties called raves. According to the 2017 Monitoring the Future survey, about 3 percent of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders have used LSD in their lifetime. However, the number of teens using the drug has significantly declined since the 1990s. Among people aged 12 or older in 2021, 2.6% (or about 7.4 million people) reported using hallucinogens in the past 12 months. Unlike other hallucinogens, such as psilocybin-bearing mushrooms, ayahuasca, and mescaline, LSD is not natural.

For some folks, it causes extreme mood swings that may lead to aggressive and violent behavior. When you mix LSD with other substances, the effects of either or both can be increased. This includes prescription medications and other substances. But blood tests can detect LSD for up to 8 hours, and hair follicle tests for up to 90 days. The liver quickly metabolizes LSD and transforms it into inactive compounds. After 24 hours, you excrete only about 1 percent of unchanged LSD via your urine.

What Are Available Treatments for LSD Abuse?

If you or someone you know exhibits these symptoms, seek medical help immediately. The signs above may progress to paranoia and other critical conditions. Seeking help from medical professionals is always the best way to avoid harm from LSD abuse. Doing so promptly can prevent further damage or injury and ensure a full recovery. Sometimes, they may administer a low to medium dose of benzodiazepine to reduce anxiety and promote sedation. Hallucinogens like acid can make you do things you wouldn’t normally do.

LSD disrupts the interaction of serotonin and nerve cells, causing hallucinations, heightened senses, and other intense physical and mental effects. Users typically begin to feel the effects of LSD 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion. Although, with a higher dosage, the effects can last up to 12 hours. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor. Doing so greatly increases the risk of overdose and long-term effects. Furthermore, it can lead to more serious psychological problems.

Symptoms of LSD Use

Excessively high doses of the drug aren’t fatal, but they can cause psychosis and a more intense psychedelic experience. Some people experience a “bad trip,” which can cause confusion, panic, anxiety or helplessness that lasts several minutes or hours. The psychedelic drug can cause visual hallucinations and change a person’s mood, emotions and perception. Because it has a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use, LSD is illegal in the United States. LSD isn’t physically addictive, but users may become psychologically addicted to the “trips” they experience.