LSD is a powerful hallucinogen with the potential for misuse and addiction. Learn more about how LSD affects a person\u2019s system and how it can create addictive effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LSD and acid are street names for the chemical lysergic acid diethylamide. It is manufactured from the lysergic acid compound found in ergot, a fungus that grows on grains. LSD was discovered<\/a> by scientist Albert Hoffman in 1934, and it was previously studied in the context of treatment for psychiatric disorders. In the early 1970s, LSD was made illegal after it was classified as a Schedule I substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSD is a very potent drug, and only a few micrograms of the chemical are necessary to cause strong hallucinations, or \u201cacid trips.\u201d Although it is not physically addictive like heroin<\/a> or benzodiazepines<\/a>, LSD abuse does occur. Acid trip effects can vary widely depending on the person and how much they use. The first step toward understanding LSD abuse is to learn more about the nature of the chemical itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSD is a hallucinogen, meaning it belongs to the class of drugs that makes a person hallucinate. The chemical works in the brain primarily through activation of the serotonin system<\/a>, and it also partially affects the brain\u2019s dopamine system<\/a>. LSD tabs, doses or hits are very strong and can have serious psychological side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSD effects<\/a> generally include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes these effects are experienced positively in the moment. However, a \u201cbad trip\u201d on LSD can be devastating psychologically and cause psychotic-like effects<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After taking this drug, an individual can feel the lingering effects of fatigue, anxiety or depression for upward of three days. Some reports<\/a> also suggest that people can experience a \u201cflashback\u201d of perceptual disturbances caused by taking LSD in the past, despite the absence of recent use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n People who take the drug describe that acid trips occur in stages. These stages include a rising phase, the peak and the comedown. In total, an acid trip lasts about 12 hours<\/a>. Specifically, the effects of LSD begin 30 to 60 minutes after taking the drug and peak after 1 to 5 hours. The effects gradually subside after 5 to 10 hours but can persist as long as 16 hours in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The LSD dosage people usually take is relatively small, usually measured in micrograms. The average effective acid trip dosage ranges from about 20 to 80 micrograms. Doses of 200 micrograms (which is not considered an abnormal amount) have been given in some clinical studies<\/a>. The LSD route of administration<\/a> is typically oral, but it can also be used intravenously or through inhalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most commonly, the drug is laid on LSD blotter paper. These square sheets of blotter paper are generally brightly colored, and they are perforated so that an individual \u201chit\u201d can be torn off from the rest of the sheet. However, LSD can also be found in the form of acid gel tabs or placed on sugar cubes. Sometimes, it is sold in a pure liquid form. The chemical itself is colorless and odorless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many LSD slang terms that people use. Common street names for LSD include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSD stays in the body for a relatively short period of time compared to other drugs. One study<\/a> found that LSD metabolizes very quickly, and LSD itself is only detectable for a few hours. However, its major metabolite (O-H-LSD) is detectable for up to 24 hours. In this same study, O-H-LSD was only detected in blood plasma at very low concentrations and in only half of the subjects for a few hours. In the urine, O-H-LSD was detectable for approximately 16 to 24 hours after LSD administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, most routine urine drug tests cannot detect LSD. Researchers can use two techniques to detect this drug in urine and blood. These are called liquid-liquid extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy (UHPLC-MS\/MS). So while LSD can be detected, it isn\u2019t usually practical to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSD is not physically addictive like an opioid<\/a>, such as OxyContin<\/a>, or benzodiazepines, such as Ativan<\/a>. However, some evidence suggests that some people can get psychologically addicted to LSD. For instance, drug-related dreams<\/a> are characteristic of addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one case report<\/a>, a woman who had been using LSD for three years reported pleasantly dreaming about using the drug. Upon awakening, she was disappointed that it had all been a dream. So while it is rare to become addicted to this drug, it is possible to display addiction-like behaviors. LSD abuse does occur, however, particularly among teens and young adults<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LSD is a powerful hallucinogen with the potential for misuse and addiction. Learn more about how LSD affects a person\u2019s system and how it can create addictive effects. LSD and acid are street names for the chemical lysergic acid diethylamide. It is manufactured from the lysergic acid compound found in ergot, a fungus that grows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":481,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3736","blog","type-blog","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"written_by":287,"enable_medically_and_up":["Yes"],"medically_reviewed_by":277,"medically_reviewed_content":"This article was reviewed by a medical professional to guarantee the delivery of accurate and up-to- date information. View our research policy.<\/a>","up_to_date":"Last Updated<\/i> - 12\/29\/2022<\/b>","page_first_published_date":"20221229","page_last_edit_date":"20221229","highlighted_description":"If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, help is available. Speak with a Recovery Advocate by calling 888-648-0738<\/b><\/a> now.","key_takeaways":"","source":{"source_label":"View Sources","source_content":"Hanks, James B.; Gonza\u0301lez-Maeso, Javier. \u201cAnimal models of serotonergic psychedelics<\/a>.\u201d ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2012. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nSeeman, Philip; Guan Hong\u2010Chang; Hirbec, H\u00e9l\u00e8ne. \u201cDopamine D2 High receptors stimulated by phencyclidines, lysergic acid diethylamide, salvinorin A, and modafinil<\/a>.\u201d Synapse, 2009. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nSchmid, Yasmin; et al. \u201cAcute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects<\/a>.\u201d Biological Psychiatry, 2015. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nDe Gregorio, Danilo; et al. \u201cd-Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as a model of psychosis: mechanism of action and pharmacology<\/a>.\u201d International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2016. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nLerner, Arturo G.; Rudinski, Dmitri; Lev-Ran, Shaul. \u201cLSD flashbacks-the appearance of new visual imagery not experienced during initial intoxication: Two case reports<\/a>.\u201d The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 2014. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nGasser, Peter; et al. \u201cSafety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases<\/a>.\u201d The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 2014. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nCenter for Substance Abuse Research. \u201cLSD<\/a>.\u201d October 29, 2013. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nDolder, Patrick C.; et al. \u201cPharmacokinetics and concentration-effect relationship of oral LSD in humans<\/a>.\u201d International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2015. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nColace, Claudio; et al. \u201cLimbic system activity and drug dreaming in drug-addicted subjects<\/a>.\u201d Neuropsychoanalysis, 2010. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nColace, Claudio. \u201cDrug dreams in mescaline and LSD addiction<\/a>.\u201d The American Journal on Addictions, 2010. Accessed October 25, 2019.\r\n\r\nDrug Enforcement Agency. \u201cD-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide<\/a>.\u201d August 2018. Accessed October 25, 2019."},"staff_member_heading":"Authorship","staff_member":[{"staff_member_title":"Editor","select_staff_member":287},{"staff_member_title":"Medical Reviewer","select_staff_member":277}],"insurance_label":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/3736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/3736\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/481"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/277"},{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/staff\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.floridarehab.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Is LSD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Does LSD Do to You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Visual hallucinations Audiovisual synesthesia Derealization Depersonalization phenomena Increased blood pressure and heart rate Increased body temperature Dilated pupil size Increased blood hormone levels, such as cortisol and epinephrine <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHow Long Does an Acid Trip Last?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
LSD Dosage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Does LSD Look Like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
LSD Street Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Acid Lucy Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds Blotter Doses Window Pane Microdots Sunshine Zen <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHow Long Does LSD Stay in Your System?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Is LSD Addictive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n