Pharmacol Rev. Therapeutic use of LSD in psychiatry: A systematic review of randomized-controlled clinical trials. Front Psychiatry. Psychedelic medicine: A re-emerging therapeutic paradigm. Herbal highs: Review on psychoactive effects and neuropharmacology. Curr Neuropharmacol. National Institute on Drug Abuse. How do hallucinogens work? Published February Your Privacy Rights.
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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Are Psychedelic Drugs? The Best Online Therapy Programs We've tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! LSD is usually swallowed or dissolved under the tongue, but it can also be sniffed, injected or smoked. There is no safe level of drug use. Use of any drug always carries some risk.
The effects of LSD usually begin in approximately 30 minutes and will last around hours. If someone takes a large amount, the negative effects of LSD are more likely. This can lead to panic and risky behaviour, like running across a road or attempting self-harm. Some people who regularly use LSD may eventually experience flashbacks. This is when an LSD experience reoccurs usually a visual distortion that involves perceptual or emotional changes.
Flashbacks can happen weeks, months or even years after the drug was last taken. Flashbacks can be disturbing, especially if a frightening experience or hallucination is recalled. Flashbacks can be brought on by stress, tiredness, exercise or using other drugs. They usually last for a minute or two. Using LSD can trigger or worsen mental health problems such as anxiety, schizophrenia or psychosis. However, research into the administration of LSD in a safe, therapeutic setting, involving a controlled dose, has shown positive results in treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and reducing anxiety in patients with a life-threatening disease.
Tolerance develops rapidly to the effects of LSD. After the third or fourth consecutive days of taking LSD, no amount of the drug can produce the desired effects. The plasma half-life is about two-and-a-half hours. In humans, LSD is extensively transformed in the liver by hydroxylation and glucuronide conjugation to inactive metabolites. A major metabolite found in urine is 2-oxylysergide. Patients usually recover within a few hours but occasionally hallucinations last up to 48 hours and psychotic states for 3—4 days.
Serious side effects often attributed to LSD such as irrational acts leading to suicide or accidental deaths, are extremely rare. Deaths attributed to LSD overdose are virtually unknown. Methods for producing LSD are complex and require an experienced chemist. Several methods are known, but the majority use lysergic acid as the precursor. Lysergic acid itself is also often produced in clandestine laboratories using ergometrine or ergotamine tartrate as the starting material. Ergotamine occurs naturally in the ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea , a common parasite on rye.
Depending on the method used, other essential reagents include N,N -carbonyldi-imidazole, diethylamine or hydrazine. Absorbent paper doses blotters are prepared by dipping the paper in an aqueous alcoholic solution of the tartrate salt, or by dropping the solution onto individual squares.
LSD is taken orally. Paper doses are placed on the tongue, where the drug is rapidly absorbed. Tablets or capsules are swallowed. The most common form is drops of LSD solution dried onto gelatin sheets, pieces of blotting paper or sugar cubes, which release the drug when they are swallowed. LSD is also sometimes sold as a liquid, in a tablet or in capsules. LSD is usually swallowed or dissolved under the tongue, but it can be sniffed, injected, smoked or applied to the skin.
When people take LSD, it can powerfully distort their senses — they may see changing shapes or colours, or have hallucinations. It can also intensify mood and alter thought processes. The effects of LSD usually begin in 30 to 45 minutes and can last for 4 to 12 hours. The effects can last longer, depending on the dose taken. In the days after using LSD, people may experience insomnia , fatigue , body and muscle aches or depression.
Find out more about how drugs and alcohol can impact your health , including where to find help and support. Very rarely, someone experiencing a bad trip may attempt suicide or become violent. If someone you know is having a bad trip, they need to be reassured and comforted until the effects of the drug wear off. This can take many hours. They may not get over a bad trip for several days. If the person has been mixing LSD with other drugs, tell the paramedic exactly what they have taken.
It is possible to experience flashbacks weeks, months or years after taking LSD. Flashbacks are when you feel the effects of the drug again, like having hallucinations, for a minute or 2. They are more common in people who use LSD regularly. Using LSD can damage the memory and concentration. LSD may also trigger or worsen mental health problems like depression , anxiety and schizophrenia.
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