LSD a Powerful Hallucinogenic Drug
One of the most potent and intense mood changing abused drugs is LSD. Discovered in 1938, LSD is produced from lysergic acid diethylamide. This acid is found in ergot which is a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
LSD is a hallucinogenic drug and is one of the most serious drugs in that class. It's much harder to predict the effects of LSD because it just depends on how much of the hallucinogenic drug is abused. With LSD the effects vary because not only does the abused amount make a difference but there are other factors to consider.
This video talks about the effects of LSD.
The LSD user's personality is one factor; their mood at the time of use makes a difference, their surroundings at the time of abuse can determine some of the effects, and their expectations of what they will experience also make a difference. Every LSD 'trip' is somewhat different for everyone. The same LSD user will experience different effects each time they abuse LSD because those factors mentioned above will always vary.
Most of the time LSD is swallowed in tablet or capsule form but it can be found as a liquid also. Some LSD abusers add it to a type of absorbent paper which is then divided into decorative pieces. Each piece is usually equal to one dose. LSD hallucinogenic trips can last for quite a while but they're usually over in about 12 hours.
One of the most common forms of LSD is called blotter acid. This is sheets of paper that are soaked in LSD then perforated into ¼ inch squares. In its purest form, LSD is clear or white in color but ranges in colors to even tan or black.
Street names for LSD
The following names refer to LSD by the users:
- Sugar cubes
- Window pane
- Window glass
- Blotter acid
- Paper acid
Effects of LSD Use
If the dose of LSD is large enough when abused the individual will be delusional and experience hallucinations. They will also experience:
- Increased heart rate
- Increased body temperature
- Increase in blood pressure
- Loss of appetite
Because LSD is unpredictable in people a very small amount can have a hallucinogenic effect on the user, they may hear colors and see sounds. They may experience several emotions at one time including terrified feelings.
Is LSD Addictive?
Most of the time individuals that abuse LSD eventually stop on their own. They usually slow down the abuse on their own as time goes on. LSD isn't considered addictive because it doesn't leave the drug user compulsively seeking more of the drug the ways other addictive drugs do. Tolerance to LSD is a factor so individuals who abuse LSD will repeat their drug use and increase the amount needed to experience intense 'trips'.
Those who abuse LSD can experience flash-backs and certain distorted experiences they went through while 'LSD Tripping' and it just comes on them suddenly. Sometimes this will happen within a couple of days after 'tripping' or even a year later. There is a medical condition LSD use can actually cause, if the flash-backs continue they can cause the person to be socially or occupationally dysfunctional. The medical term for this is called Hallucinogen-induced persisting perceptual disorder or HPPD. Not worth the 'trip' if you ask me!
The Western Journal of Medicine put out an article in March of 1973. This article states that 8 patients were seen within 15 minutes of self-administering large amounts of LSD powder through the nose. I am sure this means that they snorted or sniffed the powder. They experienced hyperthermia, coma and respiratory arrest. There was mild generalized bleeding that several patients experienced. Because of the medical care they received this life-threatening overdose didn't become fatal to any of the patients.
In 2008 there were 802,000 Americans that had abused LSD at least once in the prior year. These individuals were as young as 12 years of age and older. Today LSD is not one the commonly abused drugs. It's worry-some though because one thing I think we can all agree on is that history has a way of repeating itself. Trends in the 60s and 70s repeat themselves as time goes on and this is true of almost every era, hair styles, and clothes and so on. Hopefully understanding some of the dangerous effects of hallucinogens like LSD will keep young people from curiously abusing them.