LSD TABS- LSD

Also called:

WindowTripsTripperTabStarsSmiliesRainbowsPaper MushroomsMicro DotLucyLiquid AcidLightning FlashLHawkFlashDropDotsCheerBlotterAcid

A chemical hallucinogen usually sold as small squares of paper, a liquid, or pellets (micro-dots)

LSD

What is LSD?

Acid, blotter, cheer, dots, drop, flash, hawk, L, lightning flash, liquid acid, Lucy, micro dot, paper mushrooms, rainbows, smilies, stars, sugar, tab, trips, tripper, window and many other names, some which describe the pictures on the squares (such as strawberries).

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a powerful hallucinogenic drug that is derived originally from ergot, a fungus found growing wild on rye and other grasses.

As a street drug it is usually sold as a liquid that has been absorbed onto paper sheets (blotters). These sheets are subdivided into small squares, called tabs, which often have designs on them.

LSD liquid is also occasionally dropped onto sugar cubes or formed into small tablets called microdots.

Only tiny amounts (less than 70 micrograms) are needed to get an effect and the strength of LSD can vary greatly. It is usually taken orally.

History

LSD was first discovered in 1938 by the research chemist, Albert Hofmann, while working to produce new medicines. In 1943 he underwent the first ever LSD trip by mistake when carrying out an experiment in his laboratory.

‘Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterised by an extremely stimulated condition. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed, I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours. After some two hours this condition faded away’.

Albert Hofmann ‘LSD: My problem child’, McGraw Hill 1980.

In the 1950s and 1960s doctors in America and the UK used LSD to help some mentally ill patients recall repressed thoughts and feelings. It was also tried out unsuccessfully by the US military as a ‘truth drug’ for interrogating enemy troops.

In the early 1960s people began to experiment with LSD use for pleasure. Among fringe and hippy groups the effects of LSD were seen as akin to a religious experience and LSD was thought of as a way of getting in touch with the self, other people and the environment. The authorities moved against LSD and in 1966 its use was made illegal in the UK. Because of the bad publicity, medical use also stopped and was prohibited by the Misuse of Drugs Act when it came into force in 1973.

LSD use declined in the 1970s and early 1980s but its popularity grew again in the late 1980s and early 1990s among young people.

Effects/risks

Users of LSD are likely to experience altered sensory experiences. These include visual effects such as intensified colours, distorted shapes and sizes, and movement in stationary objects. Distortion of sounds and changes in the sense of time and place are also common.

“My very first trip was lovely. The flowers were out and looked amazing. Everything sounded beautiful and crystal clear. I really felt at peace with myself and the world around me”.

Effects generally begin about 30 minutes after taking the drug and can last up to 12 hours, depending on the dose taken.

The effects of LSD are also dependent on how the user feels when taking the drug. Users are more likely to have a ‘bad trip’, where hallucinations are frightening and unpleasant, if they are anxious, agitated or depressed. A user may also become panicky and suffer paranoia – particularly in unfamiliar, intense or chaotic environments.

“It was at a festival. I was anxious anyway, especially as I’d already had one bad experience with acid. It started to rain and I was really scared of being drowned. I got dead paranoid. I suspected everyone around me of being out to get me. Luckily my brother found me and calmed me down but it was horrible”.

Pleasurable trips are more likely when the user is calm and in an environment where they feel safe, such as with friends. Some people claim they become more aware of themselves and others and describe LSD trips as being a spiritual experience. Feelings of being separated from the body are common.

Once LSD is taken there is no going back until it wears off. Because this can be many hours, a bad trip can be very disturbing. The same person may have good and bad experiences on different occasions and even within the same trip.

LSD may have implications for people with a history of mental health problems.

While not physically addictive, it is possible people may develop a psychological dependence to LSD. There is no evidence of anyone overdosing on LSD but people have died through accidents occurring while under the influence of the drug.  LSD TABS

Some LSD users experience ‘flashbacks’. This is when a ‘trip’ is re-experienced some time afterwards. Flashbacks tend to be short lived but can be disturbing, especially if the user does not expect them.

Harm reduction

• If users do become anxious they can usually be calmed down and reassured by others – a big hug often helps (called baby-sitting). Remember that bad trips will pass in time.

“I was with a group of people and we split up and went home. I thought I’d stop tripping by then. I sat down and watched a video. There was a violent scene and I was morbidly fascinated. I sat watching it and suddenly realised I was really upset. I curled up and my hands were twisted into little claws and I started sobbing. It was very frightening and the feeling lasted with me a long time”.

• It is difficult to concentrate while tripping and very dangerous to drive or operate machinery.
• Do not use LSD if you are taking lithium or tricyclic antidepressants as it can interact with these substances in dangerous ways.
• If dancing, remember to take time to rest and cool down. Sip a non-alcoholic drink slowly.
• As with all drugs, start low by taking only a small amount.

How it looks, tastes and smells

What does it look like?

LSD is usually sold as small squares of paper with pictures on them, known as tabs or blotters.

LSD can also be sold as a liquid or as tiny pellets, known as micro dots.  LSD TABS

What does it taste/smell like?

Liquid LSD (often called liquid acid) has no taste at all. LSD tabs taste like the paper.

How do people take it?

• By swallowing it if it’s a tab or a pellet (micro dot)
• By dropping it onto the tongue if it’s liquid
• By dropping it onto food or into a drink if it’s liquid

LSD stands for its chemical name, lysergic acid diethylamide, and is commonly called acid.

It’s a powerful hallucinogenic drug, which means you’re likely to experience a distorted view of objects and reality if you take it. The experience of taking LSD is called tripping.

LSD trips can last several hours and can be very intense. Trips are often described as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ depending on whether the experience was enjoyable or distressing.

When you take LSD, there’s no way of knowing how you might feel or what kind of trip you’re going to go on. And once you start tripping it’s difficult to control the effects.

LSD can also be taken in very small amounts, and this is sometimes called micro-dosing.

How it feels

How does it make you feel?

For most people, the world appears distorted when they take LSD. Colours, sounds, objects and even time can all seem very strange and disturbing.  LSD TABS

Taking LSD can make you feel:

• euphoric
• giggly
• in awe of the people and things around you
• energised
• excited
• empathetic

It can also make you:

• see and hear things that aren’t there (hallucinate)
• confused
• suspicious
• anxious
• panicked
• frightened
• overwhelmed

LSD feeds off your imagination so every person’s experience is unique.

How the trip goes will be affected by how much you take, your surroundings, who you’re with and how comfortable you are with them, as well as by your mood.

If you’re in a bad mood, feeling worried or depressed, the LSD might make those feelings worse.

How does it make people behave?

This depends on how much LSD the person has taken. If the person has taken a small dose of LSD you may not even notice they’re on it. LSD TABS

People on LSD might be quieter than usual as they’re so ‘in their heads’. Some people have trouble speaking when they’re on LSD.

People who take larger doses can act unpredictably. They can become fixated on certain things, emotional, paranoid or even aggressive.

Duration

How long the effects last and the drug stays in your system depends on how much you’ve taken, your size, whether you’ve eaten and what other drugs you may have also taken.

To kick in

Acid can take from 20 minutes to two hours to take effect, but it really depends on how much the user takes.

If you feel that you’re having, or are going to have, a bad trip, let your friends know and get their help. Go to a nice, quiet spot where you feel safe and can relax. LSD TABS

How long will it be detectable?

LSD will typically show up in a urine sample for 1 to 3 days.

How long a drug can be detected for depends on how much is taken and which testing kit is used. This is only a general guide.

The risks

Physical health risks

There’s no evidence to suggest that LSD does any long-term physical damage.

However, people have been known to harm themselves during a bad trip. So people in a bad mood, feeling depressed or worried should avoid taking the drug. LSD TABS

Mental health risks

• If you have mental health problems, or a history of mental health problems in your family, taking LSD could make them worse.
• If you panic on a trip it can be scary and confusing. A bad trip could be your worst nightmare come to life.
• LSD could have serious, longer-term implications for somebody who has a history of mental health problems. It may also be responsible for setting off a mental health problem that had previously gone unnoticed.
• Flashbacks, or ongoing visual distortions, can occasionally happen, often causing great distress. Sometimes these experiences are called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD), although very little is known about why some people are vulnerable or how to help them.

What is LSD cut with?

LSD is cheap to produce so it’s not usually cut with other drugs.

But you may hear people talk about pure LSD, good quality LSD and bad quality LSD. This is to do with how the drug is made and whether there were impurities as a result of the production process.

LSD’s Effects on Your Brain

LSD is a mind-altering drug. This means it acts on your brain (central nervous system) and changes your mood, behavior, and the way you relate to the world around you. LSD affects the action of a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin helps control behavior, mood, the senses, and thinking.

LSD is in a class of drugs called hallucinogens. These are substances that cause hallucinations. These are things that you see, hear, or feel while awake that appear to be real, but instead of being real, they have been created by the mind. LSD is a very strong hallucinogen. Only a tiny amount is needed to cause effects such as hallucinations. LSD TABS

LSD users call their hallucinogenic experiences “trips.” Depending on how much you take and how your brain responds, a trip may be “good” or “bad.”

A good trip may be stimulating and pleasurable and make you feel:

• As if you are floating and disconnected from reality.
• Joy (euphoria, or “rush”) and less inhibition, similar to being drunk from alcohol use.
• As if your thinking is extremely clear and that you have superhuman strength and are not afraid of anything.

A bad trip can be very unpleasant and frightening:

• You may have terrifying thoughts.
• You may have many emotions at once, or move quickly from feeling one emotion to feeling another.
• Your senses may become distorted. Shapes and sizes of objects are altered. Or your senses may “cross over.” You may feel or hear colors and see sounds.
• Fears that you normally can control are out of control. For example, you may have doom and gloom thoughts, such as thoughts that you will soon die, or that you want to harm yourself or others.  LSD TABS

The danger of LSD is that its effects are unpredictable. This means when you use it, you do not know if you will have a good trip or a bad trip.

How fast you feel the effects of LSD depends on how you use it:

• Taken by mouth: Effects usually start in 20 to 30 minutes. The effects peak in about 2 to 4 hours and last up to 12 hours.
• Shooting up: If given through a vein, LSD’s effects start within 10 minutes.

Harmful Effects of LSD

LSD can harm the body in different ways and lead to health problems such as:

• Increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and body temperature
• Sleeplessness, loss of appetite, tremors, sweating
• Mental problems, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia

Some LSD users have flashbacks. This is when parts of the drug experience, or trip, return, even without using the drug again. Flashbacks occur during times of increased stress. Flashbacks tend to occur less often and less intensely after stopping use of LSD. Some users who have frequent flashbacks have a hard time living their daily life. LSD TABS

Tolerance to LSD

LSD is not known to be addicting. But frequent use of LSD can lead to tolerance. Tolerance means you need more and more LSD to get the same high.

Treatment Options

Treatment begins with recognizing there is a problem. Once you decide you want to do something about your LSD use, the next step is getting help and support.

Treatment programs use behavior change techniques through counseling (talk therapy). The goal is to help you understand your behaviors and why you use LSD. Involving family and friends during counseling can help support you and keep you from going back to using (relapsing).

Because LSD use may cause mental problems, medicines may be also prescribed to help treat symptoms of anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia.

Your Ongoing Recovery

As you recover, focus on the following to help prevent relapse:

• Keep going to your treatment sessions.
• Find new activities and goals to replace ones that involved your LSD use.
• Spend more time with family and friends you lost touch with while you were using LSD. Consider not seeing friends who are still using LSD.
• Exercise and eat healthy foods. Taking care of your body helps it heal from the harmful effects of LSD. You will feel better, too.
• Avoid triggers. These can be people you used LSD with. They can also be places, things, or emotions that can make you want to use it again.

Mixing

Is it dangerous to mix with other drugs?

Yes. Everytime you mix drugs you take on new risks. However, some drugs are more dangerous to mix with LSD than others.

Addiction

Can you get addicted?

There is no evidence to suggest that LSD is addictive, but you can become tolerant to its effects. This means you need to take more of it to get the same effect as before.