|  LSD
(lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major drugs
making up the hallucinogen class. LSD was discovered
in 1938 and is one of the most potent mood-changing
chemicals. It is manufactured from lysergic acid,
which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye
and other grains.
LSD,
commonly referred to as "acid," is sold on the street
in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form.
It is odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter
taste and is usually taken by mouth. Often LSD is
added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and
divided into small decorated squares, with each square
representing one dose. |
The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the
strength of LSD samples obtained currently from illicit
sources ranges from 20 to 80 micrograms of LSD per dose.
This is considerably less than the levels reported during
the 1960s and early 1970s, when the dosage ranged from
100 to 200 micrograms, or higher, per unit. |
Health
Hazards
The
effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount
taken; the user's personality, mood, and expectations; and
the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the
user feels the first effects of the drug 30 to 90 minutes
after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils,
higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood
pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry
mouth, and tremors.
Sensations
and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical
signs. The user may feel several different emotions at once
or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in
a large enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual
hallucinations. The user's sense of time and self changes.
Sensations may seem to "cross over," giving the user the
feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes
can be frightening and can cause panic.
Users
refer to their experience with LSD as a "trip" and to acute
adverse reactions as a "bad trip." These experiences are
long - typically they begin to clear after about 12 hours.
Some
LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings,
fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and
despair while using LSD. Some fatal accidents have occurred
during states of LSD intoxication.
Many
LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects
of a person's experience, without the user having taken
the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without
warning, and may occur within a few days or more than a
year after LSD use. Flashbacks usually occur in people who
use hallucinogens chronically or have an underlying personality
problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally
may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only
part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest relatively
long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe
depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and
mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses.
Most
users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time.
LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does not
produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior as do cocaine,
amphetamine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine. However, like
many of the addictive drugs, LSD produces tolerance, so
some users who take the drug repeatedly must take progressively
higher doses to achieve the state of intoxication that they
had previously achieved. This is an extremely dangerous
practice, given the unpredictability of the drug. NIDA is
funding studies that focus on the neurochemical and behavioral
properties of LSD. This research will provide a greater
understanding of the mechanisms of action of the drug. |
