LSD
Name:
LSD, acid, Lucy
Effects:
Altered awareness and perception of time, hallucinations, pseudo-hallucinations, out-of-body experiences, changes in thought coherence.
Side effects:
Mental: heavy panic attacks, fear, psychosis, loss of control of emotions, suicidal ideation.
Physical: increased perspiration, nausea, increased heart rate, tremors, vertigo, hypersalivation, high blood pressure, pupil dilation, increased wakefulness, hyperreflexia, hyperthermia OR hypothermia.
Long term effect: hallucinogen persisting perception disorder
Mechanism of action:
Atypical serotonergic psychedelic with dopamine agonist properties, derivative of ergoline. Binds to most serotonin receptor subtypes except 5-HT3 and 5-HT4. Psychedelic effects are attributed to cross-activation of 5-HT2a receptor heteromers. LSD is an agonist for D2 dopamine receptor, which may contribute to its psychoactive effects.
LSD binds 5-HT2a and 5-HT2b receptors for a long time, responsible for its long duration of action despite a relatively short terminal half-life.
Average effects after 30-90 minutes, effects typically last up to 6-12 hours with a wide, dose dependant variation. After effects may persist up to 72 hours. Doses up to 400-500 microgram intensify symptoms, higher doses only lengthen duration of the trip.
Substance and dosage:
Paper blots, liquid, powder, tablets.
Typically administered sublingually or ingested. Wide variation in user doses and effects. Threshold dose for start of effects is 10-50 microgram with high inter user variability. Starting dose 50-100mg, a dose of 250 microgram is considered a heavy dose. Doses in excess of 500 micrograms do not intensify symptoms but lengthen duration of the trip.
Overdosage:
Delay in onset of effects may cause overdose because of users taking extra doses to initiate trip.
No confirmed lethal doses of LSD have been reported, though psychological/psychiatric effects of the drug may (and have been documented to) lead to death or serious injury.
No physiological antidote is available.