Recreational Use of LSD:

A Harm Reduction Synopsis

By u/AlongForTheTrip

May 2016

Index

0 Purpose

1 What is LSD?

1.1 Street Names

2 Safety

2.1 Drug Interactions (harmful)

2.2 Drug Interactions (beneficial)

2.3 Bad Trips

2.4 Cross Tolerances

3 Legal Status

4 Dosages & How to ingest

5 Effects

5.1 Come Up

5.2 Peaking

5.3 Afterglow

6 Final Note

0 - Purpose

A synopsis of the recreational use of LSD for harm reduction purposes

1 - What is LSD?

Lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as acid, is a psychedelic drug. LSD can be synthesized from the naturally occurring ergot alkaloids found in Hawaiian baby woodrose seeds, morning glory seeds, and ergot fungus, or through the use of various chemical precursors. This synthesis was first done by Albert Hofmann in 1938 at Sandoz Laboratories. There is not much formal research on LSD currently occurring in the United States because of its legal status (Schedule 1 Substance).

1.1 - Street Names

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is commonly sold under the following names: acid, Lucy, L, tab, cid, pyramid, window pane, dots, and blotter.

2 - Safety

LSD should always be obtained from a reliable source, and/or should be verified through the use of a drug testing kit (legally available online) because other harmful drugs are commonly sold as LSD (such as 25i-NBOME, which is a dangerous research chemical). Be aware that drug testing kits only indicate the presence of a substance and give no information on the presence of other chemicals. LSD is tasteless in any medium (blotters will taste like paper). If you ingest a blotter, a gel tab, or a liquid hit and there is any taste, it is possibly contaminated or another substance entirely. If this occurs, you should consider removing the substance from your mouth and potentially seek medical attention. It is common for chemicals sold as LSD to taste metallic, which is indicative of some research chemicals.

2.1 - Drug Interactions (harmful)

Lithium/Tricyclics – Lithium/Tricyclics are often found in anti-depressants and some pain medications. If these chemicals are present in a person’s body when LSD is ingested, the user will experience life-threatening seizures, and possibly go into a fugue state, which is an altered state of consciousness in which a person may move about purposely and even speak, but is not fully aware (Erowid LSD Web). Lithium/Tricyclics can be found in, but are not limited to, the following: Amitriptyline, Anafranil, Asendin, Aventyl, Elavil, Endep, Norfranil, Norpramin, Pamelor, Sinequan, Surmontil, Tipramine, Tofranil, and Vivactil.

Ritonavir/Indinavir – Ritonavir (aka Indinavir) is medicine used to manage HIV symptoms and this drug’s interaction with LSD has been known to cause nausea, vomiting, cephalagia (pain in the head), peripheral-ischemia (deficient blood distribution to the limbs), extremity pain, and cyanosis (discoloration of the skin due to poor oxygenation of the blood; blue skin/lips). (Erowid LSD Web)

SSRIs/MAOIs - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) are often found in anti-depressants and can decrease the effects of LSD while also inducing seizures, serotonin syndrome, and fugue states. (Erowid LSD Web). SSRIs/MAOIs can be found in, but are not limited to, the following: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Desyrel, Nardil, Parnate, Marplan, Eldepryl, Aurorix, and Manerix.

2.2 - Drug Interactions (beneficial)

Anecdotal reports have shown that LSD and cannabis together can lead to increased intensity and greater visuals. Also, the nausea reducing properties of cannabis can help relieve LSD users of digestive discomfort. However, some claim that cannabis increases their anxiety while tripping greatly. The interaction between LSD and cannabis seems to greatly depend on the user’s experience with cannabis previous to ingesting LSD.

2.3 - Bad Trips

“A person on LSD who becomes depressed, agitated, or confused may experience these feelings in an overwhelming manner that grows on itself. The best solution is to remove disturbing influences, get to a safe, comforting environment, and reassure the tripper that things are alright. It may comfort those who fear that they are losing their minds to be reminded that it will end in several hours.” (Quote from David Honig, an erowid contributor)

2.4 - Cross Tolerances

LSD has been rumored to have a cross tolerance with mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms. It is theorized that these substances share a tolerance because they all affect the serotonin receptors in the brain. This theory has little scientific backing, because in most countries all three substances are illegal. Based on anecdotal evidence, it seems that LSD builds a tolerance much faster than psilocybin mushrooms.

3 - Legal Status

LSD is a Schedule I Controlled Substance. Schedule I Controlled Substances are “…drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence” (“DEA/Drug Scheduling” Web). Other Schedule I Controlled Substances are heroin, mescaline, MDMA, and meth (“List of Schedule 1 Drugs” Web).

Legal ramifications vary depending on state and severity of the crime. For exact laws, research the state you would be tried in. Common state penalties for crimes surrounding LSD (Clarke Web):

- Possession with intent to sell (typically more than 3 hits): 3-15 years in jail. $20k-$30k in fines.

- Possession for personal use (typically 3 or less hits): 1-3 years in jail. $1k-$25k in fines.

4 - Dosages & How to ingest

LSD Dosages

Threshold 20ug

Light 25-75ug

Common 50-150ug

Strong 150-400ug

Heavy 400+ug

(Table of LSD Dosages. Table Courtesy of Erowid 1997, acquired through erowid.com)

For optimal safety, and optimal dose of approximately 20ug should be ingested first to test for adverse reactions with subsequent doses beginning around 100ug.

Blotters: For best results, hold the blotter underneath your tongue until the paper dissolves (about 15 mins). If the blotter is swallowed, the time until first peak will be greater.

Gel Tabs: Can be swallowed, or some prefer to let dissolve on tongue for a slightly faster come up time

Liquid: Apply drops directly to your tongue, typically one drop equals 100ug, but that is not always the case

5 - Effects

Effects heavily vary depending on set (the way you feel), setting (the location you are in), and dose.

Unlike many drugs, LSD potency is not greatly affected by gender, weight, or height.

20ug – Slight euphoria and a body high

40ug – Obvious euphoria and body high; slight and infrequent visuals

90ug – Colors appear brighter; surfaces can begin to move; thoughts can become faster and confusing

110ug – Visuals become more obvious; patterns can begin to appear on surfaces; closed eye hallucinations become more apparent

150ug – Similar effects to 110ug, except more profound

200ug – Powerful effects, colors become more vibrant, closed visuals are very apparent, very fast and possibly confusing trains of thought

250ug – Similar effects to 200ug, except much more intense. This is as far as the “average” user will go.

Note – When describing larger doses, the effects become very subjective and vary even greater between users.

300-600ug – Strong hallucinations, complete loss of the meaning of time, objects begin to morph and talk, loss of reality and logic, and vision turn into nothing but fractals

600-900ug – Confusion of the senses (seeing sounds, hearing colors, etc), out of body experiences

900+ug – Vision is nothing but visuals, most people have reported that they felt like they were dead, and some have even reported to have called 911 to report their own death. Some users lose the ability to see their hand in front of their face. There is little information on this high of a dose, because most people never go this high. Trips on this large of a dose can last weeks.

(“Different Dosage of LSD Explained” Web -Subjective)

5.1 - Come up

After ingesting LSD, there is a period of time before you go from sober to tripping. Depending on how you ingested LSD, the come up time can range from twenty minutes to two hours. Liquid dropped directly on the tongue will be the fastest method, with blotters being the slowest method. During the first half of the come up phase, users will usually report to feel sober. Some refer to this period of time as the “onset” phase. On the second half of the come up phase, you will begin to feel the effects of LSD. These effects vary on dosage, set, and setting. Nausea is common during the come up phase, although some users will experience no nausea, and instead experience pleasant feelings.

5.2 - Peaking

Graph link: https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/images/duration_chart_lsd.gif

(Graph of the duration of a LSD experience. Image Courtesy of erowid.com)

The Y-axis of the above graph represents the effects LSD has on a user. “Peaking” is when a user reaches the points in time where the effects of LSD are the most profound. There are four peaks in each LSD trip, but the time it takes to reach each peak is not necessarily consistent.

5.3 - Afterglow

An afterglow occurs during the period of time between coming down and becoming sober. Although the user would no longer be considered tripping, there are still some effects taking place on the user. Not all users experience afterglows, and in most cases, the longer a person uses LSD, the shorter and weaker afterglows become. In most cases, the first afterglow will be the most profound. Afterglows can range from a full 24 hours, to less than an hour. Some users report that the LSD trips don’t end until the user has slept for a while. Effects range from decreased anxiety and increased attentiveness, to sick and sleepy feelings. It is advised to avoid driving while afterglowing.

6 - Final Note

You are ultimately responsible for anything you put in your body.

Works Cited

Clarke, Peter. "LSD: Penalties for Sale and Possession." Legal Match. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.

"Different Dosage of LSD Explained. From 20ug-1500ug. Great for Every Tripper to Know • /r/LSD." Reddit. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2016. <https://www.reddit.com/r/LSD/comments/2hg6io/different_dosage_of_lsd_explained_from_20ug1500ug/>.

"DEA / Drug Scheduling." DEA / Drug Scheduling. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2016. <http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml>.

"Erowid LSD (Acid) Vault : Interactions." Erowid LSD (Acid) Vault : Interactions. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2016. <https://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_interactions.shtml>.

"List of Schedule 1 Drugs." Drugs.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.