What is LSD?
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a powerful hallucinogen which can produce significant changes in perception, mood and thought. Only a very small amount is needed to cause visual hallucinations and distortions. These experiences are known as ‘trips’.
LSD is manufactured in illicit laboratories except for a small amount which is legally produced exclusively for research.
LSD is commonly prepared as a liquid and sold on small pieces of blotting paper. These tiny pieces of paper (trips) are usually decorated with small designs which are often culturally specific to the user groups. LSD is so potent that trips are often torn into halves or quarters and shared with others. It is usually swallowed, but may be sniffed or injected.
Other names for LSD
LSD is also known as acid, trips, blotters, microdots and wedges. The street name for LSD is often dependent upon the design used on the blotting paper squares. For example, trips which have a red devil design could be called ‘red devils’.
How many Australians have used LSD?
According to the most recent research, more than 93 per cent of the Australian population have never used hallucinogens; including LSD. More than 99 per cent of the population aged 14 years and over stated that they had not used hallucinogens in the last 12 months.
How is LSD used?
LSD is usually prepared as a liquid but is most frequently sold on small pieces of blotting paper known as tabs. These are taken orally, often held under the tongue until the paper dissolves. It is also sold as a liquid or soaked in sugar cubes.
What are the short-term effects of LSD?
LSD affects different people in different ways. The effect can be influenced by many things including how much of the drug is taken, the environment it is used in, as well as the weight, size and mood of the person using it.
LSD is not particularly poisonous but its mind altering properties can make people more prone to experience an accident. There have been deaths linked to LSD, usually involving a fall, a traffic accident, or something similar.
Unpleasant reactions to LSD include fear, anxiety and depression. Many people who have used LSD talk about a ‘bad trip’. This is when the hallucinogenic experience they have is very unpleasant. Some people report that they just felt very frightened and wanted the experience to stop, whereas others see scary things such as spiders and snakes crawling up walls. Unfortunately, once a person has taken LSD there is no way of stopping the experience. They simply have to wait for the drug to wear off.
Other short-term effects may include:
- vivid perceptual distortions
- distorted sense of time, space and body image
- poor co-ordination
- increased body temperature and sweating, sometimes alternating with chills and shivering
- lack of control over thinking processes and concentration.
What are the long-term effects of LSD?
Like any drug, LSD will affect different people in different ways and there is no way of knowing how the drug will affect the person using it in the long-term.
One of the major problems with LSD is ‘flashbacks’. A flashback is when a specific experience which occurred while taking the drug returns, often for no reason. These are usually brief but can occur days, weeks or even years after taking the drug and can be very frightening for the person. The cause of the flashbacks is unknown, but they frequently occur after an LSD user smokes cannabis.
Other long-term effects may include:
- decreased memory
- prolonged depression and anxiety.
Useful Links