LSD can change the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things. It can make you feel intense wellbeing or panic.
LSD is a chemical called lysergic acid diethylamide. It is made in a lab from a fungus called ergot.
People swallow LSD:
- on a small piece of paper with pictures on it - called a tab or blotter
- as very small tablets - called a micro dot or pellet
- as drops of liquid - but this is rare
Drugs sold as LSD may contain other drugs. This makes the effects unpredictable.
Drug category: psychedelic
Psychedelics can change the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things (tripping). They are also called hallucinogens.
Psychedelics can cause unexpected and challenging effects.
Other names for LSD
Other names include: acid, blotter, lysergic acid diethylamide, micro dots
Effects of LSD
The effects of LSD can vary depending on:
- your size, weight and sex
- if you have any health conditions or mental health difficulties
- how you take the drug
- the strength of the drug
- how much you take
- if you take alcohol, medicines or other drugs at the same time
- where you take the drug and how you feel before you take it
- if you have taken the drug before and how often
You may not have the same experience as someone else.
The effects can start after 30 minutes and last a number of hours.
The effects of LSD are usually called a trip.
How you may feel or behave
You may feel:
- intense wellbeing or happiness (euphoria)
- more aware of colours and sounds
- unaware of time, it could speed up or slow down
- confused or anxious
- paranoid
- connected with other people (empathetic)
- agitated or restless
Effects on your brain and body
LSD can cause:
- hallucinations - you may see, hear or feel things that are not there
- headaches
- problems concentrating
- nausea (feeling sick)
- vomiting (getting sick)
- increased breathing rate
- increased body temperature
- increased heart rate and blood pressure
- problems sleeping
LSD can make you less aware of your surroundings. If you use LSD in an unsafe place, you may be more likely to have accidents or injuries.
LSD and mental health
LSD can cause mental health difficulties or make existing difficulties worse.
Negative effects include:
- frightening or challenging hallucinations
- intense anxiety and confusion
- fear and paranoia
- thoughts of suicide
- psychosis - you have confused thoughts, feelings and behaviour and you do not know what is real or not real
This can happen if you are going through a tough time or feel low. But the risk is higher if you or someone in your family has mental health difficulties.
It may help to talk to someone if you have a bad experience with LSD.
Regular use of LSD can lead to:
- low mood or depression
- thoughts of suicide
- panic attacks
In rare cases, LSD can cause hallucinations or other drug-like experiences in the days or weeks after you take it.
Medical research on LSD
There are studies on the use of LSD for specific conditions. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that does not respond to other treatments.
The studies involve taking a specific dose in a supervised and medical setting. LSD is usually only part of the treatment. For example, it is used in combination with talk therapy. This is often called LSD-assisted therapy or psychedelic-assisted therapy. This is not available in Ireland.
It is not safe to take LSD that you buy in the illegal or online drug market as a therapy. You can never be sure of the contents and strength of these drugs or how you will react.
If you are worried about your mental health, there are other treatments that are safe and effective.
Studies on microdosing LSD
Microdosing is taking tiny doses of a drug at regular intervals. There are not many studies on microdosing LSD.
But there is no evidence that there are benefits to microdosing LSD. People's beliefs may cause an effect rather than the drug itself. This is called the placebo effect.
Microdosing LSD is not a safe way to cope with mental health difficulties. There is a risk of unexpected effects even in small doses.
If you are worried about your mental health, you can get support.
LSD and dependency
Signs of dependency can include:
- cravings for a drug
- withdrawal symptoms
- continuing to use a drug even when it causes you harm
LSD does not usually cause physical dependency.
But some people may develop a tolerance if they use LSD often. This is when you need to take more of the drug to get the same effects.
How long does LSD stay in your system?
It can be hard to know how long LSD stays in your system.
There are tests to detect LSD. But different types of tests have different detection times.
Things that affect how long a drug stays in your system
The time it takes for a drug to leave your system depends on many things.
For example:
- how much you took
- how often you take the drug
- how strong the drug was
- your age, sex and metabolism
- your general health