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LSD was first synthetically created in Switzerland in 1938; it was produced from the mold ERGOT in the attempt to help with headaches. It was not until 5 years later in 1943 that while testing the compound, Albert Hofmann discovered the effects of LSD when he accidentally ingested some of the compound and experienced effects similar to that of a kaleidoscope. Hofmann proceeded to deliberately take a larger dose in order to study its effects and had the trippiest trip of his life. While LSD initially was used for research in psychotherapy after the discovery of its effects, its most prominent effect on society was during the 1960’s. Its usage among the general public launched the “flower power” movement, known for its hippies that preached peace, love, and drugs. A prominent figure in this era was Harvard psychologist Timothy Leary, who preached the drug as a mind expanding and liberating substance, telling others to “turn on, tune in, drop out”. The era ended and the drug declined in 1967 when LSD was declared illegal in the United States.

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LSD is commonly used in parties and raves. While the effects of LSD can be unpredictable, once a user takes LSD, they will want to take it again to receive the same euphoric effects. As time goes on, however, the effects of LSD will affect one’s daily life. Not only will the urge to experience the effects of LSD occur, but also flashbacks of a bad trip can often occur without warning. Teens and other users of LSD can also develop depression or psychosis. For teens, LSD isn’t the first drug they take, but can often be a second step drug one takes after taking gateway drugs.

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No legal use in the United States; it is a Schedule I substance.  The drug was officially banned and made illegal in 1967, in the United States.

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There are two major long-term risks of taking LSD—flashbacks and LSD psychosis. When a person experiences and LSD flashback, they re-experience the effects of the drug without taking it, but it is not a full out trip.  The most common experience is visual hallucinations or disturbances, such as seeing motion at the edges of one's field of vision when nothing has actually moved, or seeing halos around objects or trails behind moving objects.  Flashbacks can happen to anyone who has taken LSD. Flashbacks are found to be unpleasant and often frightening because they can mimic the symptoms of serious neurological disorders or brain tumors.  The amount LSD users who later experience flashbacks range from 15% to 77%. Flashbacks are more likely to occur in people who regularly took LSD for a long time and in those with other mental health problems. Flashbacks can be triggered by a number of different things: SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant drugs, alcohol, marijuana, or phenothiazines, which are drugs used to treat psychosis. Also, movement in a darkened area, fatigue, hunger, and anxiety.  LSD psychosis causes an individual to continue experiencing symptoms related to LSD use including dramatic mood swings, hallucinations, visual disturbances, or severe depression and anxiety. This disorder is most likely to occur in people who had an unstable mental state before taking the drug. However, well-adjusted people who took LSD in a safe setting also have been known to develop LSD psychosis after only one dose.

There is considerable controversy among experts as to what causes LSD psychosis. Various theories are that the LSD itself somehow damages the brain, but as state earlier, there are no physical signs of brain damage in people who have taken LSD.  Regardless of the cause of LSD psychosis, people with this condition usually respond to treatments for the mental illnesses their condition resembles. So, if their symptoms resemble psychosis, they generally respond to antipsychotic drugs.

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As LSD induces extreme sensory effects, there are times that an extreme sense of terror or paranoia occurs rather than the desired effect of euphoria. These effects, known as having a “bad trip”, can occur for as long as twelve hours, and are unpredictable in occurring when taking the drug.  The judgments made while on LSD can be extremely rash or ignorant, regardless of whether the effects are good or bad. While under the effects of LSD, one’s senses can begin to cross over, creating hallucinations that are a distorted reality. In the case of a bad trip, it can cause panic. For someone experiencing the euphoric effects of LSD, their ignorance of their surroundings causes poor judgments. Users of LSD might jump out of a window to try to fly, or stand in the middle of traffic to look at a sunset.

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There is no evidence that taking LSD, even regularly and in high doses, causes damage to the brain, genes, or developing fetuses. Massive overdoses of the drug can, in rare cases, lead to coma, respiratory arrest, overheating of the body, and problems with blood clotting.

Side Note:  Pregnant women should not take the drug because it could cause miscarriages

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To experience a feeling of euphoria and bliss.  To escape the world and leave everything behind.

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LSD is a hallucinogen that is categorized as a semisynthetic drug.  This means that some of its components come from nature, like lysergic acid.  It is then modified in a lab.  Generally, LSD is a white, crystalline powder that is dissolved into a liquid state to then be absorbed into a small piece of blotter paper.  Because it turns yellow with age, the paper will have designs on them to conceal the color.  The designs are also used to distinguish the different street manufacturers. In most cases, LSD is taken by way of mouth.  The small piece of paper is placed on the tongue and dissolved.

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Scientific Name: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Slang Terms: Acid, zen, sugar, tabs, blotter, cid, doses, trips, boomers, lightning flash, hawk, cheer, liquid acid, L, microdot, dot, paper mushrooms, tab, hits, tripper, yellow sunshines, rainbows, smilies, stars, strawberries, and MANY MORE

Drug Classification: Schedule I; Hallucinogen

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