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questions asked by visitors to this site
» Should I take LSD?
» Is LSD poisonous?
» Can a urine drug test detect if I've used LSD?
» Will LSD make me want to jump out of a window?
» I'm on anti-depressants - is there any danger?
» Can doing LSD destroy your reproductive system?
» Is it safe to take LSD during pregnancy?
» What's a 'bad trip' and how do I avoid one?
» What should I do to help someone having a bad trip?
» Is it true that LSD is often mixed with stuff like
strychnine?
» What are flashbacks?
» Can LSD make you insane?
» Doesn't LSD cause chromosomal damage and other genetic
effects?
» Can you become perma-fried if you take LSD too much?
» What is the addiction potential of LSD?
» On LSD I occasionally get body shakes / twitches.
Is this normal?
» What happens to a person when they use LSD every
single day for about one year? Are there any long term effects?
» What is the correct way to use an LSD blotter
tab?
» Can LSD put holes in your brain?
» Will an alcohol blood test detect LSD use?
» What is the most common way to test for LSD??
» ask a question
(in complete confidence)
» Should I take LSD?
A very good question. The decision is not one to be
taken lightly. LSD is no arbitrary street drug. It was used for nearly
two decades in experimental psychotherapy in clinical conditions. One
of the pioneers of this LSD Psychotherapy in the sixties was the Czechoslovakian
Dr Stanislav Grof. He made some interesting observations of the responses
of different people to LSD. This may help your decision.
Grof observed that people who react badly to LSD are often:
“in their everyday life…constantly concerned
about maintaining perfect control over their feelings and behaviour. They
are afraid of temporary or permanent unleashing of instinctual energies,
especially those of a sexual or aggressive nature, and of involuntary
emotional outbursts. There is frequent preoccupation with the issue of
loss of control and fear of social embarrassment, blunder and public scandal
resulting from the ensuing behavior.”
LSD Psychotherapy, Stanislav Grof (Hunter House,
1980) p. 55
Most dangerous however are those with who feel they have
“few alternatives left in life” and are gripped with a “potentially
dangerous eagerness and strong motivation to have a psychedelic session”.
He explains:
“They find themselves in a subjectively
unbearable situation of intense conflict associated with great emotional
distress and tension. Typical characteristics include serious questioning
of the meaning of life, toying with suicidal fantasies, and a careless
and risky approach to various life-situations in general…In their
fantasy LSD becomes the magic tool that will give them instant relief,
either by mediating a miraculous cure or by precipitating self-destruction.”
LSD Psychotherapy, Stanislav Grof (Hunter
House, 1980) p. 56
» Is LSD poisonous?
No. LSD is one of the least toxic chemicals known to
man. It is less poisonous than aspirin and vitamin C.
» Can a urine drug test
detect if I've used LSD?
LSD is not usually tested for in standard or advanced
drug tests. Because of the tiny amounts involved and its rapid removal
from the body, it is very difficult to detect. It stays in the urine for
24-48 hours.
» Will LSD make me want
to jump out of a window?
No LSD will not make you think you can fly. This is
a myth. However, LSD is a very very powerful conscious-altering drug and
if you are ill-prepared or in a strange environment, you may experience
panic attacks, extreme anxiety, paranoia, or even feelings that you're
about to die. A bad trip, basically. See our guide
to avoiding a bad trip.
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» I'm on anti-depressants
- is there any danger?
Studies show that selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor
(SSRI) type anti-depressants such as Prozac (Fluoxetine) and Zoloft (Sertraline)
decrease the effects of LSD.
Trycyclic antidepressants (such as Tofranil or Norpramine) increase LSD
effects.
Mono-amine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) antipressants should never
be taken alongside LSD and other psychedelics (including Ecstasy/MDMA)
as the combination can provoke severe physical effects.
You can find more information here
» Can doing LSD can
destroy your reproductive system?
No. This is a myth, which originates in a study dating
back to the LSD hysteria period (1967) which showed that LSD caused "chromosonal
breaks", or damage to DNA, and it was inferred that LSD could cause
birth abnormalities.
The study failed to mention that nearly *all* drugs, legal
or illegal, cause chromosonal breaks - including aspirin, caffeine, anti-biotics,
and artificial sweetners, the majority to a greater degree than LSD. You
can read an examination of the study here
(long)
However, like all drugs, LSD should be avoided during pregnancy.
Ergot, the fungus from which LSD is synthesised, can induce uterine contractions.
» Is it safe to take
LSD during pregnancy?
Absolutely not. LSD can induce uterine contractions.
top
» What is a bad trip
and how do I avoid one?
A bad trip occurs when the euphoria of an LSD trip
changes into something more sinister and frightening. It can be triggered
by a threatening or adverse environment, the surfacing of difficult unconscious
memories or material, a sense of being overwhelmed by the power of the
drug and by attempting to resist its effects, or by problems between you
and anyone you may be sharing the experience with. People hostile to LSD
are more likely to have bad trips.
Bad trips are characterised by intense feelings of paranoia, sensations
of dying, fear, and anxiety. This maybe accompanied by threatening or
frightening visual hallucinations: spiders, blood, insects, monsters,
skulls etc. It is a deeply uncomfortable and traumatic state but can be
avoided or changed by taking careful precautions. See our bad
trip guide.
» What should I do to
help someone having a bad trip?
Change something. The music, the setting, the lighting.
Reassure them that they have taken a drug and the effects will wear off.
Give them a time scale and a sense of when it will end. Above all be calm
and do not panic. See our bad trip guide
for more details.
» Is it true that LSD
is often mixed with stuff like strychnine?
This is a myth. Strychnine is not a by-product of the
synthesis of LSD. Strychnine has never been discovered in over 2000 analysed
samples of street LSD. There's not enough space on a LSD blotter to contain
enough strychnine to poison you.
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» What are 'flashbacks'?
Flashbacks are the involuntary reliving of an LSD trip
or state of mind days, week, or even months after an experience, usually
after some auditory or visual clue triggers a passing memory of the experience.
They are, however, very rare, despite what anti-drugs organisations say.
» Can LSD make you insane?
There is evidence that underlying mental disorders,
such as schizophrenia, can be 'activated' by LSD use. Therefore people
with any history of mental illness should avoid LSD.
However, when used clinically in the 60's, psychatrist Dr Sidney Cohen
surveyed a sample of 5000 individuals who had taken LSD twenty-five thousand
times. He found and average of 1.8 psychotic episodes per thousand ingestions,
1.2 attempted suicides, and 0.4 completed suicides. 'Considering the enormous
scope of the psychic responses it induces,' he concluded, 'LSD is an astonishingly
safe drug.'"
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» Doesn't LSD cause
chromosonal damage and other genetic defects?
This is a myth, originating from a single flawed study
in the 60s which exposed cells in a petri dish to massive concentrations
of the drug. In the same experiment, caffeine and aspirin caused greater
chromosonal damage. But that isn't mentioned.
» Can you become perma-fried
if you take LSD too much? Is there a limit to how many times you should
take it?
There doesn't seem to be a set limit to the amount
of LSD an individual can take, physically or psychologically. "Acid
casualties" from the 60s and 70s do seem to suggest that repeated
chronic use of LSD can have long term effects on your brain and your mental
well being. At the same time, however, practitioners like Dr Timothy Leary
took LSD over one thousand times in their lifetime with no apparent long
term physiological damage. Although, if you read his later books you may
disagree.
Perhaps what is important is less how much you take, but
more how you take it. People like Leary were very careful about
'set' and 'setting' when taking LSD, ensuring their environment and people
around them were relaxing to guarantee a pleasant trip and to lessen the
chance of "freaking out".
If you take LSD a lot (like every weekend) you may find
it increasingly difficult to come back to normality, or may become increasingly
isolated from those in your circle who do not take it. As always, moderation
is recommended. See our LSD
guide for more details.
top
» What is the addiction
potential of LSD?
Physically speaking, virtually zero. The typical amount
of LSD ingested is microscopic (100 millionths of a gram) and tolerance
builds up quickly - you have to wait 3 or 4 days before LSD will work
on you again.
However, like any drug, you can get captivated by the way
it makes you feel and the insights you may have under its influence. It
is possible to become psychological addicted to LSD. And if you're doing
it twice a week or every weekend, it will become difficult to it relate
to the 'real world'.
» On LSD, I occasionally
get body twitches and uncontrollable shakes. I am curious as to why this
happens and if it is a problem / harmful?
There are two possible reasons why this may be happening.
Many users of LSD report energy surges or ripples in their body when tripping,
often accompanied by psychological 'flashes' or 'insights' or sensation
of deep relaxation. If you're interested, Eastern mind-body systems like
Yoga call this energy 'prana' and through practice, it can channelled
and controlled. LSD can sometimes make you aware of this energy.
Alternatively, another explanation is that these shakes
are a symptom of distress or fear - a warning sign that you may be getting
into deep water. See our bad
trip guide.
top
» What happens to a
person when they use LSD every single day for about one year? Are there
any long term effects?
First you couldn't use LSD every day. Tolerance builds
up rapidly and lasts for three to seven days. Two or three times a week
is possible but that is seriously heavy LSD use. LSD has very
few short or long term physical side effects, bar fatigue. Repeated doses
however can have a profound psychological effect, leaving you detached
from normal reality, especially if taken in a recreational, rather than
therapeutic setting. You may want to ask yourself: why am I taking LSD
so often?
» What is the correct
way to use a LSD blotter tab?
Just swallow it, preferably with distilled water not
tap water as even small amounts of chlorine can destroy LSD.
» Can LSD put holes
in your brain?
No.
» Will an alcohol blood
test show up LSD use?
It is unlikely that an alcoholic test would be extended
to cover LSD. LSD is rarely tested for in urine or blood test unless specifically
requested. It is also difficult to detect, due to the microscopic amounts
usually ingested.
» What is the most
common way to test for LSD?
There used to be a product available from online
Dutch smart shops which tested for LSD and other tryptamine-family chemicals
(i.e. psilocybin and DMT) but we are unable to find it anymore. You may
be able to locate it if you search around Google.com. The alternatively
is one of the numerous home-testing kits marketed for suspicious parents.
Like this.
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