LSD
LSD, acid, trips, blotters, cardboard, or identified by their printed design such as smileys, strawbs or strawberries, batman, flying keys, and many more.
What does LSD look like?
In pure form LSD is a colourless, odourless, and mildly bitter liquid. The liquid is absorbed on to blotter paper, or sometimes sugar cubes, or tiny Tablets known as microdots. The small (5mm x 5mm) squares of absorbent card printed with a colourful design is placed in the mouth, not swallowed. In its liquid form, it can be administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection.
Scientific Names
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Generic Name
Lyserge
Effects Of LSD
Desired Effects:
Hallucinations, hilarity. LSD's psychological effects (referred to as a "trip") can be unpredictable and random as it will vary greatly from person to person, depending on factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose strength.
Side-Effects:
Confusion, disorientation, loss of coordination, distortions in time and space.
Risks
Short-term:
Accidents, anxiety, emotional distress or 'bad trip'. A bad Trip refers to a disturbing Hallucinogenic experience that can cause users to feel extremely anxious and threatened. As an LSD experience can last between 6-12 hours - depending on dosage, Tolerance, body weight and age - this can feel like a very lengthy unpleasant experience.
Long-term:
Release or triggering of underlying psychological problems, Flashbacks.
Reducing Harm
Please view our Reducing Harm page for more information.
How does LSD work?
Powerful Hallucinogenic, Entheogen.
Legal status of LSD
Class A under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
How Is LSD Taken?
Orally.
Paraphernalia
None.
Medical uses of LSD
None. However, today most research with LSD involves animals or cells. In humans there are studies in to the effects on psychotherapy, mental activity and consciousness. There has been additional interest in studying the effects of LSD on cluster headaches, although the current status of this research is uncertain. There is renewed scientific interest into LSD.
Where does it come from?
LSD is a semi-synthetic drug that is chemically made from lysergic acid derived from Ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye. Usually it is illicitly manufactured in Britain or Europe. There was an increase in the availability and use of LSD during the mid-1980s, along with other Psychedelic drugs like Ecstasy associated with the Rave scene. LSD availability decreased towards the end of the 1990s.
It is cheap (around £1 - £5 each), easy both to conceal and to use.
Helping services
Most areas of the UK have ‘street agencies’ or projects (sometimes called community drug services or community drug teams) which offer a range of services including information and advice, counselling, and sometimes support groups and complementary therapies such as acupuncture. Some services have extended working hours and may offer weekend support. If use of this substance becomes a problem you can seek help, advice and counselling from a service in your area. GPs can make referrals to specialist drug services. However, it is rare for drug counselling agencies to see people with problems caused by their LSD use although parents and relatives often contact such drug services for information about the drug. Occasionally users will contact services after experiencing a flashback.
You can view a list of National Drug Agencies.
If you would like to talk about LSD problems then please call the DAN 24/7 Helpline on:
