Basics
Recognising LSD
How it is taken
Cost
What happens
Likely effects
Possible consequences
Risk reduction
Classification

Basics

• The drug’s full name is lysergic acid diethylamide. It is popularly known as acid, LSD or trip
• During the 1950s and ’60s, it was supplied - mainly in the USA - for a growing research and clinical market
• It was used for a time in the psychotherapeutic treatment of alcohol and drug addiction, and also for the terminally ill
• Its popularity waned during the 1970s and ’80s, but during 1988 and into the '90s it returned to youth culture, as an integral part of the 'acid house' music scene.

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Recognising LSD in its different forms

• Available in the form of pills, tablets and capsules, acid is most commonly sold as small squares of blotting paper (which have been impregnated with LSD dissolved in alcohol)
• Commonly known as ‘tabs’, they are produced in a variety of colours and designs.The blotting paper often carries a picture, logo or design, and the picture will often lend itself to the street name of the trip. Examples include batman, Purple Om, strawberry and white lightning
• LSD is also sold as a ‘microdot’, a small resinous ball containing a high dose of LSD.

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How it is taken

Whatever the design, LSD is almost invariably swallowed.

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Cost

A typical street price is between £2.50 and £5.00.

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What happens

• Once a tab is swallowed, it takes effect within 30-60 minutes. Likely to peak after 2-6 hours, an acid experience (or ‘trip’) can last up to 12 hours. Afterwards the user may feel disorientated
• Acid increases an individual’s sensitivity to their environment
• Auditory and visual awareness are enhanced. Synaesthesia - confused senses (like seeing sounds or tasting colours) - is relatively common
• Time becomes relatively meaningless during a trip. Short-term memory loss is common, and a moment can seem to last years
• Mystical and even ecstatic experiences are common, and "out of body" experiences have been reported.

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Likely effects

In clinical terms, LSD has a tendency "to release buried recollections and suppressed responses" - hence its early use in therapeutic treatment

In practice, effects on an individual are difficult to forecast with any accuracy. Much depends on the user’s mood and the environment in which the drug is taken. Each trip affects each individual differently each time they take it.

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Possible consequences

• Trips can be ecstatic, joyous and enlightening, or a nightmare
• 'Bad' trips may include scary hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t there, or having distorted visions), fits of extreme anxiety or even paranoia.These experiences may also trigger subsequent depression and panic attacks. However, the evidence to support this theory is insubstantial
• Physical effects include slightly increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, and dilation of the pupils. Appetite is usually decreased and sleep inhibited
• "Flashbacks" (experiencing part of the trip some time later) is reported by some users.

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Reducing the risk

The following guidance may help users to reduce risks associated with LSD use:

• Although LSD usually takes effect within 30-60 minutes, it can take up to 90 minutes before the full effects are felt. Taking a large dose could cause disorientation, leading to anxiety and paranoia
• The LSD experience is greatly affected by the user's mindset, or how they feel when they take the drug, and the setting in which the user finds themselves
• LSD tends to enhance how you feel. 'Bad' trips can be caused by taking acid if you’re depressed, anxious or stressed. The environment can cause people to feel anxious - being with people you don’t know and completely trust, for example. Avoid environments where you sense hostility
• If you are experiencing difficulties whilst using LSD stay with someone you trust
• If you're with someone who's having a 'bad' trip there's plenty you can do to help. Try changing the environment - going inside, or outside, changing the music, talking
• Remember that people using LSD are very open to suggestion. Reassure the person that it's only a bad trip they are experiencing, and that the experience will pass.
• Reminding the person of their anxiety will be unlikely to help ('are you still feeling really paranoid?')
• As the drug wears off the effects will diminish.

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Classification

Under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, LSD is a Class A Schedule 1 drug.

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