News Article:
LSD
NIDA Infofact
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major
drugs making up the hallucinogen class. LSD was discovered in 1938 and
is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It is manufactured
from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on
rye and other grains.
LSD, commonly referred to as “acid,” is sold on the
street in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form. It is odorless,
colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste and is usually taken by mouth.
Often LSD is added to absorbent paper, such as blotter paper, and divided
into small decorated squares, with each square representing one dose.
The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the
strength of LSD samples obtained currently from illicit sources ranges
from 20 to 80 micrograms of LSD per dose. This is considerably less
than the levels reported during the 1960s and early 1970s, when the
dosage ranged from 100 to 200 micrograms, or higher, per unit.
Health Hazards
The effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on
the amount taken; the user’s personality, mood, and expectations; and
the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user feels
the first effects of the drug 30 to 90 minutes after taking it. The
physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased
heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness,
dry mouth, and tremors.
Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically
than the physical signs. The user may feel several different emotions
at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in a
large enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations.
The user’s sense of time and self changes. Sensations may seem to “cross
over,” giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds.
These changes can be frightening and can cause panic.
Users refer to their experience with LSD as a “trip”
and to acute adverse reactions as a “bad trip.” These experiences are
long; typically they begin to clear after about 12 hours.
Some LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts
and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and
despair while using LSD. Some fatal accidents have occurred during states
of LSD intoxication.
Many LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of
certain aspects of a person’s experience, without the user having taken
the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning,
and may occur within a few days or more than a year after LSD use. Flashbacks
usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an
underlying mental disorder; however, otherwise healthy people who use
LSD occasionally may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks
are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest persisting
symptoms that resemble the symptoms of schizophrenia and depression.
It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement
in these illnesses.
Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use
over time. LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does not
produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior, as do cocaine, amphetamine,
heroin, alcohol, and nicotine. However, like many of the addictive drugs,
LSD produces tolerance, so some users who take the drug repeatedly must
take progressively higher doses to achieve the state of intoxication
that they had previously achieved. This is an extremely dangerous practice,
given the unpredictability of the drug. NIDA is funding studies that
focus on the neurochemical and behavioral properties of LSD. This research
will provide a greater understanding of the mechanisms of action of
the drug.
Extent of Use
Monitoring the Future Study (MTF)*
MTF assesses the extent and perceptions of drug use
among 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students nationwide. LSD use declined
among all three grades in 2003, with statistically significant drops
occurring among 10th and 12th grade students for lifetime and past year
use. (Also see the InfoFacts on High School and Youth Trends.) Perceived
availability of LSD dropped significantly for 10th and 12th grade students
from 2002 to 2003.
Find this information and more at www.drugabuse.gov
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