LSD

1
LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) By Katherine
Diamond and Megan Thursby
2
What It Is

• It is one of the most widely known psychedelic
  drugs or hallucinogens.
• LSD is sold on the street in tablets, capsules,
  and occasionally in liquid form.
• It is an odorless and colorless substance with a
  slightly bitter taste.
• Frequently in night clubs and at raves.

3
Street Names

• There are over 80 street names but the most
  popular are
• Acid
• Blotter
• Window Pane
• Dots
• Mellow Yellow
• Cid
• Doses
• Trips

4
What Is In It

• It is synthesized from lysergic acid derived from
  ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye.

5
How It Is Used

• It is usually ingested orally. It is often added
  to absorbent paper and divided into small
  decorated squares, with each square representing
  one dose.
• Rarely is taken in a liquid, gelatin, or tablet
  form.

6
Short Term Affects

• The most common dangers of LSD result from bad
  trips, including terrifying thoughts and
  feelings, despair, fear of losing control, and
  fear of death. Other risks are
• Extreme changes in behavior and mood person may
  sit or recline in a trance-like state
• Chills, irregular breathing, sweating, trembling
  hands, sweating
• Changes in sense of light, hearing, touch, smell,
  and time
• Nausea, especially in the first two hours
• Increase in blood pressure, heart rate and blood
  sugar
• Fatigue the next day.
• Loss of appetite
• Sleeplessness
• Dry mouth
• Feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds.
• Delusions and visual hallucinations.

7
Long Term Affects

• A person can experience rapidly changing
  feelings, immediately and long after use.
• Chronic use may cause persistent problems,
  depression, violent behavior, anxiety or a
  distorted perception of time.
• Large doses may cause convulsions, coma,
  heart/lung failure or ruptured blood vessels in
  the brain.
• "Flashbacks" of bad trips may occur long after
  use.
• Psychosis and schizophrenia like behavior.

8
What It Does To The Brain

• When LSD enters the brain, it increases serotonin
  levels, especially at the 5-HT2A receptor
  subtype.
• It is this 5-HT2A receptor that causes its
  psychedelic effects and interrupts the brain's
  ability to perceive and interpret its senses.
• LSD is quickly metabolized by the body, but the
  5-HT2A receptors continue to fire. This rush in
  serotonin also causes euphoria or very intense
  happiness.

9
Does It Lead To Other Drugs?

• LSD rarely leads to any other drugs but it is
  possible.

10
Is It Addictive?

• Addiction to hallucinogens is rare.
• People can become psychologically dependent upon
  LSD but it is not considered a physically
  addictive drug because it does not produce
  compulsive drug-seeking behavior.
• Because users develop extreme tolerance to LSD
  rapidly, users must consume progressively larger
  doses of the drug in order to continue to
  experience the hallucinogenic effects that they
  seek.

11
Can It Be Used For Medicine?

• A few hallucinogens have been used in medicine to
  treat certain disorders, but they must be given
  under controlled circumstances.

12
How To Tell If Someone Is Using

• Higher body temperature than is normal
• Sweating
• Showing early signs of dehydration
• Dry mouth
• Dry skin
• If a person talks about hallucinating or seeing
  brighter than usual colors
• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Change in eating habits
• Have a hard time sleeping

13
Treatment Options

• Treatment usually occurs after a patient hurts
  him or herself after a bad trip.
• Rehab centers treat LSD addiction
• Treatment is usually supportive
• Patients go to a quiet room with little sensory
  stimulation.
• Occasionally, benzodiazepines are used to control
  extreme agitation or seizures.

14
Other Facts

• Dr. Albert Hofmann, a chemist working for Sandoz
  Laboratories in Switzerland first synthesized LSD
  in 1938.
• It is impossible to predict your response to LSD
  so you dont know if you will have a good or bad
  trip. Bad trips can lead to violence to yourself
  or others.

These 9 drawings were done by the same artist
over the course of 8 hours while he was under the
influence of LSD.