LSD, acid

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) or 'acid' is a powerful hallucinogenic. It is obtained from a fungus that grows parasitically on rye.

Forms

LSD comes in the form of small pieces of blotter paper impregnated with a drop of LSD solution ('trip') or tablets, or more unusually in liquid form. It is generally consumed orally.

Effects

LSD affects how people feel and how they perceive reality. It disrupts and intensifies sensory perceptions: vision, hearing, touch and smell. It also affects the user's sense of time and distance.

LSD causes hallucinations, extreme emotions (crying with laughter, lurching from euphoria to depression, etc.) and delirium. The effects relate to psychological and physical perception.

The effects will vary according to the individual, the context in which the drug is used, and the quantity consumed.

Risks

Some users suffer from long-term problems with perception after taking the drug.

One recurring danger of consumption is the 'bad trip' or a state of delirium – in other words, the user develops strongly negative reactions such as a sense of paranoia, delirium or state of confusion.

The effects of LSD are often followed by a very unpleasant 'down'. The user can become anxious and enter a state of panic or paranoia.

Dangerous combinations

It is very dangerous to take LSD along with a depressant such as alcohol, heroin, tranquillisers or indeed any other drug.