INTRODUCTION

CLASSIFICATION OF DRUGS

in alphabetical order
by groups
by effects

PREVENTION

campaigns
treatment
commune

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

drug addicts
physicians

STATISTICS

INTERACTIVE

message board
contact us
sign guestbook
view guestbook

HELP ! ! !

faq
glossary

THE SITE

references and citations
the team

classification of drugs >>> lsd >>>

LSD

Toxicity and chronic effects of LSD and other hallucinogens 

If LSD was a medicine it should be considered harmful for usage. Poisoning from an overdose is practically impossible, because the toxic dose is thousands times greater than the one that affects the perception senses of a person; it’s not known anyone to have died from LSD. This is also true for most of the other hallucinogens and in general the stronger of them are usually less harmful, although there are some exceptions. The only possible complications that may occur as a result of the usage of hallucinogens concern the psychological aspect. Fortunately they do not last long. 

When taking hallucinogens in great doses, especially when the person is in a bad mood, very often he may experience the so-called “bad trip”. Almost all, who have experienced it,reckon that it is a result of the bad adjustment they had – anxiety, unpleasant situation, serious problems concerning their lives, etc. Those who have taken LSD regularly, think that the probability of a “bad trip” to happen is about 10% and almost all of them have experienced it. Substances as LSD bring the deepest subconscious ambitions and fears and not everyone can be calm before the monsters that he himself has created in his mind. Very often when a person is experiencing a bad trip he is "totally in his psychosis" – he “freaks out”. This is also the reason why at least one from the group should be of total control of himself so that he can help the others get through this; this person is called a “copilot”. It is also useful in such state of strong psychosis to keep talking to the user. He or she also has to be persuaded that this whole experience is a result of the effect of the substance and that it has nothing to do with reality. Of course it may also help if the user  is also given diazepam or another tranquilizer. 

One consequence of the usage of hallucinogens that may occur is the so-called retrospective scene, also known as “flash-back”. This very unusual experience lasts for about few seconds, several minutes maximum – the person feels the effects of the drug once more, long time after its usage. In some people this may happen years after they have tried a hallucinogen for the first and last time. This is also the way that the so-called “trailing phenomena” occur, during which all moving objects seem like being lightened by a stroboscope. Those two phenomena are still unexplainable, but their occurrence is connected to the usage of other substances such as marijuana or with the state of great emotional stress; they may occur even when walking through a dark room. 

Since LSD was banned by law and it can’t be bought from the manufacturer, the purity of the one, sold on the streets, is a serious problem. A research made in the USA showed that hardly a half of what is sold as LSD actually contains a percentage of the substance. Very often STP, PSP or other substances that have relatively the same effect are sold instead of LSD. All these products, including LSD, are not very pure and many of the negative effects are caused mainly because of this. Some even say that to the doses sold on the streets, there is also strychnine added. This substance is often given as an example for that how dangerous the usage of LSD, sold in the neighborhood, may be. But the tests show otherwise. The admirers of LSD prefer to take it on sheets of blotter (5*5mm), which can take nothing more than a real dose of LSD.