LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) is the drug most commonly identified with the term “hallucinogen” and the most widely used drug of this drug class. Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations, or a profound distortion in a person’s perception of reality. The effects can sometimes be frightening and cause a panic.

Under the influence of a hallucinogen, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens rapid, intense emotional swings. Most user’s of LSD decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not really considered an addictive drug since it does not produce the compulsive, drug seeking behaviors that drugs such as cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine do. However, like many addicting drugs, LSD does produce a tolerance over time causing the people who use it repeatedly to have to gradually take higher doses to achieve the same state of intoxication as the other times they have used it. This one fact in itself can be extremely dangerous given the unpredictability of the drugs strength.

LSD has a number of street names but is most commonly known as “acid.” The effects of LSD can be unpredictable depending on the amount taken, the user’s mood, personality, and expectations. It also depends on the surroundings in which the drug is taken. The user will usually feel the first effects after 30-90 minutes after taking it. User’s generally refer to their experience as a “trip” and to acute adverse reactions as a “bad trip.” These experiences are long and typically begin to fade after about 12 hours.

Appearing first will be the physical signs which include Numbness; Muscle weakness and trembling; Rapid reflexes; Increased blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature; Impaired motor skills and coordination; Dilated pupils; and, occasionally, Nausea and seizures. One of the most noticeable signs is uncontrollable laughter when things often aren’t particularly funny. Dramatic changes in perception, thought, and mood come shortly after the physical effects. Some of the signs of this are vivid, usually visual, “pseudo-hallucinations” that the user is aware are not real; distorted perceptions of time (minutes seem like hours); distance (dangerous if driving a motor vehicle or standing on or near a balcony); gravity (sensations of floating or being pressed down); the space between one’s self and one’s environment (for some, a feeling of oneness with the universe, for others, a feeling of terror); fusion of the senses (music is “seen“, colors are “heard“); diminished control over thought processes resulting in recent or long forgotten memories resurfacing and blending with the current experience, or an insignificant thought or objects take on deep meaning.

LSD Addiction can have long term side effects. People that have a LSD Addiction may eventually manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of LSD involvement in these illnesses.

If you or someone you know suffers from LSD Addiction, please call us. We are here to help you and your loved ones get their lives back on track.