LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (Abbreviated as LSD, and also known as LSD-25, Lucy, L, and Acid) is a psychedelic of the lysergamide family of chemicals. While it was discovered in 1938 by Albert Hofmann, LSD's hallucinogenic properties were not discovered until five years later when Albert Hofmann accidentally ingested the compound . LSD became an integral symbol of hippie counter-culture later on in the 1960s, as well as becoming a staple of general drug culture. LSD is among the most culturally influential psychedelic drugs in the world. It is believed to change a person's perspective of reality by temporarily inducing a state of interconnection in parts of the brain that don't typically communicate with each other by impacting the effects of multiple neurotransmitters.

Harm Reduction

As with any mind-altering substance, there's no truly "safe" way to consume them. While LSD is not toxic under normal dosages , nor does it cause any long term "physical" damage to the brain. LSD can, however, be mentally traumatizing in the case of a bad experience and cause the user to put themselves in harm's way. The use of psychedelics can also have negative effects on mental health for some.

LSD is more recreational than other traditional psychedelics, but it still has the potential for nightmarish experiences and enlightening/life-changing ones. LSD can allow users to open up emotionally, and use this change of perspective to view their problems in a new, and often positive light. Studies show that LSD showed promising results in preliminary trials for the treatment of depression in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

One of the biggest dangers of consuming LSD is getting a drug that isn't LSD. To increase profit margins, some dealers sell people blotterss that contain different substances, often 25i-NBOMe. Due to these being cheaper to mass produce and buy than LSD, some dealers prefer to sell these alternative chemicals to people and claim they are LSD to save themselves money. However, these chemicals (particularly NBOx compounds) don't have the same safety profile as LSD due to physical toxicity or lack of research. Due to dealer irresponsibility, some 25i-NBOMe tabs may contain MUCH more than the common "safe" dose, which can lead to seizures, psychosis, and death.

Set and setting is vital before taking LSD. If anyone is planning to trip on LSD, they should be in a positive mood before going into the experience (set). One's surroundings also have a massive effect on the trip, and anyone who is taking this substance should be comfortable with their environment and any people around them.

Any slight fear can be amplified during a trip. If the person tripping is somewhere where they don't feel safe or are with people they don't know or trust, then paranoia can quickly build-up.

Due to the nature of LSD, it's important to have someone else with you while tripping. During the state of mind, LSD puts you in, it's easy to become trapped in a phenomenon known as a "thought loop". In a thought loop, the person tripping might have thoughts repeat over and over in a cycle. These looping thoughts can result in a sense of déjà vu, which can be confusing to the user.

In some cases, the user may become extremely distressed and agitated and may start to believe they've already died, and each loop is just a manifestation of a hell they're forced to live in. This can lead to worse paranoia, and eventually to Delirium. In extreme cases, the user may blackout due to the sheer psychological stress caused by the experience, and may lose complete control over their actions.

This is why a trip sitter is often recommended. A trip sitter can calm down the person having these types of delusions, or provide the person tripping with a "trip killer" aka sedative. This leads to the other important thing to have before partaking into an LSD experience, and that's a "trip killer"

A trip killer is a drug (typically a sedative) that's used to calm down a person tripping if they're having a distressing experience. Often, trip killers are sedatives. They could be benzos , or antipsychotics. Popular options for trip killers are:

Xanax (Alprazolam) Diazepam (Valium) Etizolam (A research benzo) Risperidone (Risperdal) Ketanserin Clozapine (Versacloz) Nefazodone Seroquel (Quetiapine) Thorazine (Chlorpromazine)

It's advisable to start slow and slowly go up in dosage. Don't jump straight into a 500ug LSD trip if it's your first time trying the substance unless you have extensive experience with other psychedelics. Avoid mixing LSD with cannabis (weed, marijuana) since weed can unpredictably potentiate the effects of LSD to an uncomfortable degree.

Furthermore, weed can cause paranoia and increase the intensity and frequency of thought loops. Furthermore, avoid combining LSD with other drugs as the experience can quickly get out of control. Don't take LSD if you take lithium or antidepressants. Lithium is known to have negative interactions with LSD. Many drugs prescribed as antidepressants have a cancelling effect on LSD, or potential negative effects.

Supplements

CBD: This supplement can greatly help relieve body load discomfort and aid with reducing anxiety. Use around 50mg to 100mg. Make sure your CBD supplement only contains CBD and not THC. THC can amplify the trip unpredictably and may cause increased paranoia and thought loops.

Passion flower: In extract form, this supplement can greatly help with anxiety. However, it can amplify the trip greatly due to its being a mild MAOI. Use sparingly . Use around 90mg to 100mg in extract form, or 350mg to 500mg of dried passionflower.

Magnesium: Like CBD, Magnesium can greatly help with body load discomfort, and can help with anxiety.

Arginine and lysine: In combination, these two supplements can work in synergy to help relieve body load caused by vasoconstriction and aid in reducing anxiety before the trip. Take 2.6g of Arginine, then 2.6g of Lysine.

Ginger: Will greatly help with potentialLSD induced nausea. A capsule that has 1g ginger extract in it. A teaspoon of fresh, grated, rhizome (the vertical aspect of ginger root). 2 droppers (2mL) of liquid extract. 2 teaspoons (10mL) of syrup. 4 cups (8 oz each) ginger tea, steeping 1⁄2 teaspoon grated ginger for 5–10 min. 8-oz cup ginger ale, made with real ginger. 2 pieces crystallized ginger, each 1-inch square, 1⁄4 inch thick.

Zofran (Ondansetron): This pharmaceutical is very effective at preventing nausea and vomit, please follow the directions on the box on how to use it.

Phenibut: May help with anxiety without dulling the effects of LSD much. Take a 500mg to 750mg dose.

Ibuprofen: Helps with LSD induced vasoconstriction, take a 400mg dose.

Addiction Potential

LSD has no potential for physical addiction, and has low abuse potential.

LSD also develops immediate tolerance after ingestion. It's a good rule of thumb to avoid taking LSD for 1 to 2 weeks until tolerance is reduced back to baseline. Here's a graph which should illustrate this better:

Trip Sitting Advice

If you're trip sitting someone under the influence of LSD, and they seem to be having a challenging time, first understand that they're heavily intoxicated by the substance. Their perception of reality is extremely skewed, and as such, they might have a hard time recognizing your intentions. If they start saying something that is rude or offensive, don't get angry at them or you risk making their state even worse.

Make sure to take a gentle approach to the situation, make sure to comfort them and reassure them that they'll be okay and that they have taken a drug.

You may need to remind them multiple times in the case that they forget.You may need to remind them multiple times since LSD affects short term memory, especially if the person tripping is close, or is having an ego death. If they're on the brink of ego death, make sure to reassure them that they'll be ok, and not to fight the experience, to "let go".

Another good advice if If they are experiencing an uncomfortable LSD trip, change the music to something familiar or calm, preferably something without lyrics. This is because the person tripping may start having delusions of reference . This means that they start believing the lyrics of the song refer to them, increasing paranoia.

Talk with a soft and caring tone. If talking to doesn't offer much help, then just hold the hand of the person having the experience (Warn/ask them first!). This can help calm the person tripping.

If the person becomes aggressive and becomes physically violent against you, becomes a threat to the public, or starts having a life-threatening condition, you must contact emergency services to help stabilize them. While you may feel the guilt of calling emergency services, the person will eventually understand that it was for their well being.

Effects

During an LSD trip, effects can vary from person to person. However, there are some aspects of the experience that seem to be consistent from person to person. For this reason, the effects here may not represent everyone's experience on the substance but might provide a point reference.

Onset (t+ 15 - 30 minutes)

One of the main effects common at this stage is a relaxing yet stimulating body high, like a feeling of built-up energy. Spontaneous giggling may start at this stage. Music euphoria may start to become apparent. Visual distortions may also start to occur. This stage is milder in effects than later parts of the experience.

Comeup (t+ 1 - 2.5 hours)

Visuals will start to become more apparent at this stage. Spontaneous giggling and stimulating effects of LSD may get stronger as well. Some visuals at this stage may be the "breathing walls" effect, tracers, color enhancement, warping, or streaks of colors that appear if you stare at a surface for long enough.

Music at this stage can sound more pleasant and immersing. Changes in perception and thought may also become apparent at this point. Some anxiety may surface, it is important to try to remain calm. If you're prone to anxiety, many recommend meditating during this stage to help calm them down. Additionally, thought loops may begin to manifest during this time, and short term memory may become impaired (temporarily of course).

Muscle tightness may start becoming stronger, tightness in jaw, chest, thighs, and other places have been reported to start occurring during this time. The heartbeat may increase at this point.

Peak (t+ 3 - 4 hours)

Visuals are likely to be their strongest in this stage. Spontaneous giggling may become harder to control, if present. The feeling of built-up energy from the onset and come up stage may turn become a slight sedation for some. Time dilation may be apparent, and sometimes overwhelming. Simple tasks may become harder to complete.

Thought loops are common during this part of the trip. Visuals may consist of complex fractals on surfaces, "flowing" of surfaces (which can be more apparent when looking at wood), heavy breathing effect on vision, extremely vivid colors, and synesthesia (blending of the senses) can occur.

Glyphs, faces, eyes, floral patterns, and "Mayan"-like art have been reported to happen often for some people. Looking at popcorn ceilings has been recommended at this point as the texture can emphasize the visuals.

It's been reported that the peak may come in waves At points, it may feel as if one is completely sober, before feeling as if the effects have become overwhelmingly strong. This can sometimes happen in cycles.

Muscle tightness may become stronger, it's best to have some gum since jaw tightness may reach uncomfortable levels for some.

The food at this point can be hard to eat, food can "taste" different, and sometimes not in a pleasant way, heartbeat might also be faster at this point.

A lingering sense of Déjà vu might be felt, this is most likely due to LSD's effects on reducing short term memory function. As a result, sensory information goes straight to long-term memory, resulting in the phenomenon.

Comedown (t+ 6 - 8 hours)

The comedown can result in a cessation of effects, or lingering effects until the individual goes to sleep. Visuals during the comedown may persist, but the headspace will likely return to a more sober space.

Some people's mood will become worse during the comedown, though others may get an "afterglow" effect

While the trip will be over at this stage, sleeping is typically difficult.

Coping with Bad LSD Experience

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Overdose

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