LSD

LSD

Also known as acid, blotter, dots and yellow sunshine, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the most powerful mood-changing chemicals. It is a clear or white odorless material made from the acid found in a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

LSD is sold on the street in small tablets (“microdots”), capsules or gelatin squares (“window panes”). It is sometimes added to absorbent paper, which is then divided into small squares decorated with designs or cartoon characters (“loony toons”). Occasionally it is sold in liquid form. But no matter what form it comes in, LSD leads the user to the same place — a serious disconnection from reality.

Use of hallucinogens like LSD and PCP (phencyclidine) can produce different signs and symptoms, depending on the drug. LSD and PCP users call their drug experience a “trip”, which lasts 12 hours or so, and can consist of:

• Vocal and physical hallucinations
• An altered reality
• Suicidal ideations
• Impulsive, spontaneous behavior
• Rapid shifts in emotions
• Aggressive or violent behavior
• Rapid heart rate and high blood pressure
• Tremors, seizures, even coma
• Permanent mental changes in perception
• Flashbacks, a re-experience of the hallucinations — even years later
• A “bad trip”, when things go wrong – and in some cases can cause the person to go into a state of psychosis or lead to hospitalization
• A feeling of being separated from your body and surroundings
• Problems with coordination and movement
• Problems speaking
• Intolerance to loud noise
• Involuntary eye movements
• Lack of pain sensation
• Problems with thinking and memory

(Source: Mayo Clinic)