Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD is a potent hallucinogenic drug. In a 2010 study published in the journal "Psychopharmacology," Drs. A. Halberstadt and M. Geyer confirm what other researchers have also observed; LSD produces effects through interactions with serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, a chemical that facilitates interactions between nerves causing varied effects in the brain and body. Physical effects of LSD include increased blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature, nausea, tremors and weakness. Sweating is typical along with dilation of the pupils. Psychic effects of LSD include distorted perceptions of distance and time, and visual, auditory (hearing) and touch-related hallucinations. Heightened emotions typically change frequently and abruptly. Paranoia, agitation, fear, anxiety and panic may occur. LSD can have long-term effects on the brain. Flashbacks--reexperiencing distorted perceptions and emotions that occurred while under the influence of the drug--can occur long after the drug was taken. Hallucinogen-induced persisting perceptual disorder or HPPD is a condition wherein people who have taken LSD or another hallucinogen have persistent flashbacks, which interfere with their ability to function. Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences, as well as for its key role in 1960s counterculture. It is used mainly as an entheogen, recreational drug, and as an agent in psychedelic therapy. LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose, although in rare cases adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety or delusions are possible.[3] LSD was first synthesized by Albert Hofmann in 1938 from ergotamine, a chemical derived by Arthur Stoll from ergot, a grain fungus that typically grows on rye. The short form "LSD" comes from its early code name LSD-25, which is an abbreviation for the German "Lysergsurediethylamid" followed by a sequential number.[4][5] LSD is sensitive to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and chlorine, especially in solution, though its potency may last for years if it is stored away from light and moisture at low temperature. In pure form it is a colorless, odorless, and mildly bitter solid.[6] LSD is typically delivered orally, usually on a substrate such as absorbent blotter paper, a sugar cube, or gelatin. In its liquid form, it can also be administered by intramuscular or intravenous injection. LSD is very potent, with 2030 g (micrograms) being the threshold dose. New experiments with LSD have started in 2009 for the first time in 40 years. [7] Introduced by Sandoz Laboratories, with trade-name Delysid, as a drug with various psychiatric uses in 1947, LSD quickly became a therapeutic agent that appeared to show great promise.[8] In the 1950s, officials at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) thought the drug might be applicable to mind control and chemical warfare; the agency's MKULTRA research program propagated the drug among young servicemen and students. The subsequent recreational use of the drug by youth culture in the Western world during the 1960s led to a political firestorm that resulted in its prohibition.[9] Currently, a number of organizationsincluding the Beckley Foundation, MAPS, Heffter Research Institute and the Albert Hofmann Foundationexist to

fund, encourage and coordinate research into the medicinal and spiritual uses of LSD and related psychedelics

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome The Cfids Association of America Learn more about CFS. www.cfids.org/ Sponsored Links

Phencyclidine
Phencylidine or PCP was once used as an anesthetic, but this medical use was abandoned because of the disturbing mental effects of the drug. Physical effects of PCP may include nausea and vomiting, shallow breathing, decreased heart rate and blood pressure, blurred vision, sweating and drooling, dizziness, incoordination, loss of balance, and numbness in the limbs. Mental and emotional effects of PCP include agitation, anxiety, aggression, paranoia, delusions, distortion of visual and auditory perceptions, irrational thinking and dissociation--a sense of being detached or outside of yourself and your environment. The psychological state produced by PCP is similar to that of people with the mental disorder schizophrenia. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports long-term use of PCP may cause depression, memory loss and abnormal speech and thought patterns.

Mescaline
Mescaline is a hallucinogenic chemical found in the peyote cactus. It can also be manufactured. Physical effects of mescaline include nausea, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, incoordination, tremors and weakness. The drug distorts thoughts, emotions and sensory perceptions. Euphoria may occur, but anxiety, agitation and intense fear are also possible. Flashbacks and HPPD can occur in people who use mescaline.

Psilocybin
Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic substance found in certain species of mushrooms. The effects of this drug are similar to LSD, although it is not as potent as LSD. Physical effects include weakness, incoordination, nausea and pupil dilation. Mental and emotional effects include euphoria, nervousness, anxiety, panic, terror, paranoia, delusions and sensory hallucinations. NIDA reports long-term effects may occur with use of psilocybin, including memory disturbances and persistent flashbacks.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/110013-different-types-hallucinogenicdrugs/#ixzz1yny8Psh0

Home > Addictions > Hallucinogens (LSD): what are the effects?

Hallucinogens (LSD): what are the effects?

The effects of any drug (including hallucinogens) vary from person to person. How hallucinogens affect a person depends on many factors, including the person's size, weight and health, how much and how the drug is taken, whether the person is used to taking it and whether other drugs are taken. The effects of hallucinogens also depend on the environment in which the drug is taken and the mood and expectations of the person taking it. For example, whether the person is in a good mood or feeling anxious, is alone, with others or at a party. More than any other drug, the effects of hallucinogens vary greatly from person to person, and from occasion to occasion. It is hard to know how the hallucinogenic experience, or trip, will turn out and if someone will experience the adverse effects of hallucinogens (a bad trip).

Immediate effects
The effects of hallucinogens can last several hours and vary considerably depending on the specific type of hallucinogen. Some of the typical effects of hallucinogens include:

blurred vision; increased breathing rate; euphoria; sense of relaxation and feeling of well-being; hallucinations and distorted sensory processing, including visual, auditory, body, time and space perception; disorganised thoughts, confusion and difficulty concentrating, thinking or maintaining attention; anxiety, agitation, paranoia and feelings of panic; dizziness; impaired co-ordination; increased heart rate and blood pressure; nausea and vomiting; increased body temperature and sweating, which may alternate with chills and shivering; and numbness.