Nice Paper Travel Guide: LSD

What is LSD, and why does LSD make me hallucinate?

In a time where travel seems like a distant possibility, we're exploring how to transport your mind and soul at home. In this series we are answering your biggest questions around psychedelics. First up; everything you wanted to know about LSD.

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), or acid as it’s commonly known, is a potent drug that, pending dose, can last a long time. We’re talking, at times, over 12 hours. For context, that’s more than one season of Game of Thrones. More about how long a trip can last later. 

LSD is derived, in part, from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains which must be processed. First discovered by Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist working for Sandoz Pharmaceutical, it took Hofmann 5 years to discover it was hallucinogenic. Looking for a blood stimulant, it wasn’t until 1943 when Hofmann accidentally ate some LSD that he realized it could make you trip. Unlike other drugs, you really don’t need much at all to have hallucinations, you only need 25 micrograms (a couple of grains of salt in weight). 

The structure of LSD is similar to serotonin. Serotonin is known as a “happy” chemical in your brain. While it is a contributor to feelings of well-being and happiness, it’s a bit more complex than that. Serotonin helps modulate cognition, visual processing, reward, learning, memory and physiological responses like vomiting and vasoconstriction. It also is found primarily in the GI tract (about 90%) which then gets released to your brain. 

In your brain, chemicals exist to help transmit and control information. How this happens is a chemical will bind to a site (think lock and key), where the key (the neurotransmitter) unlocks the lock (the receptor). This is how the brain is signaled something just happened setting off a chain reaction leading to a response or action. LSD puts these interactions into hyperdrive due to how similar to serotonin it is and how acid binds more strongly to receptors than serotonin itself. 

All sensory experiences (touch, taste, feeling, sound and vision) require some serotonin, but what you see, that visual processing, uses a lot. Emotional processing also requires serotonin meaning happiness, sadness, fear etc. are impacted by your serotonin levels. As noted previously, the structure of LSD is similar to serotonin. LSD will land on serotonin receptors binding more strongly than serotonin itself. In turn, the receptors get off from having acid land on them triggering strong visual, sensory and cognition reactions.

Starting to understand why LSD can be intense? It’s because your receptors bind more strongly to LSD than serotonin itself, acid has the ability to make you see things like color and shape distortions in addition to hallucinations more intensely than if you just had serotonin on its own.

Who knew that LSD is the drug your brain told serotonin not to worry about. This is also why LSD highs can last so long.

How long does an LSD (aka acid) high last?

This depends on a few things; your brain and how the receptors react, how much you took and the quality of your LSD. It also depends on other medications you’re taking. We do not endorse taking drugs, particularly when the source is sketchy. If you are going to take LSD, please, for the love of god, test it. This kit can tell you if it’s safe.

What LSD does is it cozies up into your serotonin receptor’s pocket (almost like a lock and key), amino acids within the receptor then shroud the molecule acting like a cozy blanket, safely tucking in the LSD. This traps the molecules and your high won’t fade until that molecule is knocked off or loosens its grip on the receptor. This can take anywhere from 6-15 hours and sometimes even longer. Most trips last around 12 hours. 

What about an LSD “afterglow?”

This isn’t a myth! Because LSD can up-regulate serotonin you can experience an “acid afterglow” for up to six hours but not everyone will experience it the same way. One theory is that in some people there is a boost in serotonin, another theory which has some data to back it up is your brain may still be processing/buzzing from having so many areas lit up. 

Does LSD increase my creativity?

The first study on LSD does show good evidence that you may be more creative on LSD. Creativity is hard to measure, what the researchers did was show how acid decreases communication between the brain regions that make up you “Default Mode Network.” Your DMN is a collection of hub centres that control your consciousness. AKA, your ego. It does everything from control awareness and filters out what information is being fed to it. 

The combination of heightened sensory experiences, hallucinations and ego dissolution is why you might be more creative on LSD. One of the researchers behind the study, Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris explained that LSD helps you feel oneness and unity through this ego dissolution. It’s why you may begin to feel more empathy or why psychedelic therapy appears to speed up healing; you break from your rigid modes of thought. You can think in new ways. 

Here’s a visual of what brains look like on LSD vs nothing:

The fMRI's provided by the Beckley foundation show two brain scans when the participants eyes are closed. On the left, a brain on LSD, the right is a placebo. Think of it like an electrical grid, the more connectivity, the more you can see; there’s more activity. Brains on LSD are more connected leading to new thought.

What’s the right dose of LSD? How do I microdose vs “dose-dose” LSD?

First things first; acid is colorless and odorless. You’re typically going to see it in a dropper bottle, a blotter paper, pills or capsules. In whatever form you’re taking, you need to be testing it. While potency is near impossible for you to know, you need to ask for the doses as even a small variation will have drastically different effects.

• 10-20 micrograms LSD:  A microdose. Suitable for work a mild change in perception. 

• 50 micrograms LSD:  Enhanced stimulation in audio and visual perception. 

• 100 micrograms LSD: Starting to get wavy. 

• 200 micrograms LSD: This is a larger dose. 

• 400 micrograms LSD: The high end of recommended doses.

• Over 400 micrograms LSD: Extreme, out of body experience. Not ever recommended without a professional’s  supervision. 

Is LSD safe for everyone? 

LSD is not safe for everyone. In a small number of cases LSD triggered the onset of certain psychosis like schizophrenia, so, if you have a history of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia in your family, or if you’ve been diagnosed with a predisposition, LSD can trigger it. While it can’t lead to psychosis, it can create onset for those with the condition. 

While LSD is generally considered safe, particularly with a therapist or a guide, the lack of research due to its federal status leaves the potential for individual risk as we don’t have larger bodies of data looking at its effects. If you’re worried but want to experience psychedelics, jump to this link, it’s a list of every clinical study on LSD and other psychedelics in the U.S..

Is LSD addictive?

No, LSD is not addictive. While it interacts with serotonin receptors, it does not trigger a dopamine response. This means it’s not activating pleasure centers like more addictive drugs. Another reason LSD and acid are not considered addictive is that it doesn’t drive compulsive use; the intense long-lasting trips can be physically and mentally challenging, compound that with the fact that the human body builds tolerance to LSD you’ll have a hard time feeling anything after more than four days of repeated usage. 

How do I stop a bad LSD trip?

Being with a professional or a guide is one way to stop a trip from going wrong. The link above is the best we can do for an actual recommendation as they are legal and with pros. If we ever go to festivals again, The Zendo Project is a trained volunteer network that helps people through challenging psychedelic trips. 

One of the best ways to have a good trip is starting at a low dose (high doses when you don’t know what you’re doing is not heroic here) and making sure your mindset, setting and expectations are in order. Setting your intentions, telling yourself that you will have a good experience is thought to help but there are no guarantees especially during these trying times. If you’re going to experiment and if you’ve confirmed your source is good then we still recommend starting off small. Also, don’t mix things with alcohol or other substances.

In terms of how to stop a bad trip if you don’t have a guide there are sites like TripSit that will have a live chat operator to help you level out. The good news is that your high won’t last forever (even if it feels like it) so reminding yourself there’s an expiration date may provide some comfort. 

Where do I get LSD?

Outside of a clinical study or hopping in a time machine back to Albert Hoffamn in Switzerland, nowhere. It’s a schedule 1 substance meaning it’s highly addictive and has no medicinal value according to the FDA. While this is changing as many recognize it’s ridiculous both cocaine and oxycodone are both schedule 2 substances meaning they have some medicinal value but can be abused, for now, the FDA is not budging. Until the FDA recognizes that LSD has a place in medicine, stick to the clinicals that are out there.