Table of Content (Jump to a section): What is LSD, Different Forms of LSD, How does LSD affect your brain, How Long Does it Take to Kick in, Effects of Acid, How Long does it stay in your system
LSD is a drug that people use to alter how they think. It can cause hallucinations or changes in how you feel and the effects vary from person to person. LSD is also known as acid, window pane, blotter, tabs, and other slang names and it’s one of the most powerful hallucinogenic drugs on the planet. So how long does it take for LSD to kick in? What are the effects of acid? How long will acid stay in your system? These are all questions we’ll answer today so you can make an informed decision before using this drug.
What is LSD?
LSD is a drug that’s manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot fungus. It can have mind-altering effects on how you think and feel about things that cause hallucinations or perceptual changes to how you see the world around you. LSD, also known by its even longer name of lysergic acid diethylamide, has been used for various reasons by people all over the world since it was discovered by a Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann in 1938. Acid came to prominence during the 1960s and 1970s as a recreational drug that was used at parties or raves. LSD is odorless, colorless, and tasteless which makes it difficult to detect when someone has taken the drug without testing for it.
What are the different forms of LSD?
LSD can be found in a number of different forms and these include:
- liquid form, which is the most potent
- on blotter paper
- as a crystal-like powder
- even as sugar cubes with faces printed on them
- clear gelatin squares called window panes
The most common way to take acid is by taking a single dose which is either in the form of small squares of paper known as blotter acid or by dropping it onto sugar cubes. Another common form of acid is the liquid drop that’s made from a pure form of LSD mixed with water or alcohol.
How does LSD affect your brain?
LSD affects how you think, how you feel, how you perceive things around you and it can also alter how some parts of your mind work together to produce how you act and behave. LSD affects the brain by activating serotonin receptors and altering how the brain sort of works together to produce your behavior. It can also alter how you see or hear things, how you feel about certain people around you, how you think about yourself in relation to others, how willing you are to interact with other people, how creative or productive a person is when they’re doing something that requires concentration, how you feel about the world around you and how much pleasure a person receives from certain things.
How long does it take for LSD to kick in?
When you take LSD, you normally can feel the effects within 15-30 minutes, and how long it takes for the effects of acid to kick in varies from person to person. If you take an extremely small dose, then how fast the drug kicks in can be delayed because your body needs time to absorb LSD before it starts affecting how you feel or think about things around you. The typical amount of time it takes to feel the full effects of acid is between two and six hours, but some people can feel how acid affects them for up to 12 hours.
What are the effects of acid?
People take LSD because they enjoy the way it makes them feel. There are several effects when you take acid and they include hallucinogenic effects, physical effects, and psychological effects. Below we will go in-depth about the common effects of each one.
Psychedelic effects
There are numerous positive effects associated with taking LSD, and other psychedelics too, and they mainly revolve around the hallucinogenic effects. LSD is said to have similar effects to psilocybin mushrooms, or magic mushrooms, but is more of a “head high” and a bit faster-paced. The most common psychedelic effects include:
- euphoria
- oneness with nature and the universe
- relating to yourself and others in a more meaningful way
- altered sense of time
- visual and auditory hallucinations
There can be some physical effects as well. Thes effects include:
- dilated pupils
- increased blood pressure
- increased body temperature
- sweating
- loss of appetite
- staying awake
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Unfortunately, there can also be some negative effects associated with LSD too and they usually relate to the psychological effects. When you are high on LSD it is called tripping or an acid trip. When you have a good experience while on LSD it is called having a “good trip”“. If you are having a bad experience on acid it is commonly referred to as a “bad trip”. When you have a bad trip the most common effects are:
- paranoia
- fear
- anxiety
- panic
- hopelessness
One common long-term effect of acid is flashbacks, which are also called hallucinogen persisting perception disorder or HPPD. These can happen after only taking acid one time although they are usually mild and brief. The most common effects of flashbacks are visual snow, which is white, grey, black, or transparent dots in your field of vision, and palinopsia, which is when the outline or picture of an object stays in your vision after being removed. There are ways to combat having a negative trip. Be very cognizant before you trip of your setting and the people you will be around while tripping. To avoid a bad trip, it is suggested that you only trip in comfortable environments where you feel safe and around people you trust and this will help promote a positive experience.
How long does LSD stay in your system?
LSD has been known to stay in your system for a long time and how long it stays in your system depends on how much you take, how often you use LSD, how fast or slow your body metabolizes the drug, and if there are other drugs involved. When given a urine test LSD is typically out of your system within 8 hours, although it can take up to 2-4 days to fully clear in some people. If you give blood samples for a test, LSD stays in your system for up to 16 hours. LSD has been known to stay in your hair follicles for up to 90 days after use.
Summary
LSD is a powerful psychedelic drug that was first discovered in 1938 but gained prominence in the hippie counterculture of the 60s. There are many different forms to take this classic hallucinogen and these include tabs of paper, small sugar cubes, and the most potent, which is liquid form. LSD affects your brain by tricking it into thinking it is serotonin, which is the catalyst for all the effects you may feel. You typically feel the effects of LSD 15 minutes to an hour after taking it and a normal dose usually lasts up to 12 hours. There are many positive psychedelic effects when taking LSD and some of the common ones include auditory or visual hallucination, distortion of time, and euphoria. Some physical effects you may have from LSD include nausea, dilated pupils, and sweating. There can also be negative effects which are usually psychological. These can include, panic, fear, and paranoia. Depending on the dose and method of testing, acid can stay in your system anywhere from 8 hours to 90 days. Thanks for reading our article, if you have any further questions please see our other articles about LSD.
References, Research, and Sources
- Acute dose-dependent effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects – Neuropsychopharmacology
- Modern Clinical Research on LSD – Neuropsychopharmacology
Fact Checked and Editorial Process
The Magical Mushroom is devoted to producing expert and accurate articles and information for our readers by tapping into psychedelic users, experts, journalists, and growing community. We encourage you to read more about our content, editing, and fact checking methods here. This was fact checked by Chris Riley.
Owner, entrepreneur, enthusiast of natural medicine