LSD 

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LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class. LSD was discovered in 

1938 and is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in 

ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. 

LSD, commonly referred to as "acid," is sold on the street in tablets, capsules, and, occasionally, liquid form. It is 

odorless, colorless, and has a slightly bitter taste and is usually taken by mouth. Often LSD is added to absorbent 

paper, such as blotter paper, and divided into small decorated squares, with each square representing one dose. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that the strength of LSD samples obtained currently from illicit sources 

ranges from 20 to 80 micrograms of LSD per dose. This is considerably less than the levels reported during the 1960s 

and early 1970s, when the dosage ranged from 100 to 200 micrograms, or higher, per unit. 

Health Hazards 

The effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount taken; the user's personality, mood, and 

expectations; and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user feels the first effects of the drug 30 to 

90 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and 

blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. 

Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user may feel several different 

emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces 

delusions and visual hallucinations. The user's sense of time and self changes. Sensations may seem to "cross over," 

giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be frightening and can cause 

panic. 

Users refer to their experience with LSD as a "trip" and to acute adverse reactions as a "bad trip." These experiences 

are long - typically they begin to clear after about 12 hours. 

Some LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts and feelings, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, 

and despair while using LSD. Some fatal accidents have occurred during states of LSD intoxication. 

Many LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person's experience, without the user 

having taken the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few days or 

more than a year after LSD use. Flashbacks usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an 

underlying personality problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally may also have 

flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest relatively longlasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of 

the LSD involvement in these illnesses. 

Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does 

not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior as do cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine. However, 

like many of the addictive drugs, LSD produces tolerance, so some users who take the drug repeatedly must take 

progressively higher doses to achieve the state of intoxication that they had previously achieved. This is an extremely 

dangerous practice, given the unpredictability of the drug. NIDA is funding studies that focus on the neurochemical and 

behavioral properties of LSD. This research will provide a greater understanding of the mechanisms of action of the 

drug. 

Extent of Use 

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Monitoring the Future Study (MTF)*

Since 1975, MTF researchers have annually surveyed almost 17,000 high school seniors nationwide to determine 

trends in drug use and to measure attitudes and beliefs about drug abuse. Over the past 2 years, the percentage of 

seniors who have used LSD has remained relatively stable. Between 1975 and 1997, the lowest lifetime use of LSD 

was reported by the class of 1986, when 7.2 percent of seniors reported using LSD at least once in their lives. In 1997, 

13.6 percent of seniors had experimented with LSD at least once in their lifetimes. The percentage of seniors reporting 

use of LSD in the past year nearly doubled from a low of 4.4 percent in 1985 to 8.4 percent in 1997. 

In 1997, 34.7 percent of seniors perceived great risk in using LSD once or twice, and 76.6 percent said they saw great 

risk in using LSD regularly. More than 80 percent of seniors disapproved of people trying LSD once or twice, and 

almost 93 percent disapproved of people taking LSD regularly. 

Almost 51 percent of seniors said it would have been fairly easy or very easy for them to get LSD if they had wanted it. 

LSD Use by Students, 1997: 

Monitoring the Future Study

National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)**

NHSDA reports the nature and extent of drug use among the American household popula tion aged 12 and older. In the

1996 NHSDA estimates, the percentage of the population aged 12 and older who had ever used LSD (the lifetime 

prevalence rate) had increased to 7.7 percent from 6.0 percent in 1988. Among youths 12 to 17 years old, the 1996 

LSD lifetime prevalence rate was 4.3 percent, and for those aged 18 to 25, the rate was 13.9 percent. The rate for pastyear use of LSD among the population ages 12 and older was 1 percent in 1996. Past-year prevalence was highest 

among the age groups 12 to 17 (2.8 percent) and 18 to 25 (4.6 percent). The rate of current LSD use in 1996 for those 

aged 18 to 25 was 0.9 percent, and it was 0.8 percent for 12- to 17-year-old youths. 

*MTF is an annual survey on drug use and related attitudes of America's adolescents that began in 1975. The survey is 

conducted by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research and is funded by NIDA. Copies of the latest 

survey are available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686. 

**NHSDA is an annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Copies 

of the latest survey are available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686.

This page has been accessed329424times since 11/5/99. 

[Infofax Index]

 8th Graders 10th Graders 12th Graders

 Ever Used 4.7% 9.5% 13.6%

 Used in Past Year 3.2 6.7 8.4

 Used in Past Month 1.5 2.8 3.1

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Questions? See our Contact Information. Last updated on 

Friday, October 26, 2001. 

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