Lsd And The Effects On Themind Essay

, Research Paper

Lysergic Acid Diethyl Amide 25 and the Effects on the Human Mind

LSD (lysergic acid diethyl amide) is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class. LSD was discovered in 1938 and is one of the most potent conscious-altering 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 and sid, is sold in tablets, capsules, thin squares of gelatin, or “hits”, generally consisting of a single color commonly referred to “windowpane , and occasionally liquid form, which is usually contained in small glass vials. 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. These squares are usually on decorated paper, with characters such as Mickey Mouse, Beavis and Butthead, The Dancing Bears, and other well-known characters sometimes appearing on them.

The effects of LSD vary wildly from one user to the next. 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 about 30 minutes after taking it. The physical effects include dilated pupils, extremes in body temperature (either very cold or very hot), 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.

Detractors of the use of LSD generally cite the harmful effects of acid . 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. While these effects are far less common, it is a valid danger. LSD itself has some “body-kinks” on some people some times. Nausea is one of them. It s usually mild and transient. It also has speed like (i.e. adrenergic stimulation) effects, etc.

Another danger of lysergic acid diethyl amide 25 is that 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 also manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses.

While the negative effects of acid seem to be overwhelming, there are many people who believe that LSD has great benefits. . According to a 1992 report by Richard Yensen, Ph.D., and Donna Dryer, M.D., director and medical director at the Orenda Institute, a 1960s’ study of 135 alcoholics found that six months after treatment with LSD, 53 percent of a high-dose group reported abstinence compared with 33 percent of a low-dose group. Alcoholics receiving conventional therapy had a 12 percent improvement rate. Also, in a study of 31 cancer patients suffering from anxiety, depression and uncontrollable pain, 71 percent showed improvement in their physical and emotional status after each LSD session.

These events are obviously linked. There is a definite positive correlation between decrease of depression and addiction and the use of hallucinogenics. An article in the winter 1995 edition of MAPS, published by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, reports success with another hallucinogen, ibogaine, in the treatment of chemical dependencies. The article’s author, Howard Lotsof, founder of NDA International Inc.–a private organization based in Staten Island, N.Y., that treats drug addicts overseas–discusses several treatment successes, including a medical doctor whose addiction to a pain medication vanished after receiving four doses of ibogaine. Lotsof reported in the article that “29 of 35 patients successfully treated with ibogaine had numerous unsuccessful experiences with other treatment modalities.” However, the FDA does not sanction Lotsof s studies, and he is not authorized to treat patients in the United States.

During tests administered by Dr. Albert Hoffman, the man who discovered LSD, he found that when administered in small doses acid created a predominantly euphoric feeling. This differed greatly from his first experiment on himself in which the mood was marked by grave side effects resulting from over dosage and, of course, fear of the uncertain outcome.

Also, according to Albert Hoffman, The psychic effects of LSD