LSD

(Acid, Lucy, Tab, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)

TrippyWiki score: 9.1/10

What is LSD?

Back in 1943, a Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman accidentally poured a tiny amount of one of his old research substances on his hand and started tripping. Since then, LSD has become the most popular synthetic psychedelic drug, and for a good reason. LSD has been stigmatized and pushed down for decades but the stigma is starting to disappear because the physical safety and the possible psychological benefits of this substance are impossible to deny.

Why choose LSD over other psychedelics?

LSD…

Doesn’t directly cause any damage to your organs and there is no lethal dose
Doesn’t lead to a “bad trip” as often as most other psychedelics
Is one of the most popular psychedelics, and therefore we have access to a huge amount of studies and trip reports
Usually doesn’t cause nausea or physical discomfort
Allows you to have cleaner and more structured thoughts than if you were to take magic mushrooms, for example
Has a longer duration than most other psychedelics, allowing you to derive more insights from your trip
Won’t make you addicted unless you take it with the intention of simply having fun and seeing pretty colors
Is relatively easy to dose properly
Is possibly the best psychedelic for beginner psychonauts

Long-term benefits & side effects

Many of the benefits will only occur if you follow the tips below.
Most (if not all) of the side effects are preventable and they will not happen if you follow the Safety checklist.

LSD…

Is one of the most effective ways to treat depression and PTSD
Can lower your levels of stress and anxiety, including social anxiety
Is being used to cure addictions
Might motivate you to form positive habits, such as meditation and exercise
Increases neuroplasticity
Makes you more creative and open-minded
Helps you look at your life from a different perspective
Allows you to heal your childhood trauma and forgive people who’ve hurt you
Has the potential to make you more conscious and loving
Can help you transcend the fear of death
Gives you insights into the nature of reality
Has helped many people improve their immune system and cure allergies
Makes you appreciate nature more
Can be used for treating autism
Is an effective way to treat cluster headaches
…

Might not be real LSD and can instead be a physically dangerous substance (25I-NBOMe is a common substitute)
Has led to self-harm by people who took it in an unsafe environment
Might speed up the onset of schizophrenia if you’re genetically predisposed to it
Can cause HPPD and possibly physical damage if you combine it with other substances (such as alcohol or stimulants)
Could cause psychological trauma due to bad set and setting
Might lead to drug-induced psychosis if you’re predisposed to it
Can be psychologically addictive (but only if you use the psychedelic recreationally)
Can cause seizures in rare cases
Is illegal in many places and you might get arrested for getting involved with the substance
…

How to take LSD

Administration

Most LSD comes on blotters but you can also find it in gummy bears or in a liquid form. Either way, you can swallow the substance or let it dissolve on your tongue. Both options should lead to similar effects.

Always test your blotter with a Marquis Reagent Testing Kit because 25I-NBOMe is commonly sold as LSD and it can be extremely dangerous even in a tiny amount. If the blotter turns brown when tested, that means you have some form of NBOMe or NBOH and should trash the blotter.

If you are not willing to do this, swallow the substance without letting it stay on your tongue. If you do so, NBOMe should not affect you in any way.

If you stick the tab under your tongue, the drug will dissolve a little faster and it will take slightly less time to notice the effects. This is especially the case if you eat food before your trip.

Dosage

10-20 µg = Microdose
Best for enhancing creative thinking without losing ordinary consciousness. Also great if you are afraid of tripping and you still want to reap the psychological benefits of psychedelics
20-70 µg = Light dose
Usually the best dose if you take the substance for enjoyment or for contemplating human problems (business, relationships, …)
70-150 µg = Regular dose
The insights you’ll learn are usually easier to retain and incorporate than if you were to take higher doses
150-250 µg = Strong dose
Great for a deep personal change; strong doses have to be handled with a lot of care and responsibility
250-500 µg = High dose
Best for experiencing mystical states of consciousness and realizing insights into the nature of reality; this dose is also great if you have a problem with letting go because 250+ µg will usually force you to surrender to the experience
500+ µg = Heroic dose
The benefits of a heroic dose are usually similar to a high dose while the risks are greater so stay away from heroic doses unless you have a great reason to experiment with them

Many psychonauts recommend starting with a light dose (around 50 µg) but this isn’t necessarily the best way to go.

If you start at lower doses, your ego will learn how to control the psychedelic states. Because of that, it’ll be harder to let go once you move to higher doses and this can easily lead to bad trips.

You will also not get as many benefits from the drug as if you were to start with higher doses. That is why in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, 200+ µg are used.

It’s been shown that mystical experiences can deeply change your identity and the higher the dose you take, the more intense they will be.

Do not, however, start with a strong dose if you don’t have a trip sitter nearby.

300+ µg can easily cause you to reach a breakthrough where you lose sense of the physical world. You will become so conscious that you will “go unconscious.”

The last thing you want is to start lying unconscious on a street or in a club. Keep in mind that the higher the dose you take, the more important it is to be in a safe environment.

Some people are more sensitive than others. Some individuals can take a huge dose and feel nothing while some can experience ego dissolution at 50 µg. Finding the best dose may require some experimentation.

Equivalents for 100 µg of LSD

The effects of the psychedelics below are not the same as the effects of LSD. This chart only compares the intensity of each substance.

LSD	100 µg
Dry Mushrooms	1.7 grams
Mescaline	250 mg
Moringa Glory (LSA)	150 seeds
HWB (LSA)	6 seeds
1P-LSD	100 µg
ETH-LAD	75 µg
AL-LAD	115 µg
ALD-52	110 µg
LSZ	125 µg
25I-NBOMe	600 µg (can be dangerous!)
4-AcO DMT	15 mg
4-HO MET	16 mg

Safety checklist

Maximize the benefits

Keep in mind that integration is even more important than the trip itself. Taking psychedelics would be almost useless if you didn’t retain any lessons in your day-to-day life.

What will help you the most is contemplating about the experience – be it by journaling, thinking about the trip, or sharing your memories with a trusted friend.

Distracting thoughts can get in the way, which is why you want to spend the day after your trip without TV, social media, and other distractions.

If you can, spend time in silence and solitude. Meditate, go for a walk, contemplate the experience.

Should you listen to music on LSD?

Music can make the trip more pleasant and greatly increase the benefits. That is why it is used in most psychotherapy sessions.

However, not all music is created equal. Listening to N.W.A. and 2Pac would usually be counterproductive. Even positive, relaxing music with lyrics can sometimes be a distraction.

If you decide to listen to music on psychedelics, choose calm, classical music with little to no lyrics.

This playlist used in Johns Hopkins psilocybin studies is proven to be extremely effective:

Roland Griffiths, the author of this playlist, went over hundreds of great songs and only chose the best of the best based on how his patients responded to the music.

The music should be loud enough so you can hear it clearly but not unpleasantly loud. If you can, play it in your headphones.

Duration

Onset = 20-40 minutes
Come up = 45-90 minutes
Peak = 3-5 hours
Come down = 3-5 hours

You should notice the first effects within 40 minutes after you take the psychedelic
You will reach the maximum effect around the 3-hour mark
The whole trip usually lasts for 8-12 hours
At heroic doses, your trip may last for even longer (up to days in rare cases)
If you eat before your trip, the substance will take longer to kick in (sometimes over 4 hours)

What does LSD feel like?

Common short-term effects include:

Euphoria
Music enhancement
Increased creativity and open-mindedness
Mindfulness, being present
Higher capability for love and compassion
Pain relief
Feeling one with all that is
Seeing life from a different perspective
Appreciating small things
Higher energy
Increased awareness
Stamina enhancement
Feeling your emotions more intensely
Memory suppression
Time distortion
Inability to sleep
Visual effects (enhanced colors, seeing patterns in everything, distortions, …)
Getting stuck in a thought loop
Confusion
Nausea
Headache
Inability to focus
Increased body temperature
Increased heart rate
Worse thermoregulation
Difficulty urinating
Anxiety, paranoia
Vulnerability

The higher the dose you take, the more intense these effects will be.

With that said, it is impossible to accurately describe the experience through human language.

The psychedelic affects each individual differently and no two trips are the same. Therefore, there is virtually no way to know what your trip will feel like.

The only way to truly know what LSD feels like is to take LSD.

LSD will most likely give you a pleasant experience. Bad trips can happen but you can prevent them by following the tips below.

Bad trips

Bad trips mostly happen because people take the substance irresponsibly. If you take this psychedelic the right way, there is virtually no chance you’ll get a bad trip.

In case you still do, that’s good! A “bad” trip isn’t always bad, it can actually be the most healing and insightful moment of your life!

During a “bad” trip, negative emotions are coming up from your subconscious mind. They have always been there whether you are aware of it or not. They have been damaging your life and a difficult trip is an opportunity to process these traumas and unpleasant feelings and let go of them.

The more painful the experience, the more you can heal.

So instead of calling bad trips bad, call them challenging.

If you understand that bad trips are awesome in the long run, not only will you feel more comfortable diving into these challenging states, it will actually excite you!

Why they happen

The most common reasons for getting a bad trip are:

Tripping in an unsafe environment (in public, at a party, even nature doesn’t feel safe if you take higher doses)
Facing difficult times in your day-to-day life (a break-up, death of a loved one, …)
Rejecting to let go and trying to hold on to your ego and control the state
Being afraid of the trip (either because of the stigma around psychedelics or because you are not sure how pure your substance is)
Mixing the psychedelic with alcohol, weed, or other drugs
Expecting a bad trip (it can easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy)

How to cope with a bad trip

Do not perceive this experience as something bad, remember that facing these difficult emotions is extremely healing
Fully surrender to the experience, do not try to feel good
If you’re alone, call a trusted friend to come over and keep you safe

How to end a bad trip

In case you are not ready to face your inner demons yet, there are a few ways to end a bad trip.

One possible way is to put on music that is familiar to you. Another way is to switch up your location and move from one place to another. This can completely change your train of thought.

In case the trip becomes extremely challenging and there is no one around you to keep you safe, consider ending your trip with a trip killer.

Using a trip killer usually is not the best idea because the bad emotions will stay unresolved and you will get little to no benefits from the experience. With that said, using a trip killer is smarter than harming yourself.

The 2 best options that you have for ending a bad trip are Phenibut and benzodiazepines.

Phenibut is generally safer. The downside is that it can take hours to kick in.

So to end a trip, use benzodiazepines but only do this if you completely have to.

Interactions

Lion’s Mane and Niacin
Taking Lion’s mane and niacin combined with a microdose of lysergamides or other serotonergic psychedelics can result in significant improvements in neuroplasticity. To maximize the benefits related to neuroplasticity, take a microdose with 1 gram of dry Lion’s mane and 50-100 mg of niacin every 3rd day.
Qualia Mind
This nootropic is comprised of 28 ingredients designed to support and maximize your brain function. These ingredients act synergistically and many of them will protect you from the potential neurotoxic effects of the psychedelic. Qualia will also make your trips more pleasant and help you retain more benefits from them.
Green tea
Tea makes you both more alert and calm at the same time. It also contains neuroprotective antioxidants, such as EGCG.
Herbs
Herbs can help calm you down. Herbal teas (chamomile, lemon balm, valerian root, …) are especially helpful.
CBD
CBD has a calming effect.
Magic mushrooms
The substances act synergistically, some people prefer this combination instead of taking the two individually.
Weed
Marijuana will greatly intensify the trip.
MDMA (Candy Flipping)
They have a synergistic effect but LSD might increase the neurotoxicity of MDMA. Also, do not combine the two if you suffer from heart problems.
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide will multiply the intensity of your trip.
Dissociatives
Combining dissociatives with psychedelics won’t necessarily cause you harm but it can be confusing and lead to bad trips.
Benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, …)
Benzos will end your psychedelic experience within 40 minutes but using this method may cause you side effects in the long run.
Alcohol
Alcohol minimizes all the potential benefits of a psychedelic experience. It also greatly increases your chance of having a bad trip.
SSRIs or MAOIs
Not only will these antidepressants greatly decrease the intensity of your trip, but they can also lead to long-lasting side effects.
Lithium
Combining psychedelics with lithium significantly increases the risk of seizures and psychosis.
Stimulants
The combination can easily lead to heart problems, even if you’re a healthy individual.
Tramadol
Combining the two can cause seizures.
St. John’s Wort
This combination may lead to serotonin syndrome.

Microdosing

If you are not ready to take higher doses, microdosing is a way to go because it can bring similar benefits to your life with even fewer side effects.

Experts in the field generally recommend microdosing with 10-20 µg every 3rd day. Taking a microdose more often is not a good idea because you would become tolerant to LSD and the substance would have little to no effect.

20 µg is more likely to bring positive benefits into your life so start at 10 µg and gradually build your way up.

Around 80% of people who take microdoses claim that it has profoundly changed their lives.

For some, microdosing has cured their depression and helped them find beauty in small things. Some also say that they experience significantly less anxiety when they microdose.

Many people take tiny doses of acid to become more creative and productive throughout the day. Microdosing has also been shown to increase athletic performance.

What is awesome about microdosing is that you can stop at any time in case you notice some adverse reaction or if you simply don’t see any benefits.

How to microdose

Put your blotters into distilled water (10 ml of liquid per 100 µg). Keep the water in a cold dark place for 24 hours to make sure your tab has fully dissolved into the liquid.

Put the liquid into your fridge so that the substance doesn’t oxidize. If you store your substance in the fridge, it will last for up to a year there, sometimes even longer. The same applies to a freezer.

Take 10-20 µg of LSD (1-2 ml of the liquid) every 3rd day, preferably on the days you want to be the most creative.

Do so in the morning so that the substance doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

History of LSD

Legality

As of 2021, there is no country where LSD is legal to sell.

In many countries, you can legally own a small amount of the substance for personal use (in Mexico and Portugal, for example).

Research chemicals that are similar to LSD are much safer as far as the law goes. In most countries, you can legally buy some of them for chemical purposes.

More on research chemicals below.

Where to get LSD

These are the ways you can get your hands on the psychedelic, ranked from the safest to the least safe:

Become a research subject
Since 2010, a few researchers are allowed to experiment with LSD. If you live in the right place at the right time, you can become a participant in such experiments.
Buy a research chemical that is similar to LSD
This is the best way for most of us. More on buying research chemicals below.
Buy LSD from a hidden market
The LSD you will find on the dark web is more likely to be pure than if you buy it on the street. The problem of going this route is that most dark web markets are a scam (including current SilkRoad) and you might not receive anything.
Buy LSD in person
Whether you buy acid from a random drug dealer or a trusted friend, you can’t know for sure what the tab contains until you use a test kit. Do not take a substance if you don’t know for sure that it is pure.
Make LSD on your own
Preparing 25-LSD is extremely dangerous and you’d need a deep understanding of chemistry, as well as a fully-equipped home lab. In addition to that, you would have to get your hands on many chemicals that are illegal to obtain. If you try to create the drug on your own, there is a good chance you will end up behind bars or dead.

Buying chemicals similar to LSD

Research chemicals, such as 1P-LSD, 1cP-LSD, and 1B-LSD, are extremely similar to LSD as far as their effects and chemical structure. There is no evidence that they would be physically harmful.

Some of these chemicals may be completely legal as long as you buy them for “chemical research” purposes. You cannot consume them legally but whether or not anyone cares is a different story.

Perhaps the best provider of research chemicals like 1V-LSD is Chemical Collective.

Their products are cheap, the company is highly reliable, and they will deliver the chemicals to you within 10-20 days. If the package gets lost, you can ask them to send you a new one, and they will.

Some research chemicals may not be legal where you live, so always check the legal status of your country before you buy any substance. Chemical Collective may not accept or ship your order if it doesn’t fit the laws of your country.

FAQ

Becoming addicted to LSD is virtually impossible. What you need to know about is tolerance.

If you were to trip 2 days in a row, your 2nd trip would be extremely weak. You will have to wait for several days to refresh your tolerance.

How many days does it take?

This mostly depends on the dose. At regular doses, it takes approximately 7 days to become sensitive again.

So you could technically take LSD every week but if you want to maximize the benefits, do not trip before you integrate all the lessons from your last trip.

Counter-intuitively, you might get more benefits by tripping less often.

That is why you may only want to trip once or twice a month or just a couple of times a year.

As your trips get more and more intense, you will not want to trip nearly as often anyway.

LSD is a partial agonist for the 5-HT_1A, 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2B, 5-HT_2C, and 5-H_T6 receptors.

The psychedelic effects of LSD are thought to be mediated by agonist action 5-HT_2A receptors.

LSD also shows efficacy at all dopamine and all norepinephrine receptors.

LSD’s agonism of D₂ receptors contributes to its psychoactive effects.

With that said, the only way to truly know what this psychedelic does to your brain is to try it yourself.

It is not about your age, it is about how mature you are.

Teenagers (and younger) generally aren’t responsible enough to take psychedelics but it isn’t always the case.

If you are under the age of 21, your brain is evolving at a rapid rate on its own. This means that when you take psychedelics, there is more potential for growth but the risks are also higher.

Most importantly, you need to trip in a safe place where there are no strangers around.

Whether you should take LSD at home or in nature will depend on your priorities.

Tripping at home is safer and better for personal growth while taking psychedelics outside will help you develop a strong connection with nature.

Try both and see which one you like more.

If you are a mentally stable individual who does not suffer from psychosis or have a predisposition to schizophrenia, there is virtually no way you would develop any mental illnesses because of taking the psychedelic.

No.

LSD can be detected in your blood for 6-12 hours after you’ve taken it.

It stays in your urine for 3-4 days.

In your hair, LSD can be detected for a couple of months.

All that said, there’s almost no chance anyone would ever test you for LSD. Police officers rarely do it and in sports, LSD usually isn’t prohibited.

LSD blotters have no taste or a slightly bitter taste because of the ink. If your blotter is very bitter, spit it out! It is likely to be 25I-NBOMe which may cause you physical harm and can even kill you.

Order a Marquis Reagent Testing Kit from the internet and follow the instructions on its label. If the test shows a presence of NBOMe, trash the substance. If not, the blotter should be safe to take.

Keep the substance in a cold dark place, preferably with no air.

If you don’t do this, the drug will lose potency within a few weeks or months.

When you store LSD well, it will last for years or even decades.

In the spiritual community, there are mixed opinions on this.

You will not be able to retain these states of consciousness unless you put in a lot of work in your “sober” life.

However, that doesn’t mean that psychedelics cannot be helpful. Reaching these temporary states on psychedelics and seeing that these states are obtainable can be motivating.

This is why psychedelics can help you build a daily practice of yoga and meditation – both of which will help you awaken.

These substances also teach you to let go of your ego which will be essential for awakening.

So psychedelics can help you awaken. Indirectly, but they can.

If you microdose with the substance, you can and will look sober.

On 50+ µg, it can be difficult to look sober, especially during the peak experience.

At doses larger than 100 µg, it becomes nearly impossible to act sober.

In addition to that, your pupils will be dilated.

So do not talk to your boss or your parents when you’re tripping.

Eating before you take LSD has some advantages as well as a few disadvantages.

One reason you’d want to eat before your trip is that people sometimes lose their appetite on psychedelics.

Preparing and eating food can also be a distraction.

If you don’t eat anything and become hungry during your trip, it can make you feel fatigued and irritated.

However, eating before your trip can cause nausea and even make you vomit.

The substance will also take longer to kick in, sometimes up to 2 hours.

So the best way to go about food is to eat a little bit 1-2 hours before the trip and have some snacks prepared next to you.

Yes.

Watching yourself in the mirror can give you many insights about your life and the self.

Do not, however, stare at yourself when you’re going through a bad trip.

Both of these are amazing for beginners.

If you are not sure whether or not your LSD is pure, psilocybin mushrooms are a way to go.

LSD allows for clearer thoughts and is less likely to make you confused but the duration of LSD is much longer. This can be unpleasant if you’re unfamiliar with the psychedelic state or if you get into a challenging trip.

If you will take the substance in nature, go for mushrooms. Even if you take it indoors, magic mushrooms are still likely to bring more benefits into your life.

Keep in mind that the difference is not that big and what is way more important is your dose and that you take the substance in a safe environment.

Immature people who are not willing to follow the safety guidelines
People who suffer from psychosis
People who have a familial history of schizophrenia
Those who suffer from HPPD
People who are going through a manic phase of bipolar disorder
If you’re going through extremely challenging times, you can take psychedelics but the trips might be unpleasant, beware of that

Lysergic Säure Diethylamide (German name for Lysergic acid diethylamide)

This depends greatly on the country you live in but in general, a regular street price for a 100 µg tab is $5-$10. If you buy an identical chemical from an RC company, 1 blotter will cost you $4-$12.

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