 LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, is the most well-known hallucinogen. It is often sold dissolved in a small amount of liquid, which is soaked into and dried onto small detachable squares of paper. Hallucinogens cause hallucinations ... distortions in how a person perceives reality. Hallucinogens create these effects by disrupting the interaction of the brain's nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is involved in the control of body systems affecting mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception. Under the influence of LSD and other hallucinogens, users see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but don't exist. LSD was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. (As an interesting side note, ergot is thought to be the cause of the great 'witch' hunts in the 1600's ... the fungus may have caused some people to see hallucinations, leading others to believe they were witches). The physical effects on the body include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. However, sensations perceived by the user are much more dramatic than the physical changes. In addition to hallucinating, the user may feel several different emotions at once, or experience one emotion rapidly after another. The user’s sense of time changes. Sensations may seem to 'cross over', giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. These changes can be frightening. Users refer to their experience with LSD as a 'trip', and to a bad reaction to the drug as a 'bad trip'. Some LSD users experience severe, terrifying thoughts, fear of losing control, fear of insanity and death, and despair. Fatal accidents have occurred during states of LSD intoxication. Whatever the experience, it is usually lengthy, lasting as long as 12 hours. Many regular LSD users experience flashbacks ... a recurrence of the drug's induced sensations without the user having taken the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur years after LSD use. Most users of LSD stop using it at some point; LSD is not an addictive drug, since it doesn't produce compulsive drug-seeking behaviour, like other drugs. However, LSD use does result in tolerance, so users who take the drug often find themselves needing to take progressively higher doses to achieve the same state of intoxication. Given the unpredictable effects of the drug, this can be very dangerous. |