LSD  • Back to Main Page LSD is a powerful and illegal hallucinogenic drug, which means that it can cause the user to see and hear things that aren’t real. It is made from lysergic acid, which is mostly produced in illegal laboratories. LSD is also known as acid, microdots, sugar cubes, tabs, and trips.  It is sold in the form of tablets, capsules, and occasionally liquids. It is generally added to pieces of absorbent blotting paper that often have brightly coloured pictures and cartoon characters on them. LSD takes between 30 and 90 minutes to take effect after it is swallowed. The user may feel several different emotions at once or swing quickly from one mood to another. Larger doses can produce hallucinations.  Sensations may “cross over” giving the user the feeling of seeing sounds and hearing colours.  Some users also develop long and unwanted reactions to the drug. These are often referred to as “bad trips” and can last for hours. During this time the user may experience feelings of terror, panic, and despair. As a result, the user may act out in ways that could cause injury to themselves or others. Physical side effects of LSD include dilated pupils, raised body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeping problems, dry mouth, and tremors. Some people experience flashbacks after using LSD. Flashbacks can occur after using LSD just once and can happen as long as a year after taking LSD. Flashbacks involve a sudden reoccurrence of whatever the user experienced while on LSD (things they saw, feelings they felt, etc.).  Some long-term users may show symptoms of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or severe depression. LSD produces drug tolerance. This means that repeated use of the drug will start to lessen its effects. The user will have to continuously increase their doses to dangerous levels in order to get the desired effect. Reference: NIDA website – Info fax Parents: The Anti-Drug To the top