Treatment for LSD addiction

LSD use is one of the most common types of drug addiction worldwide. The drug gained massive popularity in the late 1980s, came to Ukraine and the CIS countries in the early 1990s, and almost immediately became in demand among the youth, especially among teenagers, students, and schoolchildren.

A feature of LSD is that there is no physical dependence on the substance, but a stable mental addiction is formed with regular use. Without another dose, a person feels acute discomfort, and the world around him becomes “gray” and “boring”. In Ukraine and most countries of the world, the drug belongs to the category of prohibited psychotropic substances. You cannot buy it legally in Kyiv or other country cities. Therefore, distribution occurs illegally in entertainment venues and other “hot” spots.

LSD – what is it?

LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is a drug of semi-synthetic origin. It was first synthesized by the famous Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann in 1938. But the psychotropic effect of the acid was not discovered immediately. Still, accidentally during the experiment, when Hoffman worked with the substance with his bare hands, it was absorbed through the fingertips. The resulting psychotropic effect caused dizziness and unreasonable anxiety.

Having comprehended the reason for what was happening, Hoffman decided to perform another excrement after three days. To test the effect of LSD, he took a dose of acid, and the effect was so strong that he began to hallucinate, and he was also unable to utter even a simple sentence clearly. It seemed to the scientist that he was very slowly riding a bicycle down the street, the street itself began to resemble the creation of Salvador Dali, and demons possessed the furniture in the house. This scientific research was inscribed in history as “Bicycle Day”.

LSD in slang is called A, Acid, black star, blotter, boomers, cubes, Elvis, golden dragon, L, microdot, paper acid, pink robots, superman, twenty-five, yellow sunshine, and ying yang.

In what forms does LSD exist?

LSD is a powerful psychedelic substance, the dosage of which, when consumed, must be very small. Otherwise, it threatens an overdose of LSD with all the ensuing consequences, up to death. For ease of its use, the acid is available in the following forms:

Cubes of jelly or sugar – soaked in a solution with a certain substance concentration. For consumption, it is enough to put a sugar cube in your mouth and dissolve it;
Stamps are the most common form of the drug. The substance is soaked in a sheet of paper with images of various fruits, berries, animals, etc. It is then cut into many small pieces, similar to postage stamps, in square, triangular, or round shapes. When used, the brand is placed in the mouth on the tongue and absorbed;
Drops – the drug is distributed in liquid form in dropper bottles. Just add a drop of LSD to a drink, coffee, or tea. Such a solution is easily disguised as medications, such as eye drops.

MEDLUX doctors note, given the handicraft production of LSD in Kyiv and Ukraine, the concentration of the active substance can vary greatly from batch to batch, which can also change the effect of LSD after use. Because of this, overdoses are not uncommon, accompanied by acute hallucinations and other side effects, and also pose a direct threat to the life of the addict.

Signs and symptoms of use

After the acid enters the body, the first signs of LSD use appear within a few minutes, and the effect persists for 6-12 hours. If the addict uses the substance in a club or at a party in the evening, the effect lasts after the festivities. Significant symptoms of LSD use are:

Decrease or loss of appetite;
Absent or delayed reaction of pupils to changes in light intensity;
Incoherent or slurred speech, sudden changes in topics of conversation;
Auditory and visual hallucinations;
Increased sweating and subtle tremors of the limbs.

Under the influence of acid, the addict feels a surge of strength and euphoria, one’s mood improves, and a feeling of unlimited joy appears (despite problems in real life).

Side effects of LSD and consequences of its use

A critical side effect of acid is the negative impact on the human psyche. These effects and consequences may appear after a single use of LSD. Under acid, the addict plunges into a borderline state between reality and illusion. It is hazardous and can push you to commit rash actions, often leading to disability or death.

Even short-term use of LSD can provoke the awakening of latent mental problems, and severe irreversible mental disorders often accompany long-term use of acid.

Other consequences of LSD use include loss of appetite, insomnia, panic attacks, decreased or lost awareness of actions, overexcitation, aggressiveness, split personality, and suicide attempts. It is necessary to detect the problem promptly and get advice from a narcologist for further treatment and rehabilitation.

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How does LSD affect the body?

The mechanism of action of acid on the body is not yet fully understood, but the principle is clear. LSD is similar in structure to the key brain neurotransmitters responsible for producing hormones: norepinephrine, adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine. When LSD enters the blood, a “substitution” of neurotransmitters occurs – the substance “deceives” the receiving receptors and has a specific effect on them.

The result of the “deception” is the release into the blood of an increased level of the hormones serotonin (responsible for a feeling of happiness), dopamine (causes a sense of satisfaction), as well as adrenaline and noradrenaline (stimulators of physical and brain activity). This combination of hormones in the blood causes a feeling of euphoria and other effects of use that form a stable type of mental addiction.

Mental effects of lysergic acid (LSD)

The effects of lysergic acid (LSD) on the psyche can be very diverse, so it is difficult to systematize accurately. The result of exposure may differ depending on the age, gender, character, and mentality of a particular person, as well as the environment at a specific moment.

Under the influence of LSD, the addict may not be aware of one’s actions, and the consequences of exposure often become serious physical injuries and mental illnesses like acute psychosis, hallucinations, flashbacks, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, and suicidal tendencies. Experiencing a surge of strength and energy, as well as a feeling of invulnerability, people under LSD often get into accidents. They can “go out the window,” relying on unreasonable superpowers. The sooner the patient gets to the narcological hospital and goes through the rehabilitation of drug addicts, the more likely it is to minimize the damage to his psyche.

LSD addiction and withdrawal symptoms

Unlike opioid drugs or alcoholism, after stopping LSD, a person does not form an abstinence syndrome and does not appear withdrawn in the classical sense. But in the case when a person decides to give up the drug or when he cannot get the next dose, a complex of symptomatic manifestations is formed that resembles some elements of the withdrawal syndrome, including anxiety, aggressiveness, nervousness, an acute desire to return a sense of imaginary comfort and euphoria.

Given the dual nature of the psychedelic, whether LSD is a full-fledged drug remains debatable. However, the treatment regimen for drug addicts who use LSD and other drugs is very similar.

LSD overdose

An overdose of D-lysergic acid diethylamide negatively affects a person’s physical and mental health. The first sign of an overdose is a strong dilation of the pupils with loss of the boundaries of the irises. In addition, the addict exhibits the following symptoms:

Fever;
Increase in blood pressure;
Panic attacks, there is a beast fear;
Strong long hallucinations;
Acute headaches;
Muscle spasms, convulsive sensations;
Increased heart rate and accelerated breathing.

In severe cases, a drug addict foams at the mouth, and the risk of choking with vomit increases. There is a high risk of death. The lethal dose for humans is only 0.014 g of LSD.

Treatment of LSD addiction in the MEDLUX clinic

Treatment of addiction to LSD in Kyiv at the MEDLUX clinic begins with the patient’s arrival at the hospital or by calling a narcologist at home. The main objective of therapy is to eliminate the patient’s psychological dependence on a drug. For this, psychotherapeutic techniques are used.

Also, special attention is paid to eliminating the consequences of acid consumption. Experienced LSD addicts have a destroyed psyche and suffer from persistent delusional and hallucinatory syndromes. Complex medication therapy is used to eliminate the consequences, including tranquilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants. The treatment regimen for patients in MEDLUX is always individual and depends on the characteristics of a particular person’s body, as well as the stage of addiction.