Lysergic acid diethylamide is a psychedelic and hallucinogenic drug substance, better known as LSD. On the black market, this drug is most often found in the form of a solution that is used to soak blotters (“brands”) or apply to a piece of sugar. The drug is almost always taken orally.
The substance was first obtained by the Swiss chemist A. Hoffmann in 1938. Lysergic acid diethylamide d promised to open a new era in the treatment of psychiatric diseases, but this did not happen. Instead, the era of the massive use of narcotic drugs has come.
Lysergic acid diethylamide is a water-insoluble solid that crystallizes as prisms. It has no color, smell and taste. As a representative of amines, the compound can form salts of inorganic and organic acids, which usually dissolve well in water. However, they retain the physiological activity of the starting compound.
Lysergic acid diethylamide is obtained by the interaction of diethylamine with lysergic acid, which is obtained from alkaloids of an ergot fungus parasitizing on various cereals. The production process is quite complicated - the annual volume of LSD produced is measured in kilograms, so this drug is expensive.
The biochemistry of the effect of the compound on the body remains not fully understood. Lysergic acid diethylamide is a substance similar in structure to one of the body’s natural mediators - serotonin. He is responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses, the state of rest and sleep, and also regulates the processes of energy storage. The psychoactive effect of LSD manifests itself in any way it enters the body. There are three stages of the drug.
The initial stage lasts up to 1.5 hours. Lysergic acid dimethylamide acts individually on each person. However, most users experience dizziness, agitation, and sometimes anxiety. In this case, the pupils dilate, and the skin turns pale or red - throws a person, then in the cold, then in the heat. Breathing slows down, the pulse becomes quicker, there may be a lack of coordination of movement. Colors seem more saturated and vibrant, planes begin to bend in waves or rhythmically to pulsate, and various objects leave a gradually disappearing train when moving.
The second stage lasts about 8-12 hours. All effects become stronger and more intense. Hallucinations and visions appear, which materialize from nowhere - from the fog, lines on the hands, any object. Sensations can mix. Color can be sound, and vice versa. When a peak is reached, time stops. Users feel in a different world. Someone feels a part of the universe, and someone himself becomes her.
Some people can get very scared. Sometimes it happens that at this stage there is a psychosis associated with paranoia. In this case, seek medical attention. LSD should be handled with care, since taking the drug can lead to various mental disorders. In the final stage, the effects decline and after a few hours they completely stop.