The Physical Effects of LSD

Quick Facts

-LSD increases communication within the different networks in our brains!

-LSD is extremely neuro-regenerative, even more so than psilocybin!

-We can reduce the potential risk of consuming LSD by taking the necessary precautions!

Intro

LSD is one of the main psychedelics we have access to in America, and many a report has been made about its wonderful effects! Personally, I've experienced a huge relief in depression after ingesting LSD for the first time, and it's prompted me to write about it and share it with you!

I've always wondered what the physical effects of LSD are. Many people who write about it online put an unnecessary and untruthful negative spin on it, so I'm going to enjoy clearing everything up and finding the truth of the matter!

LSD Makes Us Trip

Those of us who have firsthand knowledge of the effects of LSD may even be wondering why I'm writing this post in the first place! After all, the mental effects of LSD are so positive and so profound (even the "bad trips") that only talking about them almost always justifies its usage.

It makes us trip, we begin to see the world through an "enhanced color filter," we can see fractals when we close our eyes, maybe even the white light at times. We interact with people with an extremely amazing attitude, and when we meditate on LSD the what we experience can definitely be described as enlightening.

But What About The Physical Effects?

Perhaps you're like me and you're wondering, "how does it affect my body, anyway?"

We know some things, but not as much as we'd like to. There are some surface effects such as pupil dilation, reduced appetite, wakefulness, sweating, increased blood pressure/heart rate, tremors, and nausea. I always eat a hearty meal before taking LSD and I've never felt sick, so I'm not sure how often you would actually experience nausea unless you're afraid and the fear makes you queasy.

LSD decreases communication in parts of the brain that make up the Default Mode Network, and the DMN is a collection of hub centers that actively work to control and repress consciousness. On the same note, it increases communication between areas of our brain that don't normally communicate, and over time it can set up new entire connections!

It activates our serotonin receptors, specifically the 5-HT2A subtype, and it "happens to be even better at activating serotonin receptors than serotonin itself, so it essentially increases the normal levels of signaling by serotonin…" It temporarily disables your brain's serotonin security guards by increasing the level of active 5-HT molecules. It does this by disaffecting your autoreceptors, and the autoreceptors are a safety feature in the brain that reduces levels of certain neurotransmitters, etc. So, not only does it activate our serotonin receptors, it encourages the releasing of more serotonin and changes the receptors (the "keys" so to speak) to be "more receiving!"

It encourages neuroplasticity by increasing the number of dendritic spines on cortical neurons, as shown in the figure below! Loss of these structures is closely associated with depression and other disorders, and the strengthening of these structures is associated with the opposite! The same study found that "the frequency and strength of neural currents were increased for many hours after the psychedelic compounds had been removed."

LSD creates a tolerance that lasts for roughly 3 days. It usually creates a cross-tolerance with other psychedelics, particularly psilocybin. I personally recommend giving yourself at least 2 weeks to mentally process the experience, or as you deem fit for you. Also, it stays in your body for roughly 1 day.

No, LSD does not stay in your spinal fluid. No, it probably will not make you crazy. Sometimes it can quicken the maturity of a latent mental illness, especially schizophrenia, so I recommend checking yourself and your family history for such illnesses before ingesting it, otherwise you're going to be fine with a proper set, setting, and dose :)

And lastly, I've had a very hard time finding any negative side effects! I've been keeping an eye out for a few years and, granted, I've seen some bad trip stories, but nothing credible that suggests LSD hurts your physical body. Even overdosing can sometimes have a good outcome, although I do not recommend overdosing! Please, take 60-100mc (1 or 2 tabs) for your first time :)

Great! Why Not Take It More Often?

You may be thinking, "if LSD helps our body so much, why aren't we ingesting it more often?!"

This is a great question, and there are a few reasons why. It's illegal, it's a fairly unknown substance, it hasn't received the research it deserves, and buying it off of the street can result in ingesting something that isn't LSD.

I've already gone into the absurdity of the law when it comes to psychedelics in my psilocybin post, so I'll keep it brief here. LSD remains a Schedule I, meaning it has no recognized therapeutic benefits, even though many studies have proven the opposite. The police do not do their research on psychedelics and turn the other cheek when they see someone with LSD/DMT/psilocybin, etc. Therefore, my conclusion is that it's best to grow/make/obtain these substances and do them behind the government's back as much as possible, because they clearly do not care about or support our wellbeing in this regard, and because it's (most likely) healthy for you.

As far as being unknown, information spreads rapidly anymore. I recommend sharing this post with everyone you know, especially if they're doubters, and show them the scientific studies that prove LSD has therapeutic benefits!

While we haven't researched it as much as we want to, we've done quite enough as it is. We can also fill the gap by talking with people who have taken the substance themselves because more than likely they'll remember the positive experience and/or positive change, even if they had a "bad trip."

Lastly, the most grounded danger (in my opinion) is buying LSD off of the street and taking it without testing it. Making LSD is quite difficult and involved, so it's probably impractical to do it yourself, however, buyer beware - you might be purchasing something that isn't genuine LSD, and I've even heard stories of LSD being laced with stuff like meth and crack. That's why I highly encourage you to buy from people you love and trust and/or test your LSD with an inexpensive test kit.

Final Thoughts

While all of this may sound complicated, I feel as if LSD is something worth striving to obtain and ingest along with psilocybin and DMT. The physical benefits are stellar, the mental benefits are incredible, they're simply great things to put into your body… With the proper set and setting recommended!

Like I mentioned in the psilocybin post, I'm a little scared of putting the law in a negative light when it comes to psychedelics, but the truth will be told - I don't care if their intentions are malicious, indifferent, or if they're simply unaware, I'm not going to let them keep these things in the dark if I can help it!

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading my article! I'm truly grateful that you're here, and I hope this information helped you in one way or another. I'll see you in the next post!

Sources

This post was written with some help from:

Wikipedia

The Third Wave

Reddit User 'Gaywallet'

The Beckley Foundation

Way of Leaf

IFLScience!