LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) - Consequences

Consequences

LSD completely disrupts the ability to concentrate and communicate, thus increasing the risk among users of failure at school or work. Even bathing and getting dressed may be perceived as tasks too difficult to accomplish when under the influence of LSD. The drug also interferes with sleep, so users are often exhausted after its effects wear off.

People coming down from bad LSD trips need others to reassure them that everything will be fine. Users often need to rest in a quiet room with a trusted person in attendance at all times. In Illegal Drugs: A Complete Guide to Their History, Chemistry, Use and Abuse, Paul M. Gahlinger explained that the trusted person should not leave the user "even for a few minutes, since the time distortion of LSD can make it seem like an eternity of abandonment." Stimuli such as bright lights, bustling movement, or loud voices may frighten the user as the negative aspects of the experience continue.

The authors of the NIDA research report caution that users' moods sometimes shift so rapidly that they "may seem to experience several emotions simultaneously." This mental confusion and loss of control can make users so frightened that they become dangerous to themselves and others. Gahlinger noted, "Most injuries and a few fatalities have occurred [from LSD] when users found themselves overwhelmed by delusionsFalse, unshakable beliefs indicating severe mental difficulties; 'delusional' refers to the inability to distinguish between what is real and what seems to be real. and were injured either by accident or by intent."