Why Do People Think LSD Stays in Your Spinal Cord?
When LSD first appeared in widespread recreational use in the early 1960s, the general public was alarmed about this strange new drug. Odorless, colorless and so potent you could fit enough doses for 100 people in a droplet. The potency and psychedelic nature of the drug frightened and confused people. The strange, but true stories about people who used LSD gave way to myths and old wife’s tales as misunderstood things so often do.
Does Acid Stay in Your Spine and Other LSD Rumors
One common rumor claimed if you took LSD more than 7 times, you could be declared “legally insane”. Another said, you guessed it, “LSD stays in your spinal cord for the rest of your life”. Whether these myths came from worried parents trying to dissuade their kids from dropping acid or from well-intentioned law enforcement trying to warn people off the stuff, these rumors have lingered for surprisingly long, passing through no less than 3 or 4 generations.
Does Acid Stay in Your Spine and Cause Flashbacks?
No, acid does not stay in your spine. When taken, LSD travels through the bloodstream and is rapidly metabolized by the body into inactive metabolites. Most of these are then excreted via urine and feces within 24 hours of consumption, meaning that it is extremely unlikely that any of the drug would remain in your spine after this period of time. The majority of any remaining metabolites of LSD are generally out of your system in 2-4 days, after which LSD will not appear in a urine test.
From a medical perspective, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that LSD accumulates in the spinal cord or other parts of the central nervous system. In fact, most studies on the effects of LSD have used doses that are too low to reach concentrations high enough to cause damage to nerve cells or cause them to accumulate in any particular area. Therefore, it’s safe to say with some conviction that taking LSD will not cause any damage to the spinal cord, long-term or otherwise.
Is LSD Safe to Use Recreationally?
Despite the fact that acid doesn’t stay in your spine and it doesn’t make you “legally insane” if you take it 7 times, acid is still far from harmless. We won’t try to sell you any tall tales here, however. Just the facts. LSD is still a very powerful hallucinogenic drug that causes significant psychological effects, even when taken in small doses. The physical effects of the drug can include dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and muscle tension.
Additionally, LSD can evoke intense emotions and altered states of consciousness that could potentially be dangerous if not monitored carefully. It is important to note that using LSD is illegal in most countries and for good reasons. Does acid stay in your spine? No, perhaps not, and, no , it isn’t physically addictive and overdose is almost unheard of, the psychological effects can be dangerous and are very much unlike any drug that a person is likely to have experienced before.
An Impossible Experience to Prepare Someone For
It’s almost impossible to prepare someone for this and it’s equally impossible to predict the effect it will have on someone. One person may take it and be relatively OK. Another person may take the exact same dose of the exact same batch in the same environment and have a nightmarish experience that lasts for as long as 12 hours or more. The power of this drug and its unpredictability combined with the lack of quality control in illicit drugs make taking LSD recreationally a bad idea.
Physical Effects of LSD
The physical effects of LSD are less often discussed than the mental ones, but it is still a good idea to be aware of what they are. They include:
- Dilated pupils
- Lack of appetite
- Muscle twitches/spasms
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Cold sweats or chills
- Nausea
- Body aches/pains (usually from poorly manufactured LSD)
Mental Effects of LSD
The psychedelic and other mental effects are what LSD is more famous for. They are a bit difficult to explain precisely as many of them are subjective and can vary a great deal from person to person. The environment you are in and the people around you appear to have profound effects on how you feel and what you experience on this drug. The risk of a “bad trip” and even a psychotic episode is very real too. That is no myth or exaggeration. Some of the mental effects of LSD can include:
- A distorted sense of time and space
- Visual hallucinations/visions (seeing things that aren’t there)
- Auditory hallucinations (hearing voices or sounds)
- Olfactory hallucinations (smelling things that aren’t there)
- Rapidly shifting emotional states
- Altered perception of reality
- Depersonalization/loss of sense of self
- Psychosis-like symptoms
Is LSD Addictive or Harmful?
Now that you know the answer to your question, does acid stay in your spine and you understand some of the physical and psychological effects of this drug, you may be wondering if it’s addictive or harmful. After all, it is illegal and its use is strongly discouraged by most people. The truth is that LSD is not physically addictive in the conventional sense. People do develop a tolerance to LSD quickly however and it takes more and more to achieve the desired effects.
Suffice it to say that LSD isn’t a drug many people would take everyday anyway though. Fatal overdose on LSD appears to be so rare that it’s difficult to find any medically documented cases of it. But this doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful. In fact people have died as a result of using LSD. Not because of any toxicity, but because they were so disoriented or delusional that they fell off of building tops or stepped in front of trains.
Still others have committed suicide out of despair. Are LSD-related deaths common? Not at all. They are quite rare. But that is beside the point. The powerful and unpredictable psychological effects of LSD alone are reason enough to avoid this drug. Not to mention the fact that street drugs are more dangerous than even before with fentanyl, carfentanil, dangerous synthetic designer drugs and methamphetamine showing up in all sorts of places.
If You’re Having Trouble with LSD or Any Other Drugs
If you or someone you love is struggling with LSD or another drug, 1st Step Behavioral Health wants to help. We offer a safe and comfortable medical detox for those who need it. Experience matters when it comes to addiction treatment. Our holistic alcohol and drug rehab center has been operating in South Florida for more than 20 years now. Give us a call at (855) 425-4846 begin a chat on our site or submit your health insurance for verification using our confidential form here.
