The Drug Known As LSD

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eptions are altered, causing visual and auditory hallucinations. One may notice that the walls of room are “breathing” or that motionless curtains appear to “wave” as if their being blown by the wind. Senses appear to mix: a user might see music, taste colors, or hear visual stimuli. The LSD experience is often difficult to describe by users – words lose meaning and are often insufficient in describing the effects of the drug; thoughts may seem unclear. Effects taper off after about 6-8 hours and are usually completely gone after a nights sleep but flashbacks may still occur throughout the next 24 hours.
The following is a fairly long, but very informative account of one of the first documented LSD trips done by Albert Hofmann in 1943.

“4/19/43 16:20: 0.5 cc of ½ promil aqueous solution of diethylamide tartrate orally=0.25 mg tartrate. Taken diluted with about 10 cc water. Tastless.

17:00: beginning dizziness, feeling of anxiety, visual distortions, symptoms of paralysis, desire to laugh.
Supplement of 4/21: Home by bicycle. From 18:00-ca. 20:00 most severe crisis. (See special report.)
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Here the notes in my laboratory journal cease. I was able to write the last words only with great effort. By now it was already clear to me that LSD had been the cause of the remarkable experience of the previous Friday, for the altered perceptions were of the same type as before, only much more intense. I had to struggle to speak intelligible. I asked my laboratory assistant, who was informed of the self-experiment, to escort me home. We went by bicycle, no automobile available because of wartime restricions on their use. On the way home, my condition began to assume threatening forms. Everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror. I also had the sensation of being unable to move from the spot. Neve...