How to do first time LSD with anxiety?

[Hi.]

So I will be getting LSD soon and I plan on tripping sometime in the next week or two. I have done extensive research and I think I know pretty much most of what there is to know about the substance. I am going to get a trip sitter, who is a long time friend of mine and I'm going to pick a nice warm day one of these weekends so we can go out on a nature walk while I'm tripping.

The only problem is I've had anxiety and panic attacks my whole life. I've gotten it under control for the most part, but I still have some lingering anxiety from time to time. I occasionally get anxiety and a little panicky when I smoke weed, but I've always been able to control it to some degree. I also have really bad emetophobia (fear of throwing up) which is the #1 reason why I'm doing LSD and not shrooms, and one of the main reasons why I still get occasional anxiety. I feel like anxiety has been controlling my life, and I want to learn to live with it, and I feel like an LSD trip might help me with that. Weed has helped my anxiety to some degree, but I know it doesn't open you up as much as LSD does. I also want to learn more about myself so I can be happier with my life overall. I also have some mild depression and a fear of dying, so I want to work with that as well. My ego has become so overpowering that I don't even know who I am anymore. And I don't need drugs to see that. I want to be happier with everything like I was when I was little.

I am mentally stable, and always have been, so I know that I'm ready for something like this. How should I approach this without ruining my whole trip with anxiety? I am currently planning on starting with 1/2 of a tab. Is this enough? I don't want to waste my time by being under stimulated, but I also don't want to be tripping balls on my first time. I'm kinda debating 1 full tab but I'm afraid that it could be really strong acid and will be too intense. I won't take any amount of it unless I am anxiety free, confident, and open minded prior to the trip. I will also tell my friend some "safe spots" that are familiar to take me to so that I can ground myself if things start getting bad.

I am also going to pack a bag with some items that can be helpful just incase things get rough. I'm planning on packing ginger, peppermint oil, and some hydroxyzine pills just incase I feel nauseous; some water and crackers; money just incase I need to buy something; pad and paper; and some benzodiazepines (specifically Xanax) to use as a last resort if I can't control anxiety.

Does this sound good? What else should I try to do to make my trip more comfortable?

And one last question… How does LSD compare to weed with intensity? I realize they're not the same drug, but how intense will say, 50 micrograms or 100 micrograms be compared to a weed high? (example: 50ug LSD=5 hits of good weed) Since I'm so familiar with cannabis, it would be nice to have some sort of mental picture. Is it the same sort of dissociated from reality "in a dream" kind of headspace like with cannabis? Or is it completely different? Does everything have that "cartoon" look? (I'm a little OCD when it comes to small details like this)

 

[Clocktower]

How should I approach this

Lower your expectations. LSD is not likely to be a magically effective treatment for your anxiety/depression/etc. It will just be a new and unique experience. Just do your best to go into it with an open mind and a positive attitude.

I am currently planning on starting with 1/2 of a tab.

That is plenty. It certainly will not be a waste of your time. Generally speaking, too little is better than too much, by far.

Does this sound good? What else should I try to do to make my trip more comfortable?

Actually, that does sound quite good. You seem to be preparing well. I'd suggest you also pack water and some snack foods. Fruit and nuts work well for me.

And one last question… How does LSD compare to weed with intensity?

Unfortunately, LSD and Cannabis are different enough that it's difficult to answer this question without making dangerous equivocations. Both drugs can be mild or intense, depending on the dose.

Making a comparison like "X mcg LSD = Y g Cannabis" is simply not possible - or at least, it won't do justice to the nature of an LSD experience. Honestly, I can understand why you'd like to make this comparison, but it's really better that you don't. I'll reiterate: Go into your trip with an open mind, without trying to estimate what it will be like in terms of Cannabis hits. An expectation like that is in danger of being broken, and isn't something you want to be preoccupied with.

One last note. Since you've done your research you might already know this, but just to be sure: Do not smoke Cannabis while you are tripping. There are countless anecdotes along the lines of "My first trip was just fine, until I smoked a bowl. Then I became anxious and it went bad." It doesn't mean you can never combine the two drugs, but that's something you should think about after you've taken LSD by itself at least once.

 

[Hi.]

Clocktower… Thanks for the advice, I guess you're right about how I shouldn't expect things to happen a certain way. That's what I did the first time I smoked weed. I expected it to be relatable to everything I've experienced in my sober life, and when I got high for the first time and I saw everything differently through my own eyes it really was quite overwhelming. If I hadn't expected so much I would've had a better first experience. I guess the same can be said about LSD. So I will try to go into it as open minded as possible. I think just having some Xanax on me will be enough of a "safety net" to keep my anxiety at bay. Just knowing that it's there if I need it usually is enough to prevent anxiety in the first place.

I do realize that it probably won't magically fix all my problems, but I do believe that if I can get a different perspective of my problems I will be able to better understand them. I think they did an experiment like that when it was still legal in the US, where some people were stuck on math problems and by taking LSD some of them were able to solve them by looking at them in a different way, or something like that… I saw it on some documentary lol.

But I'll definitely keep what you said in mind, and I'm planning on updating this thread after my trip.

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I have "anxiety" (as in anxiety as a mental disorder, I guess). I've been diagnosed with anxiety disorders twice by doctors. Been prescribed pills of psychotropic drugs related to anxiety, too, mostly Xanax.

Personally LSD doesn't trigger any anxiety for me, except a little on the "come up" (but that's pretty normal, I think...just anticipation of being high, really). I've also noticed that my general baseline levels of anxiety are considerably lowered after a strong LSD trip, too, as well as how depressed I felt beforehand....for days and weeks following the actual high of the drug. LSD is one of the best anxiolytic and anti-depressant drugs I've ever experienced, really. That's just my personal experience, though.

Drugs effect me a little differently than many other people, though, or at least many other people with elevated levels of stress and anxiety...I like really strong marijuana and psychedelic trips, for example, and I love smoking marijuana while high on acid or psilocybin or what have you.