LSD: Never again?

[Ella84]

I'm not an experienced psychedelics user by any means. I enjoy mushrooms, but usually don't exceed around 1.5g at a time as even that dosage can result in a very strong trip for me (if it makes any difference, I'm around 115lbs).

I tried acid for the first time last year (half a blotter) and while I felt really good, I didn't feel too trippy, I just felt like I was looking at the world differently and with a sense of amazement.
This all changed about five hours later when just before I went to bed I smoked a joint. After that I felt way more stoned than made sense, had very strong visuals when I closed my eyes and generally felt like my skin was crawling. It was pretty unpleasant, but I managed to fall asleep.
I figured the weed/acid mix was a bad combo for me (weed usually makes me feel pretty horrible actually) and wrote it off.

On Saturday I tried acid for the second time, this time at a music festival. At around 2pm I had a drop that I was told was about 130μg, as did a few of my friends. Initially, as it was coming on I felt great. Everything was really funny and looked amazing.

About 3 hours in I started feeling incredibly physically uncomfortable, as if I was collapsing in on myself. My skin felt like it was burning. Every touch seemed to hurt and the visuals started getting far too intense.
By 7pm I was with a friend shut up in a car (the only space I could stand to be in because it was away from people and stimulus) crying uncontrollably and freaking out.
I felt like I was drowning, like my mind was quicksand and everything I looked at or thought about was sucking me into a dark place. I thought I had lost my mind and would never get out of that chaos. This hellish trip lasted until around 5am when I finally somehow fell asleep (still in the car).

When I woke up around 7, I still felt physically uncomfortable but my grasp on reality was restored.
The first thing I want to know is is it normal for a trip to last 12+ hours at that intensity? All my friends said they were feeling mostly sober by about 10pm, but I was still fighting demons until almost dawn and honestly only felt normal again 20 hours after I'd dropped the acid.
Second, after an experience that bad (and a less than pleasant first experience), is it a really dumb idea to ever try it again? I feel pretty hard done by that I haven't been able to see the amazing side of LSD, which I have no doubt exists.

 

[EarthBounded]

I recommend when you have some free time start doing alot of research, such as Identifying real LSD-25, The history etc... once you become more knowledgeable and are SURE you have the real deal, you will most likely have a much better time.

I have tripped on LSD around 50 times and had maybe 4 bad trips. There is a beautiful side

The first step is knowing your in safe hands if you are around REAL LSD ( Keep in mind there are a limited number of respected chemist making L in our world )

 

[TheAppleCore]

Taking LSD again means you risk another bad trip, but it doesn't guarantee it. My first few LSD trips sucked too. Eventually I learned to work with the chem.

 

[Ella84]

I'm pretty certain that it was the real deal. Nothing about my experience was not in keeping with my research about LSD - except maybe that it was a very long (but probably not out of the range of possibility) and bad trip. Other people who'd had exactly the same acid had no problems at all. I appreciate your responses though, and hopefully some more people will weigh in here. Are some people just more inclined to bad trips? If that is the case, I'll never touch it again, but I really hope it isn't.

 

[Anon0631]

EarthBounded: please stop propagating the myth that real LSD doesn't give bad trips.

 

[Clocktower]

Try a different set and setting. A nighttime event with a big crowd of people is one of the worst places to take LSD, IMHO.

 

[Flickering]

Were you taking any medication that may have interacted badly with the substance, and prolonged its effects? St John's Wort perhaps?

LSD is a weird one, you can never quite tell. Most of the time I've reacted just fine to it but on two occasions, I experienced some very strange body dysmorphia for much of the trip, similar to what you described except possibly even weirder. Fortunately, I was experienced enough with acid to simply ignore this and still have a good time. I think your bad experience started with anxiety and inability to handle those weird effects. If you start with a half tab again, steer clear of the weed and spend the first few trips getting the hang of that state of mind, I've mo doubt you will come to see the beautiful side.

Acid almost always lasts longer than 12 hours for me and has at one time lasted for 20. Yes I'm positive it was real acid.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I recommend when you have some free time start doing alot of research, such as Identifying real LSD-25, The history etc... once you become more knowledgeable and are SURE you have the real deal, you will most likely have a much better time.

I have tripped on LSD around 50 times and had maybe 4 bad trips. There is a beautiful side

The first step is knowing your in safe hands if you are around REAL LSD ( Keep in mind there are a limited number of respected chemist making L in our world )

EarthBounded: please stop propagating the myth that real LSD doesn't give bad trips.

How exactly was EarthBounded's statement that s/he has done LSD 50 times and experienced 4 bad trips doing that? It's a valid point to say it's important to know if you are actually getting LSD; I didn't see any claim that real LSD can never cause bad trips. But they do seem to be more common with some of the drugs that are increasingly being sold as "LSD".

Personally I think mindset, expectations/fears and setting are big factors.

 

[Anon0631]

How exactly was EarthBounded's statement that s/he has done LSD 50 times and experienced 4 bad trips doing that? It's a valid point to say it's important to know if you are actually getting LSD; I didn't see any claim that real LSD can never cause bad trips. But they do seem to be more common with some of the drugs that are increasingly being sold as "LSD".

In my experience LSD, as wild as it is, is far more likely to lead to bad experiences than phenethylamine based psychedelics. This could well be due to its perculiarly un-selective pharmacology.

There seems to be a meme on bluelight where every time someone mentions a bad trip, everyone rushes in to suggest that they probably had an 'RC' rather than 'real LSD'. The implication being that 'real' acid either doesn't cause bad trips or is far less likely to. In this case 'RC'=bogeyman=phenethylamine derivative (DOx, NBOMe, etc).

The problem is that this advice is counter to bluelight's aim of harm reduction as it gives a false sense of security about a drug which has a long history of causing/precipitating mental illness.

 

[Solipsis]

The setting just seems wrong, had you not been at a music festival then it would have been easier to try to limit stimuli that were overwhelming you. Also do you know what kind of doses you were taking?
Going to the car might have been a solution to quell the overstimulation, but it can also obviously give a feeling of being locked up without any freedom to go elsewhere, with the only way to go being inside yourself. That is like forced meditation when being very unrestful, seems quite conflicting.

Maybe you react a lot better if you approach taking LSD more managed and with intention, starting with a lower dose and steadily working your way up with small increments. And choosing your setting well each time, controllable situations with only 1 or 2 people who can be nice to you and gently guide you, or leave you alone for a bit if you feel like it.

Some things to interact with like music that is beautiful and relaxing to you (but that can be turned off or at lower volume if you want to, unlike a concert) can help you stay guided, following the events of a trip. Cutting yourself off from interaction can make things intense in a different way and you ought to plan something that allows you to safely learn how to handle intensified experience of the inner and outer worlds.

If the weed often makes you feel bad, then it is obvious that this is best avoided for you when tripping.

In any case, it is possible that LSD is just not something that you like... but if you read more about set and setting and about a lot of other aspects of tripping, I don't see why you couldn't carefully try again with a lot of improvements.
Whether you should try again or not is not up to us to decide though.

 

[Solipsis]

You should both learn to read better.

EB did not explicitly claim that LSD cannot produce bad or difficult trips, instead placing such great emphasis on the identity of the drug and mentioning the number of bad trips (which thus appears relatively limited) does imply either that:

A- not being sure of the identity of the drug significantly increases the chances of a difficult or unpleasant experience, or
B- the substance (or some aspects of the trip indicating that it) is not LSD and this significantly increases the chances of difficult or unpleasant experiences.

While Anon0631 might have misinterpreted this and assumed A instead of B, he did not make any bold claims either that must be refuted. He clearly demonstrates observing an apparent tendency, IMO he is entitled to as much.


Well, first of all I think that being unsure of the identity of your drug can contribute to difficulties but it would go too far to assume that this is the only problem the TS seems to be having.

And we also shouldn't make it seem like the particular psychedelic (whether it is LSD or not) can by its very nature determine that the trip turns difficult unless we have good reason.

Let's place this in proper perspective: what we can say about the OP is limited if we cannot be sure of the identity of the drug, overgeneralizing does not really help, especially if we then overreact about people claiming bold facts or myths.

Other than having a bad trip, overstimulation or sensory overload from something like a DOX can factor in - yes that should be said. But what is also important is that all of these drugs being 'amplifying' and 'mind manifesting' drugs, they share potential difficulties.
I suggest that until we know more about the identity of the drug (we can meanwhile perhaps assume that it is the LSD it should have been at the dose that was indicated), we ought to focus on things they have in common and advice that can actually be useful other than to get us lost in unnecessary debates.

And yes the long duration is curious and it can be reason to be suspicious, but it is not unheard of. Sorry but we do not allow ID threads so let's see if we can be of help to you without trying to figure out what it was, Ella.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

^Excellent post.

Second, after an experience that bad (and a less than pleasant first experience), is it a really dumb idea to ever try it again? I feel pretty hard done by that I haven't been able to see the amazing side of LSD, which I have no doubt exists.

I think that's a tough decision. If you are expecting an unpleasant experience because you had one the last time that can make it more likely to happen IME. Mindset is very powerful when it comes to psychedelics. If you do end up deciding to do it again I would do everything you can to encourage a more positive experience and make you feel more comfortable, with regards to your environment, the people you are with, the way you think about it, being reasonably sure about the purity, potency and identity of the drug, perhaps going with a lower dose, etc. Personally I found I was able to learn how to change how I reacted to thoughts, feelings or emotions I deemed unwanted/unpleasant, how to accept and diffuse them instead of fighting them and making it worse and to therefore not let them have so much power over me, and that those experiences have been valuable lessons for life in general, but it is challenging work and not something that everyone is ready for, plus we all have different susceptibilities to "bad trips" if you want to call them that (I'm not fond of the phrase myself) and different abilities to deal with their occurrence. Does that make sense?

 

[EarthBounded]

Anon I will not deny the fact that LSD can cause harm in ones Physce, whether it be a short period of time like a bad trip or lasting for months after this is a possibility I will never deny that.

Set , setting is key, this includes your own kingdom of knowledge. The fact is you cannot and will not overdose on LSD, Yes things can happen such as increased blood pressure heart rate when someone is freaking and has a health condition that can be fatal. By safe hands I am referring to the scientific research on why LSD is safe for the Human user, the best chemists in the world are sooo particular on how this drug is spread and what it is to be used for which is peace with our evolution to a better tomorrow ( I am referring to the beautiful souls here not those cooking for profit ) these people distribute most of the LSD in our world. Also if you are around the real thing you are most likely around some good people.

With knowledge and the right people around you and 100-200mcg LSD-25 you are in safe hands.

Yes Anon if you are not around good people or someone got there hands on LSD-25 and dont know what they are doing dosing you, this can be a mix for trouble this is why I suggested:

I recommend when you have some free time start doing alot of research, such as Identifying real LSD-25, The history etc... once you become more knowledgeable and are SURE you have the real deal, you will most likely have a much better time.

Notice how I said most likely as well.

Keep in Mind RCs can cause the same bad experience, and can be lethal no matter how knowledgeable you are. I would never advocate these drugs to anyone thats not a professional, as in scientist or doctor for research, I see you recommend 25i alot when this is notably killing and hurting people even after 1 drop?

Ella, good luck your best shot is to heavily research anything going into your body and make your own decision

 

[FnX]

Are some people just more inclined to bad trips? If that is the case, I'll never touch it again, but I really hope it isn't.

I would say that in a way, yes. Some people are much more sensitive to different types of psychedelics and some people can even be thrown off the edge towards a long lasting psychosis from a relatively small dose. But the fact that one is sensitive doesn't necessarily mean they will have a difficult or bad experience, just a more intense one compared to someone having a typical reaction with the same dosage. Some people simply don't get along with psychedelics at all either no matter how much they would want to and that can be really tough to accept, especially if you used to be able to enjoy them. It's not necessarily a bad idea to try again if you're not yet convinced, but I would really recommend at least halving your dosage. It's always better to take too little than too much when exploring relatively new substances.

And honestly, I don't think I've ever truly enjoyed the experience brought about by this substance despite trying it more than enough times so I've given up on it. Simply can't understand all the hype around it knowing how it makes me feel. But hey, we're all different.

 

[Black]

130µg (assuming that's what was on there) is a LOT if you're used to 1.5g of mushrooms. looks like you're among the sensitive folks (like myself, 1.5g of shrooms is a nice medium-strong dose for me and half a hit of decent acid is plenty). i'd suggest (if you decide to try it again) taking a lower dose in a more comfortable environment like some of the others have mentioned.
but yes, some people are more susceptible to bad experiences on psychedelic (especially on higher doses). nearly 50% of my experiences with acid have turned pretty uncomfortable and dark at some point. will i take it again? probably, but not in the near future and definitely not if there's a chance that i eat more than i can handle.

 

[TangerinO]

130µg (assuming that's what was on there) is a LOT if you're used to 1.5g of mushrooms. looks like you're among the sensitive folks (like myself, 1.5g of shrooms is a nice medium-strong dose for me and half a hit of decent acid is plenty). i'd suggest (if you decide to try it again) taking a lower dose in a more comfortable environment like some of the others have mentioned.
but yes, some people are more susceptible to bad experiences on psychedelic (especially on higher doses). nearly 50% of my experiences with acid have turned pretty uncomfortable and dark at some point. will i take it again? probably, but not in the near future and definitely not if there's a chance that i eat more than i can handle.

Yeah this Everyone reacts differently, I'm rather sensitive to tryptamines, as I've started previously on this forum 200ugs of quality LSD can be enough for me to almost completely lose my depth perception. Less even. My girlfriend is even more sensitive by quite a bit. I've seen her trip harder and for longer than a room full of people on MUCH larger doses, on literally 5 mushrooms.

Lower doses, better set and setting. Take some time definitely to integrate the experience. Good luck

 

[Ella84]

Thanks for all the practical input so far. Like I mentioned before, I'm pretty certain it wasn't a RC, but I can agree that I do seem to be pretty sensitive to psychedlics. I think I have a pretty 'fertile' brain, which is probably both a blessing and a curse, but does require me to be more careful and take things slowly.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about the intensity of the experience that I had and have no doubt that if I'd been able to filter it in a positive as opposed to fearful way I would've had an incredible time. Do I want to experiment with LSD again? Yes. But like all of you have said, it'll be at half the dose somewhere comfortable and less overwhelming.

I do hope that now, having been through a bad trip, if I ever saw myself headed that way again, I could at least reassure myself with the knowledge that I've come out the other side unscathed before - I'm sure even that would be enough to help turn things around.

 

[PlurPsyed]

Sounds like it could have been one of the DOx drugs and not acid

 

[Ella84]

Many of the people I was with took exactly the same stuff as I did - some more experienced users even took double - and they had totally normal trips. If other people had alsoreacted badly, I'd maybe be more inclined to question what it was, but I got it from a trusted source and everyone else had a great time.

 

[TheAppleCore]

Another suggestion: next time try it in the evening, after sundown. I've noticed that, personally, my body and mind consistently react better to psychedelics at night.

I think it might have something to do with sleeping and dreaming - at nighttime, your mind is preparing for the natural hallucinatory phenomenon, dreaming. So when psychedelics begin to alter your perception of reality, it's not quite as jarring or unexpected.