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LSD as a stimulant

Foreigner

Foreigner

Bluelight Crew
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Mar 18, 2009
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This might seem like a strange question but why is LSD not also considered to be a stimulant? If I take it, my body heats up, metabolism increases, mental processing increases, and I usually can't sleep for a long time after the come down.

What is it about LSD that makes the body hot like MDMA? What is the mechanism, or is this known?

I guess this is a more advanced drug question, but why is LSD so catabolic?
 
LSD agonizes a lot of different receptors:

LSDaffinities.GIF


Both serotonin and dopamine are generally excitatory neurotransmitters so LSD is essentially a sympathomimetic drug. Boosting the sympathetic nervous system causes all effects you list.

The body may heat up but not like with MDMA, which is significantly heavier as a stimulant, also MDMA disrupts the body's thermostasis which AFAIK, LSD does not. That means the body cannot control and cool the body down as well, so if you are dancing at a party it is easy to overheat - far more than with LSD.

Lastly, I would be careful using the word 'catabolic' in this context, it doesn't really seem correct to me.
 
So, which receptors or group of receptors play a role in the different effects and side effects of LSD, is there a particular receptor that greatly contributes to a specific effect or all the effects of LSD are due to its interactions at different receptors and its complex pharmacology?
What receptor(s) is responsible for most of the stimulation, what for vasoconstriction, what for mood lift, for anxiety and which one relives migraines?

I think that we all pretty much agree that perceptual distortions and psychedelia come from particular activation of 5HT2A, so what do all the others do?

Blessings
 
Well the psychedelic effects are more or less proven to be mainly mediated by 5-HT2A receptors, true. Looking at superpotent selective agonists for this receptor and their effects, I'd say that this is also probably what makes for good euphoria potential. I think this also relieves migraines considering that psilocin acts on 5-HT2A as well and this is the #1 thing they have in common.
However it is possible / likely that 5-HT2C receptors also play a role in psychedelic effects, those are the type of receptors that 2C-B and 2C-C work relatively strongly on. Other serotonergic effects probably contribute but I don't know how or if that is understood well at this point.

I am having a hard time getting an answer for what causes "most of the stimulation" because it is a quite vague description. But it seems that beta-adrenoceptor action is significant for elevated heartrate, while alpha1-adrenoceptors mediate vasoconstriction I think. Those combined with dopaminergic action is probably a recipe for *some* anxiety, but I believe a lot of anxiety with LSD to be psychosomatic.
There can be a lot going on and everything takes up a lot of attention to form understanding, all of that tends to make people a bit anxious...

All effects combined give it a very energized feeling, like there is electricity flowing. In my experience if you let go and let this flow, there isn't necessarily that much tension apart from some inescapable physical effects. Any cramping, either literal or figurative, will manifest the resistance of this energetic potential. Aaanyway this paragraph is where science is dropped.
 
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