How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System?

LSD can be detected in a urine, blood, and hair test. Some of these tests, like a urine or blood test, detect LSD and other substances for hours or days, while hair tests may be able to detect LSD for months after last use. However, these are all estimates. The time it takes LSD to leave an individual’s system depends on a number of factors.

How Long Does LSD Stay in Your Body?

The time it takes for LSD to leave an individual’s body and the timeframe during which it is detectable depends on a number of factors. Some tests can detect the drug for hours, others for days, and still others for months. When it comes to individuals, variables include:

• Height and weight.
• Age.
• Genetics.
• Body fat content.
• Amount taken.
• Route of administration.
• Drug quality.
• Metabolism rate.
• Health of the liver and kidneys.
• Hydration.

LSD is not commonly tested for on standard drug tests. That being said, it is possible to specifically test for LSD use via urine, blood, and hair samples.

In many LSD-positive urine tests, the metabolite 2-oxo-3-hydroxy-LSD may be found at higher levels than LSD itself. It can be detected for a longer period of time than LSD as well.⁴

What Is LSD?

Lysergic acid diethylamide, a synthetic chemical, commonly referred to as LSD or acid, is a highly potent hallucinogenic drug. It is made from lysergic acid, which is derived from ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.¹

LSD is typically sold in the form of small tablets, capsules, or liquids. A solution of liquid LSD is commonly added to blotter paper and divided into decorated squares.¹

LSD is almost always taken orally, but it may also be used via other routes, such as being dropped into the eye. Over the years, various street names have been used for the drug, including blotter acid, dots, Mellow Yellow, Window Pane, and Yellow Sunshine.^2,3,4

How Is It Metabolized?

LSD is completely absorbed in the digestive tract. The liver quickly breaks it down into 2-oxy-LSD and 2-oxo-3-hydroxy LSD—both inactive byproducts of LSD metabolism (metabolites). Other metabolites include LAE, nor-LSD, 13- and 14-hydroxy-LSD, lysergic acid ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamide, trioxylated LSD, and di-hydroxy-LSD.⁴

The half-life of LSD is 3.6 hours, which means it takes about that amount of time for half of the dose to be cleared from the bloodstream.⁴

How Long Do the Effects Last?

The onset and duration of effects of LSD depend on dose taken and the method of use, but most “trips” last between 9 and 12 hours. Effects include visual hallucinations, distorted perception of time, mood swings, and impaired judgment.

Risks of use include “bad trips,” flashbacks, injuries, and adverse interactions with medications such as antidepressants or lithium.

While on LSD, a person may experience effects, including:^1,2,3

• Dilated pupils.
• Dry mouth.
• Loss of appetite.
• Increased body temperature.
• Sweating.
• Elevated heart rate and blood pressure.
• Tremors.
• Impaired judgment.
• Inability to sleep.
• Visual hallucinations.
• Synesthesia (“hearing” colors or “seeing” sounds).
• Changes in perception of time (seeming to pass more slowly than normal).
• Distorted sense of the shape and size of objects, movements, colors, sound, touch, and body image.
• Delusions.
• Rapid mood swings.
• Panic.

What Are the Risks of LSD Use?

There are both physical and psychological risks to using LSD.

Impaired judgment on an LSD trip presents one of the greatest threats to the physical safety of the individual who takes it. Poor decision-making or strange behaviors while on the drug can lead to physical injury or law enforcement intervention.^2,3

A negative experience on LSD, also known as a “bad trip,” can be very unpleasant. Users may have terrifying thoughts or feelings; fear of losing control, insanity or death; or severe despair. Other reactions include depressed mood or mental instability in the days after the experience.⁴

Individuals who use LSD regularly may experience flashbacks that can occur suddenly in the range of days to more than a year after last use. Flashbacks can happen without warning and include re-experiencing certain aspects of the LSD trip.²

For some, flashbacks can recur and interfere with their daily lives. In some cases, the perceptual disturbances experienced during a flashback—such as seeing trails on objects—may persist for significant periods of time despite not having used the drug. This condition is known as hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder.²

In addition, research has investigated a link between LSD use and the onset of schizophrenia. Researchers have suggested that taking LSD may hasten the onset of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals and that people who have a genetic predisposition to developing schizophrenia may be more likely to experience a greater psychotic reaction to the drug.⁶

Finally, LSD can interact negatively with medications you may be taking, such as antidepressants. Case studies have documented flashbacks in individuals who formerly used LSD and began taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, other studies have found that regularly taking SSRIs or monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can reduce the effects of LSD. On the other hand, lithium and tricyclic antidepressants may increase LSD’s effects, and concurrent lithium use, in particular, can lead to dangerous reactions, including temporary comatose states.^4,7

Is LSD Addictive?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that LSD is not addictive because it does not cause uncontrollable urges to repeatedly use the drug. LSD use over time, however, does cause tolerance in those who frequently use it. These individuals must increase their dose of LSD in order to recreate the same level of high that they previously experienced. Due to the unpredictability of the symptoms and side effects caused by LSD, use can be unsafe.²

LSD use does not result in physical dependence; therefore, physical withdrawal symptoms do not occur. Those who frequently use LSD do not experience cravings to use the drug, though psychological dependence is possible.⁸

Getting Help for LSD Use

NIDA explains that inpatient and behavioral treatment options can be helpful for individuals who have developed persistent patterns of problematic drug use, including problematic LSD use. Particularly for individuals struggling with alcohol or other drugs, in addition to LSD, participation in a comprehensive treatment program can be very beneficial.²

American Addiction Centers (AAC) operates top-quality treatment centers throughout the United States, offering evidence-based therapies and interventions for a range of substance use and mental health disorders. Reach out and connect with an AAC admissions navigator, who can answer your questions, explain your options, and help you find a program to end your problematic LSD (or other substance) use.