How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System?

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) or acid is a potent hallucinogenic drug. It is a liquid that is usually dropped onto small square pieces of paper and then held on your tongue. Once it is absorbed into your bloodstream, you will experience symptoms like changes in sensory perception, heightened emotions, hallucinations, and strange or unusual thoughts.

The effects of LSD begin within 45 minutes to an hour of taking it. They can last 9 to 12 hours depending on your consumption dose.[1] The potential of having a bad trip combined with the long-lasting effects should be enough to prevent you from abusing it.

If you abuse LSD, you might be wondering how long it stays in your system. While the effects wear off after 12 hours, the half-life is approximately 3.6 hours.[2] In other words, it can take up to 15 hours for your body to eliminate acid.

That said, drug tests might be able to detect LSD in your system for a longer period. This is because metabolites of acid are left behind in your urine, saliva, blood, and hair. For example, hair follicle drug screens can find LSD in your system for up to 90 days after your last dose.

How Long Do the Effects of LSD Last?

Acid causes you to experience visual, auditory, and tactile hallucinations. Other symptoms include changes in mood, increased heart rate, dilated pupils, altered sensory perceptions, and feelings of euphoria or panic. You can have a good or bad experience with LSD, often depending on your mood and setting before the acid takes effect.

How long the effects of LSD last depends on the method of administration you use. Most people take LSD by mouth. Once it absorbs into your bloodstream, you will experience effects within 90 minutes that last for up to 12 hours.

If you inject acid intramuscularly the effects will take place within 15 to 20 minutes and last for up to 10 hours. Injecting it into your veins will cause effects to begin in 3 to 5 minutes and last for 9 to 10 hours.[3]

No matter how you abuse LSD, it can lead to adverse effects. You might experience anxiety, paranoia, and frightening hallucinations. If you abuse it long-term or take higher doses, you could develop a condition known as hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD).[4] This condition causes you to experience hallucinations even when you are not under the influence of acid.

How Does Your Body Metabolize Acid?

When you consume LSD, it travels through your bloodstream and into your digestive tract. Then, it is broken down into metabolites known as 2-oxy-LSD and 2-oxo-3-hydroxy LSD.[3] These are the metabolites that drug tests look for to determine if you’ve abused acid.

The half-life of LSD is about 3 hours.[2] It can take 4 to 5 half-lives for your body to eliminate it, which means it stays in your system for up to 15 hours. That said, those metabolites are stored in your urine, saliva, blood, and hair for varying amounts of time.

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How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System?

While acid leaves your system after 15 hours, its metabolites can be detected for longer periods. The amount of time that LSD can be detected depends on what type of test you are using. Whether you are taking a urine, blood, saliva, or hair test, specialized panels must be used to determine if you’ve abused acid.

Urine

Urine tests are the most common because they are relatively cheap and minimally invasive. You might be given a urine test before being offered a job, in a drug rehab program, or at a probation office. However, a specialized panel must be used to find LSD, which means someone has to suspect you’ve been abusing it.

Drug tests can detect LSD in urine for 2 to 4 days after your last dose.

Blood

Blood tests are less common because they are invasive. They require a blood draw so that a sample can be tested for substances like LSD. They also offer a shorter window of detection than urine screens.

Blood tests can find acid in your system for up to 12 to 24 hours after your last dose.

Saliva

Saliva is the first place that LSD leaves its metabolites behind. This means it does not stay in your saliva as long as it does in your urine. In other words, saliva tests offer a short window of detection.

However, law enforcement officers might use them to determine if you’ve been driving under the influence. Saliva tests can find LSD in your system for 8 to 15 hours after your last dose.

Hair

Hair tests offer the longest window of detection. Keeping this in mind, they are not favored in the medical community because they offer unreliable results due to discrimination based on factors like hair color. Despite this, some high-security clearance jobs sue them before offering employment.

Hair follicle drug testing can find LSD in your system for up to 90 days after you last consumed it.

Find Help for Acid Abuse

If you or a loved one regularly abuses acid, you could develop adverse mental health effects and a condition known as HPPD. To avoid this, you should consider attending a substance abuse treatment center. Programs like the South Carolina Addiction Treatment Center can help you recover from LSD abuse.

South Carolina Addiction Treatment is a state-licensed and CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) accredited substance abuse treatment facility. We are a dual-diagnosis facility with a primary focus on substance abuse. We offer individualized, extended-term treatment in an intimate setting located in Greenville / Simpsonville, SC. 

At our rehab facility, we offer an evidence-based approach to addiction recovery. You will engage in individual behavioral therapies, group counseling, and relapse prevention planning. Contact us today to learn more about how we treat acid abuse and your treatment options.

References:

1. The University of Rochester Medical Center: All About LSD 
2. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects
3. The National Library of Medicine (NLM): Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)
4. Frontiers: On Perception and Consciousness in HPPD: A Systematic Review