Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

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LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class of drugs. Hallucinogens cause hallucinations—profound distortions in a person’s perception of reality. Hallucinogens cause their effects by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord, the serotonin system is involved in the control of behavioral, perceptual, and regulatory systems, including mood, hunger, body temperature, sexual behavior, muscle control, and sensory perception.

Under the influence of hallucinogens, people see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings. One of the most potent mood-changing chemicals, LSD, was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse . (2002, September 24). NIDA Infofax: LSDWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved October 03, 2002 from the World Wide Web:http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/lsd.html