How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System

Learn about lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and how long it can stay in your system.

What Is LSD?

LSD stands for lysergic acid diethylamide. It’s a powerful hallucinogen, a class of psychedelics, with effects like psilocybin and mescaline. LSD became popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s due to its ability to cause changes in perception of one’s surroundings, moods, and thoughts.1

LSD is also believed to open the part of one’s mind that contains deep-seated fears and repressed thoughts, similar to ecstasy or molly (MDMA). Therefore, it has emerged as a common candidate for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in recent years.

How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System

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How Is It Metabolized?

LSD is metabolized by your liver, where it’s broken down into a few different compounds with different levels of psychoactivity. From there, LSD gets absorbed into the bloodstream, where it travels to the brain, where it can bind with key receptor sites on nerve cells in the central nervous system.

How Long Do the Effects Last?

The duration of LSD’s effects on your body can vary, but generally, a trip lasts a fairly long time, which is typically around 12 hours. The standard window is anywhere from 6 to 15 hours. After the comedown, you may experience a lingering LSD “afterglow” for a few hours.2

Factors That Affect Detection Time

LSD stays in your system for roughly 12 hours after last use but can be detected in hair tests for up to 90 days. In general, the detection time of a drug is the measurement of how long a drug test can yield a positive result. Different factors can impact this time in different ways.3

Age

The younger you are, the more efficient your metabolism is. Likewise, the older you are, the less efficient your metabolism is. Faster metabolisms will naturally flush out LSD faster.

Liver Function

People with liver problems will have worse metabolic rates than those whose livers are not dysfunctional.

Metabolism

Metabolic rates can vary greatly from person to person and even from situation to situation. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible to predict exactly how long a drug will stay in a person’s body. However, if you know you have a slower than average metabolism, LSD will remain in your body longer. Then again, if you know that you have a faster than average metabolism, LSD will stay in your body for a shorter amount of time.

How to Get LSD Out of Your System

Discontinue Use

Hopefully, you figured this out already, but the first thing you should do to get LSD out of your system is stop using LSD. Continuing to use LSD will only keep the drug in your system for longer.

Exercise

Exercising stimulates the metabolism to work much faster, which will, incidentally, help flush drugs from your system. If you need to sober up, try going for a light jog or even doing some jumping jacks. Whatever you do, make sure it’s intensive enough that you raise your heart rate — bonus points if you break a sweat. Both are great signs that your metabolism is working hard, and the toxins are flowing out of your tissues.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking a lot of water is another great way to speed up the metabolism and flush toxins from your body. This can also have the effect of making you sober up faster. While water is probably the best thing to drink, other drinks, like juice, soda, or Gatorade, will work in a pinch. Just remember that the more water you drink, the better it will work.

How Long Does Acid Stay in Your System?

  • Urine: LSD can be detected in urine for up to four days after the last use.3
  • Blood: LSD can be detected in blood for up to 12 hours after last use.
  • Hair: When tested, LSD can be detected in a hair test for up to 90 days.

Long-Term Mental Illness Serious Symptoms

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) can, in rare cases, cause or exacerbate underlying mental illness. This is especially true of people who are predisposed to having mental health issues. Call a doctor immediately if you think you may be suffering from psychological problems after using LSD.4
  • Persistent Psychosis: Long-term lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) use can cause persistent psychosis. For example, one study found that 3% of regular LSD users reported persistent symptoms.
  • Hallucinations: LSD users can hallucinate, usually visual, while not under the influence of the drug. These hallucinations can be distressing, confusing, and frightening.
  • Disorganized Thinking: Though typically not caused by LSD use, some users have reported disorganized thinking after using the drug regularly.
  • Paranoia: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is known to be capable of causing paranoia, especially in people with a history of mental illness. Furthermore, persistent use may exacerbate these feelings in users.

Heal With Concise Recovery

How Long Does LSD Stay in Your System

LSD addiction is a serious issue, and the journey towards recovery can feel long and, at times, even impossible. However, there is always help available. Our team at Concise Recovery is here to help you overcome an LSD addiction or any other type of substance use disorder. Moreover, our staff is prepared to address co-occurring disorders that may contribute to continuing substance abuse.

To learn more about our treatment programs, reach out to Concise Recovery today. We offer professional detoxification, dual diagnosis, and inpatient and outpatient programs.

Our staff at Concise Recovery is dedicated to helping each client achieve long-lasting recovery. Our sober living programs help ensure that you’re not tempted by bad habits or addictive substances in day-to-day life. This program prepares you to take on the world with the confidence that you’re stronger than your addiction.

Call us to learn more and to begin your journey towards healing.

Resources

  1. https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/lsd/
  2. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-long-does-lsd-stay-in-your-system-80270
  3. https://maps.org/research-archive/w3pb/2008/2008_Passie_23067_1.pdf
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3024828/