Genie in a blotter: A comparative study of LSD and LSD analogues’ effects and user profile
Using data from the Global Drug Survey, the authors found that users of LSD analogues (AL‑LAD, 1P‑LSD, ETH‑LAD)—most of whom had also used LSD—reported similar time‑to‑peak (~2 hr) and duration (~8 hr) but significantly weaker subjective effects (pleasurable high, strength, comedown, urge to reuse), lower value for money and lower perceived risk than LSD; many obtained analogues online and almost all used them orally. The paper recommends chemical confirmation and dose measurement in future studies to validate these self‑report findings.
Authors
- Adam Winstock
- Jason Ferris
Published
Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to describe self‐reported patterns of use and effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) analogues (AL‐LAD, 1P‐LSD, and ETH‐LAD) and the characteristics of those who use them.
Methods
An anonymous self‐selected online survey of people who use drugs (Global Drug Survey 2016; N = 96,894), which measured perceived drug effects of LSD and its analogues.
Results
Most LSD analogue users (91%) had also tried LSD. The proportion of U.K. and U.S. respondents reporting LSD analogue use in the last 12 months was higher than for LSD only. LSD analogue users described the effects as psychedelic (93%), over half (55%) obtained it online, and almost all (99%) reported an oral route of administration. The modal duration (8 hr) and time to peak (2 hr) of LSD analogues were not significantly different from LSD. Ratings for pleasurable high, strength of effect, comedown, urge to use more drugs, value for money, and risk of harm following use were significantly lower for LSD analogues compared with LSD.
Conclusions
LSD analogues were reported as similar in time to peak and duration as LSD but weaker in strength, pleasurable high, and comedown. Future studies should seek to replicate these findings with chemical confirmation and dose measurement.
Research Summary of 'Genie in a blotter: A comparative study of LSD and LSD analogues’ effects and user profile'
Introduction
Since Albert Hofmann's first use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1943, many structurally related compounds have appeared (for example AL-LAD, 1P-LSD, ETH-LAD, LSZ). Coney and colleagues note that rapid legal changes and a synthesise-proscribe-synthesise dynamic have contributed to the emergence and online availability of these LSD analogues, and that most human information to date comes from animal models and user reports on websites. Animal data suggest these lysergide derivatives act as 5-HT2A agonists and can produce hallucinogenic effects in rodents, but relative potencies vary and reported human dosages differ from animal potency estimates. Ethical barriers and uncertainty about harms limit controlled human research on these compounds. This study aimed to describe self-reported patterns of use, sourcing and routes of administration, and perceived acute effects of selected LSD analogues (AL-LAD, 1P-LSD, ETH-LAD) in humans, and to compare those profiles with self-reports for LSD. The authors used an anonymous web-based survey to characterise user demographics and subjective effect ratings, emphasising rapid, population-level descriptive data where clinical or laboratory confirmation is not available.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topic
- Authors
- APA Citation
Coney, L. D., Maier, L. J., Ferris, J. A., Winstock, A. R., & Barratt, M. J. (2017). Genie in a blotter: A comparative study of LSD and LSD analogues’ effects and user profile. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, 32(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/hup.2599
References (3)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Geyer, M. A., Vollenweider, F. X. · Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (2008)
Hanks, J. B., González-Maeso, J. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2012)
Winstock, A. R., Kaar, S., Borschmann, R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2013)
Cited By (2)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Sakloth, F., Leggett, E., Moerke, M. J. et al. · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology (2019)
Lawn, W., Hallak, J. E., Crippa, J. A. et al. · Scientific Reports (2017)
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