LSD Toxicity Workup

  • Author: Stephan Brenner, MD, MPH; Chief Editor: Timothy E Corden, MD   more...
 
Updated: Mar 22, 2012
 

Laboratory Studies

Most routine drug screens do not detect lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). It is primarily excreted in the urine as 2-oxy-lysergic acid diethylamide, which is pharmacologically inactive. Only small amounts of LSD are excreted unchanged in the urine.

The drug can be detected by radioimmunoassay; however, high-performance liquid chromatography or gas chromatography is required for confirmation. Radioimmunoassay may detect levels from 1.5-5.5 ng/mL within 24 hours after having taken a 300-mcg dose of LSD. Urine test results may be positive for LSD for as long as 120 hours after ingestion of the drug. Because of the complexity of detecting LSD, testing for the agent is not clinically useful and is most often done in forensics.[17]

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Stephan Brenner, MD, MPH  Resident Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Bill Dribben, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine

Bill Dribben, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Halim Hennes, MD, MS  Division Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Southwestern Medical School; Director of Emergency Services, Children's Medical Center

Halim Hennes, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD  Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jeffrey R Tucker, MD  Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Connecticut Children's Medical Center

Disclosure: Merck Salary Employment

Paul D Petry, DO, FACOP, FAAP  Consulting Staff, Freeman Pediatric Care, Freeman Health System

Paul D Petry, DO, FACOP, FAAP is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Osteopathy, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians, and American Osteopathic Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Timothy E Corden, MD  Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Co-Director, Policy Core, Injury Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin; Associate Director, PICU, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin

Timothy E Corden, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, Phi Beta Kappa, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Wisconsin Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author Amanda Wood, MD, to the original writing and development of this article.

References

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  2. Fusar-Poli P, Borgwardt S. Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD (1906-2008). Neuropsychobiology. Epub 2008 Sep 18.;58(1):53-4.:[Medline].

  3. NIDA Research Report - Hallucinogens and Dissociative Drugs: NIH Publication No. 01-4209, Printed March 2001. Available at http://www.nida.nih.gov/PDF/RRHalluc.pdf.

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  11. National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use. Overview of Key Findings, 2007. Available at http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2007.pdf.

  12. Klock JC, Boerner U, Becker CE. Coma, hyperthermia, and bleeding associated with massive LSD overdose, a report of eight cases. Clin Toxicol. 1975;8(2):191-203. [Medline].

  13. Martin TG. Serotonin syndrome. Ann Emerg Med. Nov 1996;28(5):520-6. [Medline].

  14. Halpern JH, Pope HG Jr. Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: what do we know after 50 years?. Drug Alcohol Depend. Mar 1 2003;69(2):109-19. [Medline].

  15. Raval MV, Gaba RC, Brown K, Sato KT, Eskandari MK. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the treatment of extensive LSD-induced lower extremity vasospasm refractory to pharmacologic therapy. J Vasc Interv Radiol. Aug 2008;19(8):1227-30. [Medline].

  16. Berrens Z, Lammers J, White C. Rhabdomyolysis After LSD Ingestion. Psychosomatics. Jul 2010;51(4):356-356.e3. [Medline].

  17. Taunton-Rigby A, Sher SE, Kelley PR. Lysergic acid diethylamide: radioimmunoassay. Science. Jul 13 1973;181(95):165-6. [Medline].

  18. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). Physical detoxification services for withdrawal from specific substances. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Jan 18, 2006. 41-115.

 
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Assorted lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) blotter paper.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in assorted pill forms.
 
 
 
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