LSD as a Pain Reliever
The usage of hallucinogenic drugs for pharmacological purposes has always remained a debatable topic. Administration of drugs like LSD(Lysergic acid diethylamide), and MDMA leads to altered thoughts, crossover senses, synesthesia, and perceptions of the surrounding. LSD has no smell and is crystalline in nature. It is usually sold as tablets, but can also be purchased in a liquid form. Some of the common side-effects of this hallucinogenic drug include anxiety, dilated pupils, rapidly changing emotions, etc. So, there are strict laws that restrict clinical trials on humans involving hallucinogenic drugs. But, recent studies have found that LSD in microdoses can act as painkillers.
Clinical Trials involving LSD
A clinical trial with 24 participants has revealed that non-hallucinogenic microdoses of LSD were extremely effective in controlling pain. After administering 5μg, 10μg, 15μg, and 20μg randomly, the participants were asked to place their hands in a cold water tank. The individuals who were administered 20μg LSD were found to have more pain bearing capacity which made them last in the cold water for a longer period compared to those who were given lesser quantities of the same. Through this study, the researchers concluded that microdoses of LSD offer analgesic effects on humans without resulting in other consequences.
This experiment was repeated on 4 different days to compare the results and it was evident that LSD’s analgesic effects lasted for nearly five hours or more in controlling pain. It was also found that 3 non-hallucinogenic doses of LSD is equivalent to 20μg of oxycodone.
Bottomline
Experiments relating to LSDs were confined to rats in the past and this is the first time human clinical trials have been conducted using this infamous drug. Since the overuse of this drug can lead to psychological addiction and new laws being imposed from time to time, bringing LSD to a pharmacy can take several years.
