Q: How do I make LSD? Can LSD be made from <insert common household product here>?
A:Unless you have an advanced knowledge of organic chemistry, a good laboratory, and access to some very hard-to-get chemicals, you will not have much luck trying to make LSD. LSD is typically manufactured from some kind of lysergic acid compound extracted from botanical sources, or more commonly, from the pharmaceutical compound ergotamine tartrate, which is used as a migraine headache treatment. The stories about making LSD from moldy rye bread, Foster's beer, aspirin and Coca-Cola, or other easily available ingredients are simply internet legends that get repeated again and again. Not a bit of truth in them. LSD could conceivably be made from the seeds of some species of morning glory (which contain closely related
chemical compounds), but the extraction and conversion to LSD would still require serious laboratory facilities and access to diethylamine, and other suspicious chemicals. If you want to see what is really involved in LSD synthesis, a good writeup was published in TIHKAL, by Alexander Shulgin. Available online at:
http://www.erowid.org/library/books.../tihkal26.shtml
Q: Is <insert drug name here> safe? How much should I take?
A: NO drug is completely safe for all users, at all dosages, and under all conditions of use. Anyone who claims otherwise is misinformed or lying. Giving a suggested dosage for anything is risky, as people vary widely in their reactions to drugs, due to their individual biochemistry, level of experience, tolerance level, and dozens of other factors. Users should always sample a new drug at or below the low end of the published dosage range, to safeguard against possible negative reactions or overdose.
Q: Do mushrooms or LSD cause brain damage? Are mushrooms safer than LSD?
A: Neither mushrooms or LSD are known to cause brain damage. The active ingredient in mushrooms (psilocybin) is an extremely close chemical relative to the brain's own neurotransmitter, serotonin. Both drugs are remarkably
non-toxic, with no known human death from overdose, even at ridiculously high dosage levels.
All psychedelics carry a certain slight risk of long-term adverse effects, but these effects are psychological in nature (flashbacks, PHPD, etc.), not believed to be a result of physical brain damage
Q: Does MDMA eat holes in your brain? What exactly is in those pills?
A: Holes in the brain? No. This rumor started when MTV and CBS broadcast a “special report” on ecstacy, which included footage of a reported “heavy MDMA user” receiving a PET scan of her brain. The scan was shown to have large dark areas on it, which were explained as holes in the brain, eaten away by the effects of MDMA use. Scientists and radiologists quickly pointed out that the ominous-looking “holes” were actually artifacts of the imaging process, which can be made to appear in any PET scan by adjusting the contrast of the image. In short, the report lied, and probably knew that they were doing so! More on the “holes in the brain” myth at:
http://www.alchemind.org/shulgin/ad.../brainholes.htm
and
http://www.dancesafe.org/48hours.html
What long-term, heavy MDMA use can do is to "down-regulate" the serotonin receptors in the brain, which can lead to depression and other mood changes. MDMA is not a good drug for daily or frequent use, but it will NOT "eat holes in your brain".
As far as the content of “X” pills go, any pill is going to have things other than MDMA in it. Various other ingredients like starch, cellulose, chalk and other binders are needed to hold the pill together, and bulk it up to a reasonable size. There are testing kits available which enable the user to identify common adulterants in pills. The use of these kits is highly recommended, even though they are not 100% accurate, and give no
idea of dosage of drug present, only an idea of what is in the pill. One source for test kits is:
http://www.eztest.com
As far as active ingredients go, common cuts or adulterants include :
amphetamine, methamphetamine (speed)
ritalin (a form of speed)
DXM (a cough suppressant/dissasociative)
MDA, MMDA, MDEA (closely related drugs to MDMA),
ephedrine, pseudoephedrine (decongestants/stimulants)
caffeine
and a compound called PMA (para-methoxyamphetamine), which is a dangerous stimulant which is
responsible for many so-called "MDMA deaths".
Despite repeated stories, heroin and cocaine are NOT used as adulterants in “X” pills. Heroin and cocaine aremore expensive per gram than MDMA, defeating the purpose of cutting the drug in the first place. Dealers cut drugs to save money/maximize profits.
Heroin and cocaine are not very active when taken orally. You would have to consume a hell of a lot of them to get off, making such a pill a terrible waste of drugs and money. This is why heroin and cocaine are injected, snorted, or smoked, rather than being taken in a pill.
As of this writing, none of the pill testing sites have ever identified heroin as being a component of street "X" tablets. For reports on what IS being found in street pills, check out:
http://www.pillreports.com
and
http://www.dancesafe.org
For lots more info, read the MDMA FAQ at:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/mdma/mdma_faq.shtml
Q: Can you get high from drinking cough syrup?
A: Yes. The active ingredient in most OTC cough syrups is Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide (DXM), a synthetic opiate which produces a disassociative effect at high dosages, similar to PCP or Ketamine. A few words of caution are in order here. First, use of this stuff has been linked to a particular kind of brain damage called “Olney’s Lesions”. The probability of damage depends on dosage and frequency of use.
Secondly, the ingestion of the required amounts of most OTC preparations (a whole bottle or more of cough syrup!) can be very dangerous if they contain active ingredients other than DXM. In particular, overdoses of acetaminophen and antihistamines can cause serious or even deadly reactions. If you are going to try DXM recreationally, use a product containing ONLY DXM as an active ingredient, purchase the pure DXM powder from a chemical supplier, or extract the DXM from the OTC product before use. Before considering the use of DXM for anything other than a cough, you should read and understand the DXM FAQ, available at:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/dxm/faq/dxm_faq.shtml
Q: What is a “trip sitter”? Do I need one? Should I be one?
A: I really wouldn't recommend that anyone take on the responsibility of running "ground control" until they are very experienced with their own use of whatever sacrament is being used. More than 1 or 2 good trips. More like dozens, with at least one "bummer" in the group, to provide some insight into what the novice may be facing.
Check out section 7 the Psychedelic Experience FAQ:
http://www.erowid.org/psychoactives...ience_faq.shtml
for more information on the duties/responsibilities of the "trip sitter".
Q: Does < insert drug here> show up on drug tests? How long does it stay in your system? How do I pass a drug test?
A:Most school, employment, military, and law enforcement drug tests are so-called “NIDA 5 panel” tests,
which look for :
Opiates (morphine, heroin, codeine, opium, prescription painkillers)
Stimulants (amphetamines, methamphetamine, Ritalin)
Barbituates (sleeping pills, Rohypnol)
Cocaine (powder and crack/freebase)
Marijuana/Hashish
Some testers add a screen for benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax and other tranquilizers) and/or PCP
LSD and mushrooms are not tested for on standard urine tests, although they could be if their use is suspected. These are complex, expensive tests, though, which prevents their widespread use.
MDMA (and most of the other so-called “designer drugs”) shows up as an amphetamine on drug tests.
Ketamine can show up as PCP, a close chemical relative.
DMT cannot be conclusively tested for, because the body normally produces small amounts of DMT, and excretes it in the urine.
With the exception of marijuana, all of these substances leave the body quite quickly, and should drop below the “cutoff point” on a drug test within 2-3 days or slightly more, depending on individual metabolism. Depending on amount and frequency of use, marijuana can take anywhere from 1-6 weeks to clear out of the urine.
Drinking a lot of water is the best and most reliable way to increase your chances of beating a drug test. About a gallon to a gallon and a half a day should be enough (you can actually hurt yourself by drinking too much), with a quart consumed an hour or so before the urine sample is given Drink enough to keep yourself urinating frequently, and take a standard dose of a B-complex vitamin for a few days prior to the test. B-vitamins color the urine dark yellow and increase it’s odor, to cover up the dilution from the increased water intake.
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