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What did people use LSD for?

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Anonymous

13y ago
Updated: 8/16/2019

It was created as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. The "classic" hallucinogens, such as LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in "magic" mushrooms), also affect the serotonin and dopamine systems in the brain. LSD causes hallucinations, commonly known as a "trip". Researchers believe that it may be useful in treating severe headaches known as cluster headaches. These usually centre around one side of the head, and can occur several times a day for weeks, before stopping for long stretches of up to several months. Scientists believe that these can be treated with a sub-hallucinogenic dose of LSD, which does not cause the wild visual distortions associated with larger doses. How can a hallucinogen prevent a type of headache? They have a similar chemical structure to serotonin and exert their effects by binding to some of the same receptors as serotonin, a property that is exploited by some mainstream migraine drugs, such as sumatriptan (Imigran) and methysergide. Andrew Sewell and John Halpern, of McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, conducted interviews confirming that LSD and psilocybin were both more effective than conventional drugs at stopping a new cycle of headaches, and that psilocybin was the best drug of all to abort an attack. Halpern is developing full clinical trials. Studies are also under way in Switzerland and the US using LSD or psilocybin as a palliative care agent for patients with anxieties associated with terminal cancer
because it is (relatively) safe, non-addictive, and an amazing experience.

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Wiki User

13y ago

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