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Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

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Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#51

Post by nemo44x »

virtualwhys wrote: post #33

> I was just barely capable of asking my companion to summon our family doctor and request milk from the neighbors. Hah, hah, a sign of the times. That's the last thing I'd want to injest when in the throws of a deep, harrowing LSD trip, yuck. Really the only thing that "helps", I find, is a watch (if you're able to read the watch that is). Time can help ground you in the sense that you know roughly when the peak wil…

In terms of the milk, my thoughts were he was trying to settle his stomach as LSD tends to cause a sensation of stomach tightness.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#52

Post by datpuz »

Given that he didn't know what we know now about LSD (that it's not going to kill you or cause brain damage), his experience was probably a lot more terrifying than the usual bad trip. Not being able to remind yourself that you're safe and that the drug's effects will wear off would make it a lot more scary.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#53

Post by joosters »

sillysaurus3 wrote: post #45
joosters wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#54

Post by Synaesthesia »

nemo44x wrote: post #51
virtualwhys wrote: post #33

> I was just barely capable of asking my companion to summon our family doctor and request milk from the neighbors. Hah, hah, a sign of the times. That's the last thing I'd want to injest when in the throws of a deep, harrowing LSD trip, yuck. Really the only thing that "helps", I find, is a watch (if you're able to read the watch that is). Time can help ground you in the sense that you know roughly when the peak wil…

In terms of the milk, my thoughts were he was trying to settle his stomach as LSD tends to cause a sensation of stomach tightness.

It’s also often given in the case of general poisoning.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#55

Post by ghostbrainalpha »

justherefortart wrote: post #50
Synaesthesia wrote: post #4

What’s interesting is when LSD was first discovered and popularized with psychiatrists, it was considered a “model psychosis” - inducing a temporary state of psychosis which researchers could use to study mental problems. That theory was discredited in the late 60’s when it got banned (it was one of the reasons why it was supposed to have no medical value). I believe there’s a lot of truth to it, from my experience i…

In my experience doing LSD with a bunch of people over the years, you experience your moods, feelings, and fears. So if you take it and you're not in a happy or content place, it's not fun. I never had a bad trip. Maybe luckily but maybe as a result of having a lot of friends that did a lot of drugs while I abstained. I did research for a few years before trying anything and added in my own anecdotal evidence of baby…

You mind if I ask how old you are? When was the last time you did LSD?

Any chance you would have just grown out of the depression anyway?

I've always dealt with depression, and it got a lot better naturally when I turned about 30, although definitely a good bit still lingers. I might want to try LSD to beat the last of it, but I feel a little old to get started on a LSD project.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#56

Post by nerdponx »

A peculiar presentiment—the feeling that LSD-25 could possess properties other than those established in my first investigations—induced me, five years after the first synthesis, to produce it once again so that a sample could be given to the pharmacological department for further tests.

This was quite unusual; experimental substances as a rule were definitely stricken from the research program if once found to be lacking in pharmacological interest. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1943, I repeated the synthesis of LSD-25. As in the first synthesis, this involved the production of only a few centigrams of the compound.

I absolutely love this writing. Reminds me of the great "scientific gothic" novels like Frankenstein and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#58

Post by odammit »

virtualwhys wrote: post #33

> I was just barely capable of asking my companion to summon our family doctor and request milk from the neighbors. Hah, hah, a sign of the times. That's the last thing I'd want to injest when in the throws of a deep, harrowing LSD trip, yuck. Really the only thing that "helps", I find, is a watch (if you're able to read the watch that is). Time can help ground you in the sense that you know roughly when the peak wil…

We always carried “totems”.

Little trinkets that we’d hold while waiting for the effect while silently repeating to ourselves that this would remind us we’re just high.

Be damned if you lost that thing though.

Mine was a toy kitten holding a cheeseburger.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#59

Post by StavrosK »

datpuz wrote: post #52

Given that he didn't know what we know now about LSD (that it's not going to kill you or cause brain damage), his experience was probably a lot more terrifying than the usual bad trip. Not being able to remind yourself that you're safe and that the drug's effects will wear off would make it a lot more scary.

Not only that, but I was struck by the realization of how devastated he must have felt to be dying (or so he thought) after consuming 250 MICROgrams of a substance.

The part where he worried about whether his family would think he was reckless for doing this was poignant, because there was no way anyone could have expected 250 micrograms of ergot to produce any sort of observable effect.

Re: Albert Hofmann discovers the effects of LSD (1943)

#60

Post by Sharlin »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #54
nemo44x wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In terms of the milk, my thoughts were he was trying to settle his stomach as LSD tends to cause a sensation of stomach tightness.

It’s also often given in the case of general poisoning.

Yes, he gives this reason in the next paragraph:

In spite of my delirious, bewildered condition, I had brief periods of clear and effective thinking—and chose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning.

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