How to Detect LSD in Blotters

I would like to know how to detect LSD in blotters. Is this possible? I am concerned about adulterations with NBOMEs. My country does not allow Drug Checking Services. Thank yoh

Originally posted in Evolution 17/6/15 . Reviewed 27/3/23

Over the past few years, there have been reports of the adulteration of blotting papers allegedly containing LSD. While LSD is a relatively safe psychedelic, other substances such as 25-i-NBOMe and BromoDragonfly are much more dangerous on an organic level.

It’s worth noting that LSD is a highly sensitive chemical compound that can easily decompose under adverse conditions. Exposure to light, heat, humidity, and air can accelerate the degradation process. This results in most LSD blotters degrading within 5-10 years.

To ensure the safety of the substance, it’s ideal to have samples analyzed in a Drug Checking Service. However, this option may not always be available. Nevertheless, there is a simple way to detect the presence of LSD in a blotter or liquid.

LSD has a unique characteristic of fluorescing under UV light. A black light,(known as UV-A light, Wood’s lamp, or ultraviolet light), emits long-wave ultraviolet light (UV-A). It’s the type of bulb used to produce fluorescent effects on clothing or paint . You can find it in any lighting shop for a few dollars or euros.

To conduct the test, prepare a small sample of the substance you want to test, such as a small piece of blotting paper or a small amount of liquid. The undecorated back of the LSD blotters is the most suitable.

Turn off the lights in the room and turn on the UV lamp. Ensure that the UV lamp emits light at a wavelength of about 365 nm.

Bring the sample close to the UV lamp and observe if it emits a bright bluish-white fluorescence. LSD typically emits a bright blue-white fluorescence under UV light.

It’s important to note that this method can only confirm or rule out the presence of LSD and cannot detect adulterants or degraded samples. In cases where Drug Checking Services are unavailable, this test can provide an initial indication of the substance’s identity.

 

uv lamp for lsd test
lsd blotters back
lsd blotters uv lamp

Benzodiacepine tapering plan

Benzodiacepine Tapering Plan

I have been taking benzodiazepines on a daily basis for many years. I want to get off alprazolam tapering down. I take 5-6 2 mg pills every day for years and don’t know how to do it. I am afraid of withdrawal.

Originally posted in Evolution Marketplace 4/5/14 . Reviewed 24/3/23

To safely stop using BDZs, it’s important to keep track of how much you’re taking each day. This includes the number of hours you’re taking them and the amount of doses you’re taking in a typical day. Then, you can calculate the daily equivalent dose of diazepam (a long-acting BDZ). Diazepam can be administered two or three times a day. This is a good option for a gradual tapering plan.

These are the equivalences for common prescription BDZ:

  • Diazepam 10 mg
    Clonazepam 0.5 mg
    Alprazolam 1 mg
    Lorazepam 1 mg
    Lormetazepam 1-2 mg
    Midazolam 5 mg
    Bromazepam 6 mg
    Clorazepate 15

So, for example, someone using 6 mg of alprazolam daily would need 60 mg of diazepam, that can be divided in three 20-20-20 dosages

Tapering means taking progressively lower doses of the medication over time. And once you reach low doses (around 5-10 mg of diazepam), you can safely stop taking the medication altogether. This process is more comfortable with a reduction of 5 mg/week

Additionally, diazepam comes in many different dosages and formats: There are tablets of 2 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 25 mg and syrup with 2.5 mg/ml). So this makes it easier to adjust the dose precisely for each patient.

Most clinical guidelines recommend using diazepam for tapering, but direct reduction of the BDZ being used by the patient is also possible. Probably, in practise it is more difficult to taper down alprazolam or short action BDZ as triazolam.

So, with these guidelines it is possible to diminish abstinence symptoms (anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, tremor, physical symptoms…). But, many times, instead of «abstinence» there is a «rebound». Rebound phenomenon  refers to the return of symptoms that were originally being treated by the drug after the drug is discontinued or reduced.

In cases in which sleep disturbance is a significant problem, the drugs with which there is most experience are SSRIs with a sedative profile (paroxetine, mirtazapine) and trazodone. Long-term treatment of anxiety disorders achieve better results using SSRI than BDZ.

There are another options to achieve BDZ detoxification but are less safer. Carbamazepine (200 mg twice a day), may be useful in patients with a history of seizures (drug withdrawal or epilepsy). Short regimen of 7-14 days can be considered reasonably safe for outpatient administration. Medical advice is particularly suggested in this case.

Other alternatives with a lesser degree of evidence are anxiolytic agents that act on GABA receptors such as pregabalin and gabapentin. The progressive decrease in BZD doses together with gabapentin has shown better results in opioid-dependent patients. in opiate-dependent patients seeking detoxification from BZDs.

 

Nasal problems after high cocaine dosage

Nasal problems after high dosage cocaine

A while ago I insufflated about 500 mg cocaine in the coarse of an evening, it was the first time I used coke. So nearing the end of the evening I had an constant runny nose which was pretty annoying. I cleaned my nose with saline, but nevertheless by the time I went to bed my nose was totally clogged up.

The next morning when I blew my nose, all of the mucus was red coloured. For about a week afterwards there I had blood in my mucus, it became less and less till finally no blood at all after a week and the mucus was colourless again.

Clearly this is a sign that my nose didn’t like what I put up there, but I’m not sure how harmfull it is. Is such a reaction ‘normal’ for coke use? Could another coke experiment be conducted without a risk on permanent damage, or is coke a nono for my nose?

Originally posted in SR 2.0 15/10/2013. Reviewed 20/2/22

Intranasal damage is a common problem with drugs used by this route of administration.

Dosage, frequency and technique of use are important factors that influence the frequency, severity and likelihood of problems.

Cocaine itself (and associated impurities) can irritate nasal tissues and cause them to bleed. Cocaine has a vasoconstrictor effect (reduces blood flow to the area).In your case the problem seems to have solved itself spontaneously. But an acute sinusitis (nasal congestion, pressure pain in the face, headache, green and smelly mucus) is a possible complication that should be treated with antibiotics.

Half a gram seems like a fairly high dose for an inexperienced person. If that amount of any substance is administered intranasally over a short period of time, it is easy for problems to occur.

Some tips for intranasal administration are:

  • It is advisable to pulverize the substance to a very fine powder before snorting it.
  • Do not always use the same nostril for snorting, but alternate between the two.
  • The sniffing straw should not be pointed at the nasal septum, but at the nasal turbinates (lateral), where vascularization is greater and absorption is better.
  • It is recommended to clean the nostrils well a few hours after the last dose of cocaine. Physiological saline (or slightly salty clean water) can be used. Saline irrigation can be used for several days (best with a syringe).

If you experiment with cocaine again I suggest you follow these tips. Also decrease the total dose.

Better living through chemistry?

Is it possible a better living through chemistry?

I took about 300 milligrams of oxycodone a day for about 5 years (by the way, it was the best 5 years of my life, work, family etc.), but then of course the big crack down began (pill mills etc) making it extremely difficult to obtain easily, so I had to stop as I did not feel like driving around to 300 pharmacies a day trying to fill my legally obtained prescription.

Anyway I stopped it  3 years ago. Anyway, since then I feel as if it is my first day off of them. I have absolutely no energy, tired constantly, no interest in anything, my gut is all screwed up, its total crap. Now not to long before SR got shut down. But I finally had access to the things that made me feel normal again (coke, adderall, oxy’s etc.).

I really believe that I am of the sorts that just do better with proper dosing of drugs, I spent my whole life with the mantra «better living through modern chemistry». But, in today’s age it is getting more and more difficult to self medicate properly and I am paying the price dearly for it (Job, family etc).

Do you think that my brain balance will ever return to normal without drugs? Would any sort of doctor see it my way . Is it impossible or ridiculous to say that I can function better with these drugs? I think my lifetime would show that it is and today’s governmental interference is wrecking my life.

Originally posted in SR 2.0 19/10/2013. Reviewed 20/2/22

Tolerance is one of the most important characteristics of many psychoactives. It is necessary to increase doses to feel the same effect. Thus, some people take doses that would be lethal for non-tolerant people.

It is possible that some work better with drugs, but the adverse effects and long-term effects (including the risk of dependence) must also be taken into account.

I’m not sure that needing high doses of stimulants or opioids to perform daily activities is a «better life,» although I’m not judging your life or your choices.

Drugs (and here I am referring to both drugs prescribed by a doctor and controlled psychoactives) can be used for pleasure . They can also help at some difficult times in life. But, in general, medications, pharmaceuticals or drugs are never the solution for people’s lives.

Most of the «chronic brain imbalance» messages associated with illegal drugs belong more to anti-drug mythology than to scientific evidence. Most controlled drugs and prescription drugs do not produce chronic brain changes that result in chronic brain damage (with the exception of some antipsychotics and methamphetamine).

Pharmacological tolerance decreases over time, but psychological and life factors are also important. You will never get back to who you were before simply because of the passage of time.

I’m sorry but your question and situation is one of these that is difficult to assess over the internet alone. It would be a personal and long term contact to be able to help you.

 

Seizures after using 25-I-NBOMe

Is it possible to suffer seizures after using 25-I-NBOMe ?

A friend of mine bought some of these blotters. And he has suffered this problem (epileptic seizures) in at least two different occasions. But this is strange as he is not epileptic. However, he has experience with other psychedelics as LSD or mushrooms.  Can you provide any advice, dear DoctorX? 

Originally posted in SR 2.0 . Reviewed 20/2/22

Classical drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and cannabis, are safer than New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) due to extensive research on their effects and risks. But NPS use untested chemical compounds, which can result in unpredictable and potentially dangerous effects. Additionally, the chemical composition of NPS can be easily altered to evade legal regulations, making it challenging to determine their potential health effects.

You can find thousands of studies about LSD. NBOMEs have only been tested in brain pig receptors. So, there is no experience with them in human use.

There are many cases of severe toxicity and death related to NBOMe and reported in recent years. However, the physical toxicity of LSD is non-existent.

Typical (and frequent) effects of 25-X-NBOMe are:

  • Overdose: NBOMEs is extremely potent, and even small amounts can cause an overdose. Symptoms of overdose can include seizures, cardiac arrest, and death.
  • Psychiatric effects: NBOMEs can cause intense and unpredictable psychiatric effects, including anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis. These effects can last for days or even weeks after use.
  • Physical effects: NBOMEs can cause a range of physical effects, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, and seizures.

NBOMEs can lead to seizures in overdose, there are some reports about this in the last years:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24779864
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23872917
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23731373