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.

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.