People mainly take LSD for mood, focus, anxiety. Based on 62 first-hand reports and 122 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #60 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 57% are positive.
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: Nearly a third of the articles reported that no participants reported lasting adverse effects. Our analyses suggest that psychedelics reduce negative mood, and have potential efficacy in other mental disorders, such as substance-use disorders and PTSD.
PubMed 38574699 ↗Conclusion: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, classic psychedelics were generally well tolerated in clinical or research settings according to the existing literature, although SAEs did occur. These results provide estimates of common AE frequencies and indicate that certain catastrophic events reported in recreational or nonclinical contexts have yet to be reported in contemporary trial participants. Careful, ongoing, and improved pharmacovigilance is required to understand the risk and benefit profiles of these substances and to communicate such risks to prospective study participants and the
PubMed 39230883 ↗Conclusion: Although the DMN is consistently implicated in psychedelic studies, it is unclear how central the DMN is to the therapeutic potential of classical psychedelic agents. This article aims to provide the field with a comprehensive overview that can propel future research in such a way as to elucidate the neurocognitive mechanisms of psychedelics.
PubMed 36272145 ↗Conclusion: Stroke genetic risk scores were predictive of ischaemic stroke independent of clinical risk factors in 52,600 clinical-trial participants with cardiometabolic disease. Our results provide insights to inform biology, reveal potential drug targets and derive genetic risk prediction tools across ancestries.
PubMed 36180795 ↗As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“Saturday Mornings I micro-dose 20-30mcg LSD”
“I switched from psilocybin to lsd and all in all I feel great.”
“Faguet was arrested in Moscow airport of Domodedovo for having some amphetamine and LSD”
“LSD is a better choice, but the body load is rather uncomfortable, and it is still not ideal”
“he would sometimes take low doses of LSD during cram sessions because it kept him up but was low enough that he wouldn't be tripping out”
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate