Metabolism of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD): an update
Drug Metabolism Reviews July 3, 2019 Rui Filipe Libânio Osório Marta 52 citations
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the most potent known hallucinogen, exerts its pharmacological effects by stimulating central serotonin receptors (5-HT2). Despite its low toxicity and physiological safety, renewed therapeutic interest has emerged. This review discusses LSD metabolism, detailing all metabolites and their clinical and toxicological relevance. LSD is rapidly and extensively metabolized into inactive metabolites, which have a longer detection window than the parent compound. The major human metabolite, 2-oxo-3-hydroxy LSD, is crucial for clinical and forensic toxicology. However, information on LSD pharmacokinetics in humans remains limited, highlighting the need for further research.