A method measures LSD and its metabolite O-H-LSD in urine and blood. O-H-LSD appears in urine at concentrations many times higher than LSD, extending detection time for confirming LSD use. A single-step liquid-liquid extraction on 5-mL urine samples precedes liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Detection limits are 400 pg/mL for O-H-LSD and 100 pg/mL for LSD. In nine LSD-positive urine samples, mean O-H-LSD concentration was 6378 pg/mL (range 332-21371 pg/mL) and mean LSD concentration was 844 pg/mL (range 177-2456 pg/mL), with O-H-LSD levels 0.9 to 19.8 times higher than LSD (mean 10.2). No O-H-LSD was detected in blood samples. Enzymatic hydrolysis of six urine samples showed no significant difference, indicating absence of glucuronic acid conjugation.
A confirmatory method using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) with an internal ionization ion trap detector can detect and quantify lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in urine. After a single-step solid-phase extraction of 5 mL of urine, underivatized LSD is measured with limits of quantitation and detection of 80 and 20 pg/mL, respectively. Temperature-programmed on-column injections show linearity over 20-2000 pg/mL (r² = 0.999). Intraday and interday coefficients of variation are below 6% and 13%, respectively. The method has been applied to quality-control specimens and LSD-positive samples, with comparisons to alternative GC-MS methods and extraction procedures.
The authors argue that a previously published case report on the ingestion of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) lacks sufficient clarity regarding the chemical analysis and interpretation of results. They highlight the need for rigorous biochemical and analytical methods in forensic and clinical case reports involving psychedelic substances, emphasizing that ambiguous or incomplete data can lead to misinterpretation of the drug's effects on behavior and neurotransmitter systems. The paper calls for standardized reporting practices to ensure accurate understanding of such ingestions in medical and legal contexts.