If you’ve taken acid (LSD) recently and are worried about being able to pass an upcoming drug test, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we answer all of the most important questions about the drug. How long does acid stay in your system? How long does acid stay in urine? And what can you do to get acid out of your system faster?
How Long Does Acid Stay in Your System? Urine Test + Others
Let’s start by answering the most pressing question: how long does acid stay in your system? The main factor (we’ll touch on other ones in the next section) is what type of drug test you take.
But first, a brief overview: acid (or LSD) is an illegal mind-altering drug available as a powder, liquid, tablet, or capsule. The effects of acid start 10-30 minutes after taking it and can last up to 12 hours (if taken by mouth).
The half life of LSD is only about three hours, but traces of the drug can remain detectable in your system long after effects have worn off. This chart shows approximately how long you must wait after taking acid in order to be able to pass a urine test, blood test, or hair test:
| Drug Test | How Long Detectable Levels Remain |
| Urine | 2-5 days |
| Blood | 3 hours |
| Hair | 90 days |
Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Psychedelics.com
There is also a myth that acid stays permanently in your spine, but this is false. So don’t worry—no matter how much acid you take, it won’t stay in your system forever!
What Affects How Long Acid Stays in Your System?
How long acid stays in your system depends on five main factors:
- The dosage of acid you take: If you take a high dosage of acid at once, expect your body to need more time to expel the drug from its system.
- How often you take acid: The more often you take acid, the more your body becomes accustomed to it. Thus, it can take you longer to flush out acid if you take it regularly.
- Your metabolism: People with faster metabolisms will process acid more quickly than those with slower metabolisms.
- Your age: The older you are, the more time your body needs to absorb and process acid.
- Your height and weight: If you’re heavier and taller, you may process acid faster than those who are lighter and shorter.
How Can You Get Acid Out of Your System Faster?
The two best ways to get acid of your system faster is to drink plenty of water and exercise.
Staying hydrated lets your body work at its peak metabolic rate and helps it eliminate LSD metabolites faster. If you’re dehydrated, you may find that your acid effects last longer than usual. So drink up!
Exercising, too, improves your blood flow and speeds up your metabolism to help flush out toxins, including acid, more quickly.
With both options, be sure you don’t overdo them! Although you can’t immediately expel all traces of acid in your system, drinking a little more water and exercising after a “trip” can gently and safely speed up your system.
Remember that ultimately acid is an illegal drug, but if you take it and need to take a drug test, too, use our tips above to figure out how long you can expect it to stay in your system as well as how you can get it out of you faster.