ETH-LAD

ETH-LAD, or ETHLAD, also known as 6-ethyl-6-nor-LSD, is a psychedelic drug of the lysergamide family related to lysergic acid diethylamide. It is slightly more potent than LSD and is among the most potent psychedelics known. The drug is taken orally.
It acts as a serotonin receptor agonist, including of the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor. In addition, it binds to dopamine receptors. The drug produces psychedelic-like effects in animals. It is closely structurally related to LSD and to other psychedelic lysergamides like PRO-LAD and AL-LAD.
ETH-LAD was first described in the scientific literature by 1976. Its effects in humans were assessed and reported by Alexander Shulgin in the 1980s and 1990s. The drug was encountered as a novel recreational designer drug in Europe by 2016. In addition, a prodrug of ETH-LAD, 1P-ETH-LAD, has been developed and encountered as a designer drug.

Use and effects

According to Alexander Shulgin in his book TiHKAL, ETH-LAD has a dose of 40 to 150μg orally and a duration of 8 to 12hours. However, it also produced clear effects at a dose of 20μg, and in other publications, Shulgin gave a lower dose range for the drug of 40 to 80μg. Its onset ranges from 15minutes to 1hour and peak effects occur after about 1 to 2hours.
Shulgin has stated that ETH-LAD is "a little more potent" than LSD or roughly twice as potent as LSD in humans. Other researchers have described it as "slightly more potent" or "somewhat more potent" than LSD in humans. For comparison, Shulgin lists the dose range of LSD as 60 to 200μg or 50 to 200μg in his publications. Based on the preceding findings, ETH-LAD is one of the most potent serotonergic psychedelics known in humans, if not the most potent known psychedelic. As a result of this, it has been said that LSD can no longer be considered the most potent psychedelic.
The effects of ETH-LAD have been reported to include closed-eye imagery, very few visual changes or distortions, gentle movements of objects, LSD-like visual aspects, two-dimensional surfaces looking three-dimensional, objects looking "magical", and possible time slowing. It was described as making the body feel balanced, thinking being easy, concepts easy to follow through, mind capable of realistic and down-to-earth thought, and warmth and humor being present. Other reported effects included feeling lazy, diuretic effects, no appetite loss, decongestant effects, stomach discomfort, and chills.
Compared to LSD, ETH-LAD was described as lacking the push and sparkle of LSD, allowing for extraordinary experiences with none of LSD's demands, being less aggressive than LSD and lacking its "taking control" nature, having a greatly modified degree of visual distortion relative to LSD, having visual effects similar to LSD but much more gentle, and being more allowing than demanding.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

ETH-LAD acts as a serotonin receptor agonist, including of the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor. It shows greater potency and efficacy as a serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonist than LSD in vitro. In addition to the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor, the drug binds with high affinity to the serotonin 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2C receptors. Like LSD, ETH-LAD also binds with lower affinity to the dopamine D₁, D₂, D₃, D₄, and D₅ receptors.
ETH-LAD shows psychedelic-like effects in animals, specifically rodent drug discrimination tests. It is about 1.6- to 2.3-fold more potent than LSD in these tests. Similarly to LSD, ETH-LAD shows moderate anti-inflammatory effects in preclinical research, but with slightly higher potency.

Pharmacokinetics

The in-vitro metabolism of ETH-LAD has been studied.

Chemistry

ETH-LAD, also known as 9,10-didehydro-N,''N'',6-triethylergoline-8β-carboxamide or as 6-ethyl-6-nor-LSD, is a substituted lysergamide derivative related to lysergic acid diethylamide. It is the 6-ethyl derivative of nor-LSD and is the derivative of LSD with an ethyl group instead of methyl group at the 6 position of the ergoline ring system.

Properties

According to Alexander Shulgin, ETH-LAD may be chemically unstable in solution.

Synthesis

The chemical synthesis of ETH-LAD has been described.

Analogues

s of ETH-LAD include nor-LSD, LSD, PRO-LAD, IP-LAD, AL-LAD, FLUORETH-LAD, and CE-LAD, among others. 1P-ETH-LAD, a prodrug of ETH-LAD, has been developed and encountered as a novel designer drug.

History

ETH-LAD was first described in the scientific literature by Tetsukichi Niwaguchi and colleagues by 1976. Subsequently, its preclinical pharmacology was studied and described by Andrew J. Hoffman and David E. Nichols in 1985. ETH-LAD's properties and effects in humans were assessed by Alexander Shulgin. These observations were reported via personal communication by Nichols in 1986, later described by Shulgin himself in a 1994 literature review, and described in-depth by Shulgin himself in his 1997 book TiHKAL. ETH-LAD was encountered as a novel designer drug in Europe by 2016.

Society and culture

On June 10, 2014, the United Kingdom Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended that ETH-LAD be specifically named in the UK Misuse of Drugs Act as a class A drug despite not identifying it as ever having been sold or any harm associated with its use. The UK Home office accepted this advice and announced a ban of the substance to be enacted on 6 January 2015.

United States

ETH-LAD is not an explicitly controlled substance in the United States. However, it could be considered a controlled substance under the Federal Analogue Act if intended for human consumption.