Effects of Synthetics

The new synthetic drugs that are making the rounds of drug-using markets are some of the most destructive drugs available today. Older drugs like heroin and cocaine could destroy a person’s life by causing a general deterioration of quality of life or by overdose, but many of these new drugs can destroy a life by triggering psychotic episodes of hallucinations, aggression, paranoia, suicidal thoughts or impulses and homicidal tendencies.

LSD, PCP and Ecstasy (MDMA) were the earlier synthetic drugs and amphetamine and methamphetamine were even earlier than that. Now, international chemists seem to have discovered this new market and are distributing one new destructive chemical after another into the illicit drug market. Some of them manage to stay one step ahead of the law by shifting the formula of a particular drug they are selling, as soon as it has become illegal. They just move a few molecules and they have a new chemical that may not be illegal.

This has been the pattern of the game as a long list of new drugs have been distributed across Europe, the UK and the US. Certain formulations have become recognized as “bath salts” or synthetic marijuana and many other drugs are just identified by numbers and letters. As a whole, this category of drug is known for its unpredictable effects.

The adverse effects of these drugs go far beyond the idea of the overdose, suppressed breathing or slowed heart rate of more common drugs. The effects of these synthetics can be so violent as to take out not only the drug user himself (or herself) but also children or adults in the vicinity.

Example of Adverse Effects of Synthetics

There’s “bath salts,” there’s synthetic marijuana and there’s drugs that used to be called “designer drugs.” Now all these classes of drugs are starting to be grouped together with the designation “synthetics.”

Synthetic marijuana is sold as Spice or K2 or one of a dozen other names. It produces some effects similar to marijuana but much stronger and with a faster onset. Some people use this drug because it could not be detected on a drug test, but this is no longer true. Other people used it because it was not illegal, but that is not true now either.

Some users have experienced severe episodes of psychotic behavior. Paranoia, extreme anxiety and hallucinations can result in aggressive, even homicidal behavior. Compounds used in Spice have also caused rapid heart rate, increased blood pressure, vomiting and confusion. It has also been associated with heart attacks.

There’s another set of chemicals that are sold as “bath salts.” These drugs are packaged in small foil envelopes that say “for a refreshing bath, not for human consumption.” These packets may contain mephedrone, MDPV (methylenedioxy pryrovalerone) or any of eighty other chemicals. Bath salts are supposed to mimic the effects of cocaine or methamphetamine. Use of these drugs may also result in paranoia, violent behavior, higher blood pressure and possible heart attack or stroke. Paranoia and violent, aggressive tendencies have resulted in assaults, murders and suicides.

One woman who injected bath salts into her forearm lost the arm and her shoulder, breast and other tissue when a flesh-destroying infection set in. In June 2012, a woman in Munnsville, New York began beating and choking her three-year-old child in a parking lot. Police tried to subdue her with a taser and she went into cardiac arrest. The mother had stripped her clothes off before she assaulted the police who answered the call, which is consistent with the overheating effect of bath salts.

There are some drugs that are only known by a letter-number combination, like 2C-I or 2C-B. In Australia, fatal effects have resulted from a synthetic known only as 25B-NBOMe. These drugs were distributed on small fragments of paper, like LSD has been. Effects like bizarre behavior, paranoia and confusion have been seen after use of this drug as well.

New Synthetic Drugs Arrive on the Illicit Market

As reported by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a new, deadly substance is being abused by those seeking a thrill in the UK and in Europe. This new drug is a synthetic nicknamed 4,4’-DMAR, 4-methyl-euphoria, 4-methyl-U4Euh, 4-M-4-MAR, 4,4-dimethylaminorex or Serotoni. It currently is not illegal in the countries in which it has been found, but it is derived from an illegal drug, 4-methylaminorex, which has an action similar to that of methamphetamine.

4-methyl-euphoria has so far been responsible for 18 deaths in the UK and eight in Hungary. Those who died have manifested agitation, hyperthermia (abnormally high body temperature), foaming at the mouth and cardiac arrest. It has been sold as a powder or in tablet form in a variety of colors or shapes.

Addiction Makes these Drugs Particularly Dangerous

Because all these drugs are addictive, a person may start using them, suffer terrible damage and not be able to stop himself (or herself) from going back to them again and again. When addiction threatens a person’s life in this way, he must have access to a drug rehabilitation program that helps him build a new, sober life. With drugs this heavy, it takes a thorough program that teaches new life skills and that allows for deep detoxification of drug residues that might continue to affect mood.

That is what recovering addicts find at more than 20 Narconon centers across the US and around the world. From California to Russia, from Colombia to Taiwan, Narconon centers provides an eight to ten week program that helps repair the damage, reduce the cravings and set the stage for a new, sober life Find out now how you can help someone come back to life after synthetics abuse.

Also see Signs and Symptoms of Abusing Synthetic Drugs

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