A wide variety of synthetic stimulants and entactogens are now being marketed as "safer" or "quasi legal" alternatives to MDMA, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
"Bath salts", "Ivory wave" "Plant Food" and "Vanilla Sky" are examples of products containing various substituted cathinones. Many people appear to be accessing these increasingly obscure drugs via online sites such as 'Silk Road".
Little is known about their potential for inducing acute problems (cardiac infarction, stroke, hyperthermia, seizure, psychosis) or chronic problems (with physical health, depression or anxiety, neurological problems, dependence and withdrawal).
Is anyone aware of lab research, animal studies or case histories that might better inform us about the possible implications of this emerging trend?
regards,
Paul.
Some links re: Cathinones- current research;
MDPV works in the same fashion as cocaine, but has a stronger effect;
Powerful cocaine-like actions of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), a principal constituent of psychoactive 'bath salts' products.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23072836
Rats habituated to MDPV self-administered it more reguarly than rats habituated to methamphetamine. When the dose was made harder to access, rats habituated to MDPV persisted in seeking the drug longer than those habituated to methamphetamine. The novel recreational drug 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a potent psychomotor stimulant: Self-administration and locomotor activity in rats > http://tlneuro.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/34-methylenedioxypyrovalerone-mdpv-bath-salts-is-a-potent-reinforcer-with-significant-abuse-liability/
Unlike MDPV, Mephedrone (MMCat) releases monoamines directly, like methamphetamine.
Acute problems induced by methamphetamine toxicity are typically a result of too much dopamine, (stereotyped behaviours, delusions, induced psychotic episode) or too much adrenaline (stroke, cardiac infarction).
Acute problems induced by MDMA toxicity are typically a result of too much serotonin, (hyperthermia, seizures).
Other acute problems (eg hypernatraemia) may be associated with any type of stimulant toxicity simply through dehydration.
This study shows that MMCat releases more dopamine than methamphetamine does, but also releases more serotonin than MDMA does, suggesting that acute problems with toxicity may be far more likely with this drug than with either of the illicit substances it is marketed as an alternative to.
Additionally, the study shows that the increases in dopamine and serotonin MMCat produces are far more short lived than those induced by the other two drugs.
This implies MMCat would have a high potential for dependent use.
Incidentally, a shorter relative half-life is probably why the rats habituated to MPDV self administered it twice as often as the "meth rats" in the previous study, (above).
Mephedrone, compared with MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamine, rapidly increases both dopamine and 5-HT levels in nucleus accumbens of awake rats
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21615721
Finally, some products marketed as "Plant food" or "Bath Salts" etc are actually mixtures of different cathinones and other substances. This creates serious potential for poly-drug toxicity.
Several products have been identified as containing mixtures of MDPV and Mephedrone (MMCat). As the first inhibits re-uptake of dopamine (in a similar way to cocaine) and as the second promotes direct release of dopamine and other monoamines (in a similar way to methamphetamine) there is presumably an increased risk of toxicity when such drugs are combined.
Mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), major constituents of "bath salts," produce opposite effects at the human dopamine transporter.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23371489
Any thoughts, anecdotal evidence, or links to studies, case histories or discussion of them, would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Paul.
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