Designer Drugs

Designer drugs have been around for many years. The call them the “Legal” high in which people then abuse them and some die from these drugs. Drug dealers change the compounds of these drugs in attempts to keep them just right under the legality scale in which the government can label them illegal. In doing this many deaths have occurred from these designer drugs. These drugs include the following:

• Bath salts
• Cathinones
• Mephedrone
• Methylone
• Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
• Synthetic cannabinoids
• Spice
• 25I-NBOMe
• N-bomb

The dangers of these drugs include acute toxicity which damage the person in ways that cause psychiatric issues and medical issues, e.g., anxiety, agitation, psychosis, and tachycardia. Because these drugs have a lack of information available, this makes long-term treatment difficult for clinicians to treat. Commonly reported effects include diaphoresis, palpitations, muscle tension or spasms, and bruxism (jaw clenching). Extreme ear, nose, and throat pain are reported to the point of bleeding from the nose and the inability to eat due to sever pain in the throat. According to Weaver, Hopper, & Gunderson (2015), “The use of bath salts has been associated with cardiac arrhythmias and myocarditis; significant hyponatremia has been reported with mephedrone use,”(Designer Drug Assessment). Other physiological effects include anxiety, trouble thinking clearly, agitation, paranoia, and delusions. The most danger is many deaths occur from designer drugs and the age range of these drugs has gone to include teens and young adults, yet a recent study showed reported use of adults up to age 40. The side effects include extreme dry mouth, vomiting, headaches, and skin rashes.

Reference

Weaver, M.F., Hopper, J.A., Gunderson, E.W., (2015). Designer Drugs Assessment 2015: Assessment and Management. 10 (1):8 Retrieved fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM