Designer cathinones—An emerging class of novel recreational drugs

Abstract A new group of recreational drugs, popularly known as “bath salts”, “plant feeders” or “plant food”, has recently emerged in numerous countries. Although various products are labeled with warnings “not for human consumption” or “not tested for hazards or toxicity”, they are intended to prod...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inForensic science international Vol. 231; no. 1; pp. 42 - 53
Main Authors Zawilska, Jolanta B, Wojcieszak, Jakub
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 10.09.2013
Elsevier Limited
Subjects
Amphetamines
Anxiety
Bath salts
Candles
Cathinones
Delirium
Derivatives
Drugs
Entrepreneurs
Failure
Forensic science
Forensic sciences
Heart attacks
Heart rate
Hyperactivity
Hypertension
Insomnia
Medical treatment
Mephedrone
Methamphetamine
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
Narcotics
Novel psychoactive drugs
Pathology
Recreational drugs
Respiratory distress syndrome
Sinuses
Toxicity
Warning
United States > US
Europe
Mephedrone
Cathinones
Bath salts
Novel psychoactive drugs
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
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Summary:Abstract A new group of recreational drugs, popularly known as “bath salts”, “plant feeders” or “plant food”, has recently emerged in numerous countries. Although various products are labeled with warnings “not for human consumption” or “not tested for hazards or toxicity”, they are intended to produce a high similar to that obtained with illegal stimulants, such as MDMA, methamphetamine or cocaine. The active compounds in “bath salts” are cathinone derivatives continuously developed and modified by drug designers to avoid detection or legal scrutiny. Around 2010 the most prevalent were mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) and MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone). This review surveys the current state of knowledge regarding the pharmacotoxicological properties of synthetic cathinones, the prevalence and pattern of their use. Special emphasis is given to the negative consequences of using these products including, among others, cardiovascular, psychiatric and neurologic symptoms, dehydration, rhambdomyolysis, renal and liver failure. Case reports on synthetic cathinones-related fatalities are also presented.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:0379-0738
1872-6283
DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2013.04.015