Mephedrone - what is it? Signs and symptoms of use

Life-threatening conditions include fever up to 40 degrees, pressing chest pain, convulsions and loss of consciousness. In this case you need call an ambulance

, exclude any physical activity, place the person with lower limbs down or give a semi-sitting position, ensure an influx of fresh air, remove restrictive clothing. Be sure to loosen your tie and unfasten your belt (if you have one).

After the team arrives, you need to tell the doctors what the patient may have used - this will help to make a more accurate diagnosis and provide special medical care. Nikolay Unguryan himself advises patients with overdose around the clock through the telegram bot overdosehelp_bot - there are detailed instructions on overdose.

— If a person managed it on his own, but is in a “post-marathon” state, then a big mistake at this moment is to drink a lot of liquid. The more a person drinks, the more the overdose effect increases. An increase in fluid increases the concentration of the substance in the blood, so it is better to endure this thirst. After a day, you can start drinking mineral water. It is very important that these waters contain magnesium and sodium,” says the specialist.

What is mephedrone?

Mephedrone is a synthetic designer drug. The chemical name of the molecule is methylmethcathinone. The substance contains laboratory-created cathinone alkaloids. They are similar in structure to amphetamines, but have a stronger euphoric effect. The addict becomes sociable, his mood and libido increase.

History of mephedrone

In nature, these substances are found in the leaves of the khat bush in Africa. Tribal shamans, as well as ordinary aborigines, who chewed the leaves to improve their mood, have long known about their properties. However, they all knew that after joy comes sadness and loss of strength, that is, withdrawal syndrome. A synthetic laboratory analogue of cathinone, which is the basis of mephedrone, is several times more toxic than the plant substance and has destructive consequences.

Why is mephedrone called a designer drug?

Mephedrone is often called a designer drug. This concept is associated with the method of manufacturing the substance. After states ban one type of molecule, manufacturers slightly change the composition of the compound, mephedrone gets a different “design” with similar effects. This effectively creates a new compound; there will be no criminal prosecution for its creation and distribution until the new composition is included in the list of prohibited substances at the legislative level. This bureaucratic process takes time, during which children, youth and adults die. This could include your daughter, son or brother. The drug spares no one!

Under synthetics

“You know, it’s like you’re turning into one huge clitoris,” says Elena (name changed), “every thought is beautiful, sounds, smells. I don’t want to eat, drink, or have sex.” The interlocutor of informburo.kz does not “sit” on synthetics, but sometimes takes it. She believes that the less frequently, the better: with increasing frequency of use, the impressions, according to her, become duller each time.

Finding “concentrated happiness” in large cities of Kazakhstan is not as difficult as we would like. In clubs and on “registrations”, with trusted friends.

“The memories associated with the trip, albeit fragmentary, are so beautiful,” Elena continues, “that if a person whom you didn’t really want to see and generally can’t stand, writes you something like “I have a mdmashka,” you , most likely you will see him. The temptation is simply enormous.”

Consequences of using mephedrone

Accustomment to mephedrone develops after the first use, and tolerance increases during the first weeks of use. The effect lasts less and less, and the sensations become duller. The addict switches from intranasal use to injection, increases the dosage of the substance. The use becomes binge and multi-day - a “marathon” in the slang of drug addicts.

Fatal overdose of mephedrone

The first danger lies in the calculation of the dosage. The insidiousness of a synthetic drug is that even one milligram of the substance can lead to an overdose and death. In a state of constant use and increasing tolerance, the possibility of death from cardiac arrest or stroke increases many times over.

What does “synthetics” look like and how is it distributed?

Synthetic drugs are obtained under artificial conditions. MDPV and mephedrone either appear as a salt-like powder or come in tablet form. Caffeine or acetaminophen (paracetamol) may be added to them as an impurity. They use synthetic drugs not only orally (drink), but also snort them, inject them into the veins, and even take them rectally.

According to the results of a survey conducted in 2011 in the UK, every 25th young person admitted that a year earlier, in 2010, he had taken mephedrone at least once. An audience of almost 300 thousand people made this drug most popular drug among people aged 16 to 35 in Britain after marijuana and cocaine It was sold as a dietary supplement or bath salt, and a serving cost 20-25 pounds (9-12 thousand tenge at the current exchange rate).

Destruction of all spheres of human life by mephedrone

If we talk about the consequences, then all vital systems of a drug addict are destroyed:

• Biological. The general somatic condition of the body is disrupted, the cardiovascular and nervous systems suffer, severe exhaustion and a decrease in body mass index occur;
• Mental. Dysfunctions of the nervous system also affect the brain, which leads to diseases that fall under the purview of major psychiatry. Severe depression, panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder - all these diseases from a short-term acute form in the withdrawal state can become chronic and recurrent in the future if the addict has had a long history of using mephedrone. In addition, the drug can become a trigger for schizophrenic onset, obsessive-compulsive or bipolar disorders if the addict has a hereditary predisposition;
• Social. When using mephedrone, the addict's circle of acquaintances and friends sharply narrows to potential “creditors” or co-users. Problems inevitably arise at work and in the family. The drug addict becomes a declassed element, incapable of social activities without taking a dose of the substance. It becomes his friend, his enemy, and his powerful master.
• Spiritual. The degradation of moral and ethical principles is occurring rapidly. The thought of not having the drug is so scary for the addict that he becomes capable of any act. To deceive your mother, take your grandmother’s jewelry out of the house, or sell your child into slavery to the gypsies - this will not be difficult for an addict in a state of withdrawal.

Psychological consequences of using mephedrone

In addition to physical destruction and mental pathologies of an organic nature, psychological consequences play an important role. They are not associated with organ dysfunction, but they are the most difficult to work with. Among them:

• Prolonged and severe apathy;
• Social disorientation;
• Suicidal tendencies;
• Auto-aggression in thoughts and behavior;
• General lack of motivation for life.

The last issue is key. In the early stages of the disease, it is possible to make pathologies reversible, relieve withdrawal symptoms and stabilize the somatic and mental status of the patient. But he faces the main question - how to live without the drug, without that feeling of “euphoria” that cannot be forgotten. It will beckon to the addict for the rest of his life and this specific symptom of the disease of addiction is called craving. It’s not without reason that the world’s leading drug experts say that a drug addict always wants to repeat the effect of the first injection, but he can’t do it.

Working with cravings and cultivating motivation for sobriety is the task of qualified addictionologists and clinical psychologists. It can be effectively carried out only in a closed rehabilitation center.

Staffing and sexuality2

For many sexaholics, the feeling of fullness in the stomach is part of the so-called foreplay. It is believed that if you eat a large meal before sex, you are more likely to have a violent orgasm, because with an inflated belly, the pelvic organs are slightly pressed down and shifted downward.

Frankly, a woman's belly itself is sexy within reason. Take images of Greek goddesses or photos of girls from the 80s: very appetizing forms. Only for that era there was no concept of “food fetish”, and obesity was considered the norm of physical development, a sign of a healthy body. But times are changing, beauty standards are reaching a new level and perceptions are no longer normal.

Staffing appeared in America several years ago and began to actively spread throughout the world. However, the United States still remains very popular. The overwhelming majority of men are adherents of classic female forms, albeit round ones. Those who are too fat are considered to be unkempt, and they don’t pay much attention to such people.

How to understand that a loved one is using the drug mephedrone

When using mephedrone, a person suddenly becomes closed and distances himself from people who might suspect drug addiction. These include the addict's parents, husband or wife, close friends, teachers or colleagues.

The main symptoms include:

• Cyclothymia - sudden mood swings from extreme joy during drug intoxication to severe depression during withdrawal;
• Significant weight loss;
• Hyperemia (redness) of the skin;
• Dilated pupils and yellowing of the sclera with severe damage to the gastrointestinal tract and liver;
• Insomnia and predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. Attacks of many days of sleep after a “marathon”;
• Deceit and resourcefulness;
• Specific vocabulary. Addicts code their use in communication. If you hear words such as “mef”, “flour”, “meow”, “bookmark” (and your son or daughter is not a book lover) - you should take immediate action;
• Theft of things from home, attempts to take out loans for relatives and a constant string of microloans.

What to do if a loved one uses mephedrone

If you suspect any of these symptoms, you need to take action as soon as possible. Conversations with a loved one about the dangers of addiction and drugs will lead nowhere, but will only worsen the situation. The drug addict will say that he will certainly quit the addiction, but in reality he will only begin to hide his use more carefully. It is necessary to immediately contact specialists. Dr. Lazarev’s drug treatment clinic is open 24 hours a day and is ready to help you at any time.

How long can a drug addict use mephedrone?

The disease is stronger than the addict, and progresses rapidly. Rare systematic users of mephedrone live more than 4 years. Basically - 1-2 years. For comparison, some heroin addicts of the 90s, who served a couple of decades in maximum security colonies with systematic use, come to a rehabilitation center on their own at over forty years of age and begin to successfully recover. And their chances of long-term remission are much higher than those of a schoolchild with 2 years of mephedrone experience.

Why do we need to talk about drugs?

You need to know the “enemy” by sight. Thus, according to statistics from rehabilitation centers, more than 60% of requests are for synthetic drugs. 25% - pharmacy and 15% - opioids. And if heroin is “old school”, people who started using it back in the 90s and miraculously survived, then the average age of a “pharmacy” drug addict is 14 years old, and by 18 they “move to another league” and try “synthetics”. At the same time, the problem is practically not discussed in society.

“Sometimes during consultations, parents, knowing only that “drugs are heroin,” tend to devalue the problem and downplay it. Like: “He’s not a drug addict, he doesn’t do drugs, he just smokes.” Guided by the principle of “two evils,” I always want to say: it would be better if he took drugs. At least he would have more chances…” says Olga Agapova.

In October 2022, CADAP (Central Asia Drug Prevention Program) held a regional expert meeting in Almaty on the topic “New psychoactive substances: legal and practical challenges.” Experts from Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Hungary and Central Asian countries gathered and they all voiced the same problems: drug crime is always one step ahead.

Drug dealers take advantage of the slowness of the state (the new law adopted in the Republic of Kazakhstan just the other day should significantly help in the “war”), the lack of awareness of risk groups and their relatives and friends, since in a “civilized society” they try not to talk about it at all. In the conclusion about the death of an 18-year-old teenager, no one will write “jumped from the roof under the influence of an unknown substance”; they will certainly find a more socially acceptable reason.

But instead of hushing up the problem, we can begin to solve it in a civilized way. Thus, the Global Commission on Drug Policy released its seventh report on the drug problem in the world and society’s attitude towards drug addicts, which proposes to begin a constructive dialogue. For example, do not throw around the word “drug addict” and introduce the concept of drug phobia into broad circulation.

How does dependence on mephedrone manifest itself?

Dependence on mephedrone appears after just a few doses of the drug. At the psychological level, it manifests itself after the first use. The addict wants to experience euphoric feelings again. After some time, the duration of the effect weakens, and more and more of the drug introduced into the body is required. Experts distinguish 3 stages of development of dependence on mephedrone:

• Primary use with friends, interest and craving for the drug (from a week to a month depending on the frequency of use), symptoms include liveliness, sleep disturbance and a sharp change in social circle;
• Increasing tolerance and exacerbation of chronic diseases (from a month to a year), here the presence of binge drinking in “marathons” is noted, withdrawal syndrome and dependence are formed at the mental level, lies, theft, loans and loss of work appear, destruction affects all areas;
• Physical and mental degradation (from six months to several years), symptoms include irreversible changes in the psyche and internal organs, loss of cognitive skills and acquired dementia, dystrophy and death. At this stage, it is impossible to return a person to their original state, but it is possible to help - to partially restore what was lost and improve the quality of life.

How does withdrawal syndrome occur in the absence of mephedrone in a drug addict?

Withdrawal syndrome begins immediately after the substance's effect in the body ends and includes:

• Increased depression and general level of anxiety;
• The emergence of paranoid thoughts and obsessive compulsive behavior;
• Phobias, mania and panic attacks;
• The appearance of delusional hallucinosis, both auditory and visual.

These stages may appear within a week after drug withdrawal. At the moment of the active form of hallucinosis, the addiction becomes obvious to neighbors or relatives who call a mental health team.

The result is disastrous. The patient is hospitalized in an acute psychiatric hospital, where, not seeing ethanol in the blood, the doctor does not diagnose delirium tremens, but questions the diagnosis F19 - schizophrenia. The symptoms are very similar. If it is confirmed, you can forget about studying, a car and a good job. Stamped for life.

Mephedrone can be detected in the blood within the first 1-3 days, and in urine - up to 5-7 days. However, a rapid test from a pharmacy does not always give an accurate result. Tests must be carried out in a licensed health care facility. You can always do this in our drug treatment clinic.

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Treatment of mephedrone addiction

Treatment of mephedrone addiction requires a comprehensive approach to therapeutic intervention. Addiction is a chronic, incurable and relapsing disease. However, with a competent expert approach to treatment, long-term remission can be achieved, up to a lifetime.

Treatment at the clinic's inpatient facility

In Dr. Lazarev’s drug treatment clinic, several professionals work with patients. A psychiatrist-narcologist who determines a treatment regimen and prescribes medications. A clinical psychologist who will help you pay attention to the causes of the disease and find the strength to motivate yourself for a successful cure. Nurses who administer injections, place IVs and perform other medical procedures.

Rehabilitation in a country center

Relieving withdrawal symptoms is only the beginning of successful treatment for mephedrone addiction. The patient is transferred to a closed sanatorium or rehabilitation center. Here he integrates into the therapeutic community and, under the guidance of experienced addictionologists and clinical psychologists, learns to work with cravings and form a positive attitude towards a sober life.

Post-treatment program

Upon discharge from the hospital, the patient continues to attend an outpatient post-treatment program, where he is supported by specialists and a group during the first days of sobriety in society.

Working with codependent relatives

An important aspect is working with relatives who show codependency towards a loved one. Mom, dad, sister - any close people begin to feel sorry for the drug addict, take the blame upon themselves, engage in rescue efforts, aggravating the problem. To avoid such developments, the clinic provides special groups with a psychologist, where they teach how to behave with an addict, not indulge the whims of the disease, and use the tough love method.

Treatment of mephedrone addiction is a long process. The observation stage in a hospital hospital takes from 14 days to a month. The rehabilitation process lasts from 6 to 9 months. Outpatient observation – 3 months.

However, only with an integrated approach is it possible to restore the areas of a drug addict’s life affected by mephedrone and return him to a sober life. And most importantly, give the opportunity to understand that you can get euphoria without drugs.

Why do people take drugs at all?

We live in a consumer society, says sociologist Alexandra Dmitrieva, and any consumption, including drug use, based on the relevant theory, is normal. Non-injection drugs, the irregular use of which is not visible from the outside , shape behavioral styles and become a kind of social reference point in space. “If I am here, I am not there; with these, not with those."

It works a little like religious affiliation.

It is important to understand that the problem of excessive consumption extends to all areas of life. And reasonable, conscious consumption, hypothetically, can also apply to drugs. But in this area it is more difficult to find the line beyond which problems begin. It is more difficult to admit and talk about problems, because it is not accepted to conduct a dialogue about problems of “this kind” in “decent society”.

Instead of working with people who, for one reason or another, began to take drugs, other people and public institutions, including the state , immediately stigmatize them. And we’re talking primarily about public perception; let’s leave healthcare and the law out of the equation for the moment. Although even treatment, at least in the post-Soviet space, is designed as a punishment.

Michel Foucault has the idea that power is not only repressive, but also productive: it produces subjects, calling them by a certain name and giving them certain characteristics. Hospitals and clinics create patients, courts and prisons create criminals; a similar analogy can be drawn with drug addicts. Obviously, drug addicts appear not as a phenomenon, but as a separate social group - with the medicalization of society, the spread of medical and scientific knowledge and the intensification of state control of human lives (the last phenomenon Foucault calls biopolitics). And if a drug addict is part of society, then it is impossible to pretend that he does not exist.

“The question that can be asked in this case is: “Who is a drug addict and when, under what conditions does it arise?” – says sociologist Alexey Blokhin . – And here it’s worth thinking about how drugs are defined. At various times, drugs such as nicotine, alcohol and caffeine have been included in the list, and although it seems strange from the 21st century, there have been attempts to ban coffee in Mecca, the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe. Arguments related to the negative impact of the drink on health were also cited as justification for the ban. More famous stories involve bans or restrictions on smoking and the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Perhaps the very appearance of the term “drug addict” is connected with the need to somehow designate the phenomenon, to highlight it, most likely for the purpose of normalizing it, combating it, stigmatizing it.”

There is a public declaration formed in this way: drugs are bad because everyone said so. But if everyone said so and everyone thinks so, then why do drugs continue to exist?

Robert Johnson, American bluesman

In the article “Drugs and Popular Culture,” cultural scientist Andrew Blake mentions a peculiar myth about Faust (only heroin): Robert Johnson, a popular blues musician (he is part of the “27 Club”), supposedly once met the devil at a crossroads somewhere in Mississippi, sold gave him his soul and began to play better than anyone in the world. And legends of this kind about the miraculous effects of heroin on creativity extend far beyond the borders of the United States. Blake believed that British musicians used the drug in hopes of matching the genius of African Americans. But drugs do not immediately enter the culture. Thus, many drugs, including nicotine and alcohol, were used in medical practices (including, as paradoxical as it may sound, in the fight against drugs, remember morphine and LSD).

“In addition, narcotic substances were and are an integral part of many religions and social practices,” continues Alexey Blokhin. – The centralized fight against drugs in Western European countries begins, apparently, in the 19th century, and in each case, the questions of who is considered a drug addict and who is not, what is considered a drug, and what is a medical drug or addiction, are determined by the current situation. moment and at a given time, the conjuncture of relations between different types of knowledge and power - the main factors here, most likely, are medicine and the state, but we should not forget about religion, tradition and the economic system.”

How long does mephedrone remain in the body?

In blood

The more a substance enters the body, the higher its concentration in the blood. The rate of entry into this biomaterial depends on the method of use. The highest concentration is observed with intravenous administration.

The rate of elimination of a compound is determined by its half-life. For mephedrone the figure is 2-5 hours. A designer drug can be detected in the blood within 12 to 48 hours.

In urine

Urine is most often used for drug tests. If used once, mephedrone can be detected in biological fluid for up to 48 hours. If a person takes a substance frequently, it accumulates in the body. Therefore, the drug can be detected within 3 days, and sometimes even a week.

In the hair

Mephedrone lasts the longest in hair – up to 90 days. In this case, it does not matter how long the substance was used. Tests will detect a drug even if a person has tried it only once.

In saliva

Mephedrone is a fresh designer drug. There are no exact studies revealing the duration of removal of the substance from saliva, so the period of its presence in biological material is unknown.

How to use snuff

To get the desired effect of snuff, it must be used correctly. There are several options for using smoking tobacco:

1. The resulting mixture of tobacco powder and additives is rolled into balls, which are then placed in the nostrils, which often leads to a sneeze reflex.
2. As in the case of cocaine, a kind of trail of tobacco mixture is laid out on a flat surface, which is inhaled using a special tube or an ordinary ballpoint pen.
3. The tobacco is placed in the palm of your hand - between the index and thumb - and then inhaled.

Whatever method of consuming snuff you choose, it is worth understanding how harmful the effects of nicotine can be on the human body, and in this case, the nasal mucosa and upper respiratory tract are most affected. The effect of inhaling tobacco is much stronger than in the case of smoking a cigarette or cigarette.

How to remove mephedrone from the body

At home

The best way is to drink more water. The kidneys will work more actively, and the maximum amount of the substance will be released in the urine. The maximum volume of liquid is 3-3.5 liters. It is worth noting that this can only be used by people with absolutely healthy kidneys.

It is also advised to go in for sports, visit a sauna or steam bath, but this can be dangerous to life and health. Mephedrone harms the heart, so exercise can be fatal.

In the hospital

Effective treatment takes place exclusively in medical institutions. At Dr. Lazarev’s drug treatment clinic, a psychiatrist-narcologist will determine a treatment regimen and prescribe medications, for example, analgesics, antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive drugs, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, and multivitamins.

Signs of overdose and treatment

Snuff is often used as an alternative to smoking, as a way to get rid of the bad habit of smoking. There will be a positive effect only if the dose of snuff is constantly reduced, otherwise another addiction will appear. As a rule, this method of quitting smoking leads to an increase in the dose, which often causes an overdose. Its signs are:

• severe headaches and dizziness;
• nausea and vomiting;
• bowel dysfunction;
• aches throughout the body;
• hallucinations and visions.

It is very difficult to get out of this state on your own, so in most cases it is impossible to do without medical intervention. First of all, a narcologist will detoxify the body using special medications. After this, the most effective treatment will be prescribed.

Mephedrone test

Express tests

Mephedrone in urine is easily determined using pharmacy express tests. This method does not require any special skills; the test is carried out at home. Unfortunately, such tests are not reliable and may not detect the presence of a substance in the urine if the concentration of the drug has decreased.

Medical analysis

You can take a blood and urine test for the presence of mephedrone only in a special laboratory. This method is the most accurate. The possibility of error is almost completely eliminated.

How to quit mephedrone at home

Mephedrone addicts often do not admit the problem, but explain their drug use as a desire to relax. Narcological practice confirms that treating addiction to mephedrone at home is ineffective. To overcome the disease you need:

• medical supervision;
• drug treatment;
• isolation from co-predators;
• help during withdrawal periods.

At Dr. Lazarev’s clinic, addicts will receive effective treatment, support from doctors and psychologists aimed at eliminating physical and psychological cravings for the substance.

Methods of administration

The most popular way to take it is to inhale mephedrone powder. The powder is also diluted in liquid or taken in tablet form, that is, consumed orally. Dealers often mix the substance with sugar and salt.

The intravenous route of administration is the most dangerous, as it causes rapid addiction.

The duration of intoxication depends on the method of consumption:

• Intravenous injections provide immediate euphoria, lasting from 40 minutes to 1.5 hours.
• Intranasal use gives an effect lasting 1-2 hours, after 5-15 minutes.
• Oral administration of the substance into the body maintains the state of intoxication for the longest time - from three to five hours, but it occurs later than other methods of use - after 15-15 minutes.
• Intramuscular and rectal use of mephedrone is also common.

Features of snuff composition

Having heard this outlandish name for the first time, many wonder how to make snuff and enjoy using it. Tobacco mixtures, inhaled through the nose, are based on tobacco leaves, crushed to a powder. Various flavors and other additives are added to it, and the main active ingredient is nicotine. It has been proven that when using tobacco nasally, a much larger amount of nicotine enters the body than in the case of traditional smoking.

Despite the fact that the harm of snuff can be considered obvious, it is not a source of tar and other harmful substances released when smoking tobacco. This applies to all types of snuff, although dry snuff is especially in demand today. It can be bought at any tobacco store, but long-term use of smoking mixtures leads to addiction.