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Mephedrone Abuse

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Mephedrone Abuse

Mephedrone is the common name for 4-methylmethcathinone, a manmade, illegal stimulant sometimes found in the designer drug preparations known in popular culture as “bath salts.” Along with a variety of other active ingredients found in these preparations, such as MDPV and butylone, it belongs to a chemically related group of mind-altering drugs called synthetic cathinones. In addition to its use in “bath salts,” mephedrone is also sometimes used on its own as an intravenous (IV) drug. Mephedrone abuse can trigger a number of unpleasant or dangerous short-term side effects, and may also lead to long-term or permanent changes in the user’s mood and normal memory function.

The Basics

Mephedrone and all other synthetic cathinones are designed to chemically resemble cathinone, a natural stimulant found in the African/Middle Eastern plant species called Catha edulis. This stimulant acts as the main ingredient in khat, the common name for fresh or dried preparations made from Catha edulis leaves. Pharmaceutical researchers first created mephedrone during the 1920s while developing a variety of compounds based on cathinone. However, unlike some synthetic cathinones that eventually saw legitimate use as medications (including the antidepressant buproprion (Wellbutrin, Zyban) and the appetite suppressant pyrovalerone), mephedrone went essentially unnoticed until it emerged in the early 2000s as an illicitly manufactured stimulant. Current federal law specifically forbids the sale, possession, or use of the drug.

Much of the mephedrone currently available in the United States and other countries apparently comes from laboratories in mainland China. Forms of the drug include powders, crystals, tablets and capsules. Depending on the specific chemical processes used to create it, mephedrone can possess a readily apparent odor that resembles things such as bleach, fish, urine, vanilla or the chemicals commonly used to clean the circuit boards in electronic equipment. Many people nasally inhale the drug with the same techniques used to snort cocaine. Other methods of administration include oral intake, smoking, rectal intake and IV injection. In addition to “bath salts,” products that contain mephedrone and other synthetic cathinones are sometimes advertised as plant foods, insecticides or other substances falsely labeled as “not meant for human consumption.” Slang terms for mephedrone, in particular, include Drone, Bubble, MCAT, M-CAT and Meow.

Drug Effects

Mephedrone and other synthetic cathinones produce effects in the brain and spinal cord (i.e., the central nervous system) that closely resemble the effects of legal stimulants such as amphetamine and methylphenidate (Ritalin), as well as the effects of illegal stimulants such as cocaine and MDMA (better known as Ecstasy). The hallmark of all of these drugs is the ability to increase normal levels of three vital chemicals-norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine-that perform a range of tasks in a healthy, functioning brain. Norepinephrine elevation triggers heightened amounts of activity in the body’s “fight-or-flight” circuitry, while serotonin elevation creates an overall sense of increased well-being. Dopamine elevation triggers euphoria by increasing nerve cell activity in the parts of the brain responsible for producing pleasurable rewards.

Short-Term Effects

Potential short-term side effects of mephedrone use include nausea, vomiting, sleeplessness, anxiety, paranoia, heartbeat irregularities, headaches, involuntary muscle twitching, and loss of normal circulation in the lips or extremities. People who use the drug intravenously or in unusually high doses may develop additional problems such as blurred vision, chest tightness, heart muscle inflammation, or a dangerous form of fluid imbalance called hyponatremia. Because of a relative lack of information, doctors and researchers don’t know for sure if extreme problems associated with mephedrone use can result in death.

Long-Term Effects

Most stimulant drugs create risks for addiction when their long-term use damages the brain’s dopamine production and triggers an eventual dopamine decrease. These drugs also create risks for medically serious depression when their long-term use leads to eventual decreases in normal serotonin production. According to a study published in 2011 in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, ongoing mephedrone use apparently produces expected decreases in serotonin levels, but does not produce expected decreases in dopamine levels. In real-world terms, this means that long-term abuse of the drug may lead to serious depression, but not drug addiction. However, not all evidence supports mephedrone’s relatively low addiction risks, and some researchers believe that these risks are considerable in long-term abusers of the drug. In 2012, researchers at Australia’s University of Sydney concluded that mephedrone can produce significant long-term memory impairments; no one knows if these impairments are permanent or ultimately reversible.

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