When you hear the term designer drugs, the first thing that pops into your mind might be a ridiculous image of a pill with the Coach logo stamped on it, but actually it’s something much more sinister. Designer drugs, also called synthetic drugs or research drugs, are created in a laboratory, usually an illegal one, by changing the properties of a substance that comes from a plant. For example, you might use chemistry to alter morphine, marijuana, or cocaine into substances that have a different effect on the brain.
Why would anyone want to alter a perfectly effective drug? One reason is to get around drug laws. For instance, before marijuana started being legalized, people tried to find ways to create something with a similar effect that could sell legally. Someone in a lab would synthesize a product that was made up of ingredients that are perfectly legal and figure out how to make them into a drug that will make people high. It can take a while for these drugs to be discovered and for the law to catch up with them.
Designer drugs can be even more dangerous than their original counterparts. Because they might be made in different labs – and by chemists with varying degrees of talent and scruples – there’s no way to be sure exactly what potency you’re going to end up with, or how safe the drug is. Designer drugs are sometimes marketed as herbal supplements, at least before law enforcement catches on to them, and therefore aren’t regulated. This means that there are no standards imposed on the manufacturing process. Since 2009, law enforcement officials have discovered approximately 95 different synthetic cannabinoids being labeled and sold as legal alternatives to marijuana.
Many designer drugs also turn out to be contaminated. For example, Ecstasy tablets are often contaminated with ephedrine (which is used to treat allergies and asthma), ketamine (an injected anesthetic given for minor surgeries), and methamphetamine.
Here are some examples of popular designer drugs:
- Spice, or K2. Synthetic marijuana, but often more potent and habit-forming.
- Also called E or Molly; a synthetic psychoactive drug similar to amphetamines and mescaline that originally produces euphoria but can later cause depression and anxiety.
- Bath salts. Often contains one or more synthetic chemicals related to cathinones, a naturally occurring amphetamine. They are meant to mimic the effects of methamphetamine.
- Methylenedioxypyrovalerone, or MDPV. A psychoactive stimulant narcotic often found in bath salts.
- Mephedrone, sometimes called meow meow. Commonly found in bath salts, it is a synthetic stimulant.
- A less-expensive heroin substitute and a synthetic morphine derivative. Sometimes called the zombie drug because it can cause skin infections and necrosis.
Because you never know exactly what you’re getting, it can be easy to overdose on these drugs. It’s also difficult for doctors to treat these overdoses without knowing exactly what went into them.
If you or a loved one need help with quitting drugs or alcohol, consider Asana Recovery. We offer medical detox, along with both residential and outpatient programs, and you’ll be supervised by a highly trained staff of medical professionals, counselors, and therapists. Call us any time at (949) 438-4504 to get started.
