Designer-drugs-Effect-on-brain-chemistry-like-ecstasy

Designer drugs: Effect on brain chemistry 'like ecstasy'

Designer drugs: Effect on brain chemistry 'like ecstasy' – BBC

Scientists have confirmed that two stimulant drugs banned in the UK appear similar to ecstasy in their immediate effects on the brain.

Selling or possessing mephedrone and methylone, also known as "miaow" and "plant food", was made illegal in 2010. US and UK researchers have confirmed that their effects on brain chemistry are similar to other amphetamine-related drugs.

A drug charity says use remains widespread, despite the ban. While there have been studies into the short and longer-term effects of MDMA, or ecstasy, the relative novelty of mephedrone and methylone means much less is known about how they work and whether they are causing damage.

The researchers administered the drugs to live rats while observing changes to a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens.

The journal Neuropsychopharmacology reported that, just as with other amphetamines, including ecstasy, as the dose increased, so did the levels of the mood chemicals serotonin and dopamine.Rrepeated doses of ecstasy caused a rise in body temperature and more long-lasting changes in brain chemistry, more particularly a lowering of serotonin levels. This may correspond with a "low" suffered by some ecstasy users in the days after taking the drug.

However, the researchers did not observe these effects to the same degree with mephedrone and methylone. This did not mean that the drugs were a safer option than ecstasy, the researchers said, adding that their longer-term effects needed further study, as did their addictive qualities.

'Toxic mix'

Harry Shapiro from Drugscope said there were still large numbers of young people using mephedrone in the UK, even though it had been made a controlled substance.

The British Crime Survey results, published in July, suggested that 7.65% of 16- to 24-year-olds interviewed admitted trying cocaine, amphetamines or mephedrone, compared with 5.85% who admitted trying only cocaine or amphetamines.

Mr Shapiro said: "The harms and potential danger with taking drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine are well known, and these substances are related to those drugs. There is no evidence that this is a safer option. The real risk comes with mixing different drugs, and if you drink alcohol on top of this it can become a truly toxic mix."

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Quotes

"I have been addicted to pretty much every drug out there. I've been living like this for over 15 years, but I have never became so addicted so quick aw to mephedrone."

Anonymous

"I don't miss the fact that now when my lips move it is more than likely I am actually telling the truth."

Jane S

"I don't miss the fear that arose when I'm driving my car every time a police car hovers into view."

Steven

"My lowest point was when I realised I was stealing money from my daughters Christmas presents to fund my habit."

P. Gomez

"That's what made me think of stopping my drug habits - My Blood pressure spiked at 200/110 last week during a Panic Attack."

Maria

"Anyone being faced with the reality that their addiction needs to be conquered and their life will change is going to be scared."

Fatima

"You need to realize that the little voice in your head telling you to use is your own."

Maya

"Find out why you use, find out your triggers, and take it day by day. Any day clean is better than any day you’ve been high."

Ivan

"My goal in life wasn't living...it was getting high. I was falling in a downward spiral towards a point of no return"

John

"I ended up homeless and on the streets, living and sleeping in a cardboard box, begging and struggling to find ways to get my next meal."

Ben

"Now I see how important it is for me to be in control of every part of me. Today my body is being controlled by me. I am in the driver’s seat, and I’m driving with happiness."

Nathan

"Little did I know that my mom was upstairs crying every night that I came home late, crying because she was scared for my survival."

Nick

"I thought that if it is ‘legal plant food’, it couldn’t do me any harm."

Abdul

"The reason people are taking it is because it’s cheap and legal. At the festivals last year they had legal high stands with people just going round saying, ‘Yeah, it’s amazing’."

Mark

"A few nights after I?d stopped I wanted to die."

Anonymous

"This drug will change your life in the click of a finger."

Anonymous

"I say I'm never going to take it again but when the weekend gets here I can't resist it. It scares me so much because I have got two young children and it is taking over my life."

Anonymous

"I'm really worried now, this is starting to take over my life and i have no idea what its doing to my body due to the lack of research."

Anonymous

"After quitting mephedrone, I can't concentrate on anything... I can't understand anything. I'm completely and utterly useless. I stare at the screen at my job, trying to make some sense of the nonsense in front of me. I end up sobbing in the toilets in sh"

Anonymous

"It's within you to stop the use of Mephedrone. Do the right thing."

Anonymous

"It's not just the kids that are suffering from addiction problems, it's the parents too"

Mitch Winehouse

"We're saying, 'Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's safe.'"

Mitch Winehouse

"Bath salts have been linked to an alarming surge in visits to emergency departments and poison control centers across the country"

drugabuse.gov

"The harms and potential danger with taking drugs such as amphetamines and cocaine are well known, and these substances are related to those drugs. There is no evidence that [mephedrone] is a safer option."

Harry Shapiro, DrugScope

"Many of the deaths involved poly-drug use and high levels of alcohol"

Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs

"You see young kids now, 13, 14 on it, but they think it's all right because it was legal at one point."

Rachel

"We'd have to say that this drug is probably worse in some ways, in terms of the violence, than some of the other drugs like cocaine and heroin"

Consultant Mr Michael McCabe

"There's a real ruthlessness about this that is to exploit children and to get people hooked so that they are then their market for the future."

Supt. Rhiannon Kirk

"I had no idea what was real, and don't like being that out of control."

Seth

"I got cold in places, but felt hot and sweaty in other parts… and my heart was beating but not regular."

Keith

"The back of your nose fills up with snotty gunk and blood, and is scabbed afterwards."

Beth

"The first time I took mephedrone it felt like a cross between good coke and good MDMA. But by the third time the high was much harder to get."

Peter

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Don’t try to go it alone. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having a solid support system is essential. The more positive influ...
Don’t try to go it alone. Whatever treatment approach you choose, having a solid support system is essential. The more positive influences you have in your life, the better your chances for recovery. Recovering from drug addiction isn’t easy, but with people you can turn to for encouragement, guidance, and a listening ear, it’s a little easier.
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While getting sober from drugs is an important first step, it’s only the beginning of the recovery process. Once sober, the brain needs time to recover and rebuild connections that have changed while addicted. During this time, drug cravings can be intense. You can support your continued sobriety by making a conscious effort to avoid people, places, and situations that trigger the urge to use.
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Learn healthy ways to cope with problems
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Even once you’ve recovered from drug addiction, you’ll still have to face the issues that led to your drug problems in the first place. Did you start using drugs to numb painful emotions, calm yourself down after an argument, unwind after a bad day, or forget about your problems? After you become sober, the negative feelings that you used to dampen with drugs will resurface. For treatment to be successful, and to remain sober in the long term, you’ll need to resolve these underlying issues as well.
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Look for help
There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addi...
There are many groups and organizations available to help you overcome your addiction. Once you have set your mind to beating your addiction you can seek help from one of the groups to help you accomplish your goal. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, or Debtors Anonymous are trained to work with you to successfully beat your addiction. They are a mentor, a crutch, and a friend in a time of need.
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Regain Power
Many addictions are undermined because we believe we are powerless to change the situation. This is not true! You do have the power to ...
Many addictions are undermined because we believe we are powerless to change the situation. This is not true! You do have the power to make change. It may be slow and painful. It may result in times where you fall backwards but you have the power to pick yourself up, wipe yourself off, and go forward again. Use your power to take one minute at a time, one hour at a time, and one day at a time. As you move forward use your power to look one week into the future, one month into the future.
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Be aware of overdosing

Compared to other recreational drugs, it is relatively easy to overdose on Mephedrone. This is because it is so moreish, that is once y...

Avoid oral route

The oral route is the most popular because it has the least side effects; however, it can take some time for the effects to be felt so ...

Do Something Physical

As a recovering addict, you can take up a physical routine like joining a gym or a yoga club or just jog with friends. Physical occupat...

Talk

People emotionally dependent on their addictions find the idea of quitting drugs to be terrifying. Psychological dependence on a drug c...

Exercise

Good for the body and the soul, the more you exercise the more energy you’ll have and the less you’ll crave mephedrone....

Leave the scene

If you want to quit using mephedrone you need to stop hanging out with your mates who use it....

Want to quit

Don’t just try quitting because your mum or your girlfriend told you to. You have to want to give it up for yourself before you can s...

Legal does not mean safe!

Just because mephedrone was legal until a couple of years ago doesn’t mean it’s at all safe. If anything it could be more dangerous...

Find a 12-step program

Join a 12-step recovery program such as Narcotics Anonymous to find support for continuing recovery from other former addicts. They can...

Change The Way You Think

Challenge any self-pitying self-talk that you may have about "having to give up the chemical". Remind yourself of the negatives that yo...

Run Away From The "Just Once"

Think through the first drug into the negative consequences. Remind yourself that you cannot have "just once" and that the negative con...

Replace One By One The Effects Of Mephedrone

Make a list of the roles that mephedrone played in your life. Identify at least three healthy alternatives as replacements. Think about...

Write A Letter

Write a letter to someone you love and explain to them why you are not using. It doesn't really matter if this person reads it or not....

Get a health check-up

Quitting or cutting back can be hard on your body. See your doctor or local community clinic to make sure you don't have any untreated ...

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