TPR Podcast Episode #6: I’m tripping and I can’t get down

TPR Podcast Episode 6: I’ve Tripped and I Can’t Get Down Written by Theresa Kim, MD   Outline   1)     Synthetic cathinones 2)     Piperazine compounds 3)     Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) 4)     25C-NBOMe     This month’s podcast was inspired by the New York Times article “A Year After Drug Deaths, the Electric Zoo Music Festival Tries Again” which covered designer drug related deaths associated with summer music festivals     Synthetic Cathinones   Derivatives of the Catha edulis (khat) plant’s psychoactive alkaloid (cathinone) o   examples: mephedrone, methedrone, MDPV, methylone o   “bath salts” generally contained one or more synthetic cathinones o   Schneir et al performed a comprehensive analysis of the composition of “bath salts”, finding great variability in components and concentrations Synthetic cathinones release norepinphrine, dopamine, serotonin o   Norepinephrine > sympathomimetic manifestations o   Serotonin > serotonin syndrome, hallucinations o   Dopamine > abuse potential Routes: oral , nasal, parenteral Effects: euphoria, agitation, paranoia, tachycardia, sweating, confusion, chest pain, palpitations, restlessness Complications: hyponatremia, hyperpyrexia, serotonin syndrome, rhabdomyolysis, agitated delirium, multi-system failure Treatment: supportive o   chemical restraint, aggressive cooling if indicated, fluids, anticipate potential complications   Piperazines   p...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Podcast Source Type: news