Drug Alerts! What is new and scary in the drug world.

This drug alerts page will be updated often to keep everyone abreast of the newest drugs out on the streets. As it becomes harder for users to get the precursor materials for known drugs, designer drugs are becoming more known and used. Designer drugs are often even more dangerous than known drugs such as Heroin, due to the fact that unskilled 'chemists' blend chemicals without knowing or caring what damage they do.

I am including a link to information on the current swine flu epidemic. Although this is not strictly connected with drug addiction, I felt it was important enough to include.

Alert - Updated June 2009
Have you heard of Caffeine Intoxication? Caffeine Intoxication is caused by excessive amounts of caffeine, and caffeine intoxication is now a recognized clinical syndrome which is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This is the 'bible' of mental disorders. Caffeine Intoxication is marked by anxiety, nervousness, restlessness, insomnia, stomach upset, tremor and rapid heartbeat, possible seizures and sometimes death.
A can of cola contains about 35 mg caffeine and a cup of regular brewed coffee contains about 80 mg of caffeine. The new energy drinks can contain anything from 50 to 500 mg per can!
These energy drinks are marketed to young men for the stimulant effects. Increasingly they are being used with alcohol and this increase appears to be having an impact on alcohol related accidents and injury.
There also appears to be some unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and in one study it showed that 56% of caffeine drink users were unable to quit. Further studies are being carried out to determine if this is indeed an addiction.

Drug Alert -Updated April 2009. A new and scary drug has recently surfaced in the US. Known as Sunshine and sold as a pure form of Ecstasy, it has been linked to a number of deaths in Australia and Europe. A young woman in Oregon was recently hospitalized with what the police referred to as "a mystery substance". It appears likely that it is not Ecstasy but a form of methylmethcathinone. This is a synthetic compound, somewhat similar to cathinone and cathine, which are found in the plant Khat. Khat comes from eastern Africa where it grows at a high altitude. When the leaves, which can be chewed, are fresh, they contain a substance known as cathinone. As the leaves dry, they provide a less potent stimulant, cathine.
Methylmethcathinone acts as a stimulant and can cause convulsions, delusions, hallucinations, fever and an irregular heart beat. As these types of 'new' drugs come on the market, the effects can be deadly. Little is known about their manufacture, strength or interactions with other drugs or alcohol. This drug alert is for both parents and drug users, who need to be aware of the lack of safety with these drugs and also the fact that if things go bad, any hospital may not know what treatment to offer, as the substance is still virtually unknown.

Drug Alert - Updated April 23rd 2009 Cheese heroin has made an appearance in Texas over the past few years, first among Latin American students but now spreading to all students. Some are as young as 9 - 10 years.
Cheese heroin is a mixture of black tar heroin and diphenhydramime. Diphenhydramime is a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicine and in things such as Tylenol PM. It is mixed with a low quality or small quantity heroin and usually snorted.
Symptoms of use are

• Drowsiness
• Euphoria
• Excessive thirst
• Disorientation
• Sleepiness
• Hunger

Withdrawal Symptoms

• Mood Swings
• Insomnia
• Headache
• Chills
• Nausea & Vomiting
• Muscle spasms and muscle/bone pain
• Anxiety
• Disorientation

Due to the small amount of heroin, the effects wear off quickly, urging the user to use again to avoid the nasty withdrawal effects. Diphenhydramime alone in excess, is known for giving very nasty hallucinations (huge bugs, wall or floor moving etc)

If there is a chance you child has used cheese heroin, go immediately to the ER or call paramedics.