I don’t know how much people outside “the industry” have heard about mephedrone, but by all accounts, it’s exploded in popularity over the past few months. In the last three months, there’s been at least 50 news stories reposted to Drugs-Forum on the topic, and probably quite a few more that haven’t been picked up. We’ve got reports of teens dying, 11 year olds taking the stuff and a guy ripping his balls off — all the classic examples of the media whipping up an unnecessary (and untrue) shit storm. I’ve also read lots of anecdotes about the drug’s prevalence among students, friendship groups and even dealers of illegal drugs (points for diversification!). Since my articles on JWH-018 have been reasonably popular and stimulated some interesting discussion, I felt it was about time we gave mephedrone the same treatment.
The Basics
Mephedrone is not only cheap and legal, but it’s also incredibly effective. It’s a short-acting stimulant that feels something like a mixture of cocaine and ecstasy. If that wasn’t enough to explain its popularity, then the icing on the cake is the almost complete lack of a comedown the next day when used in moderation. Purities of over 99% make another great selling point when compared with similar illegal drugs.
Mephedrone is a white, crystalline powder with little to no smell. The term “Mephedrone” comes from methyl–ephedrone, describing the chemical structure. Other names for it include:
- 4-MethylMethCathinone (methcathinone is another name for ephedrone)
- 4-MMC
- 4-MMCAT
- MCAT (This is incorrect, but people use it anyway)
- Meow
- Bubbles (seems to be a brand name for capsules containing it and methylone, another research chemical)
Effects include an initial euphoria, which tapers off to a milder stimulation. Mephedrone does seem to oil social situations rather well and get everyone talking, laughing and having a good time, especially during the initial euphoria. Several users have compared it to cocaine, but some how less jittery and “arrogant”, while others will compare it to a more rushy ecstasy (which has to be a good thing, given the current state of the MDMA market). Actually, the effects seem to depend very much on dose and your chosen route of administration.
The most common ways to get this stuff into your blood are snorting it and eating it. As you can probably imagine, eating it will give a longer, less intense experience, while doing lines of it will give a much shorter, more intense buzz and make you want to keep taking it, but we’ll get to that later. Oh, I should probably mention that snorting it feels not too dissimilar from being raped in the sinuses by a Portuguese Man o’ War, particularly for your first line.
Other reported methods of administration include shoving it up your arse, requiring less than an oral dose and peaking somewhere between an oral or insufflated dose, and intravenously injecting it, which apparently isn’t that great, having a similar effect profile to being snorted with a million times the risk.
Dosage
A single oral dose would typically be between 150 mg and 300 mg, while lines can range from 50 mg to a monster 150 mg rail.
Pharmacology
If only we knew! Unfortunately, no one knows anything for certain, so we’re forced to do a bit of guesswork. If it feels like a cross between MDMA and cocaine, then we can assume that there’s some serotonin and dopamine involvement. The apparent addictiveness of mephedrone (more on that later, srsly), along with talkativeness also points to dopamine pathways, while the similarity of some side effects compared with serotonin depletion (taking too much MDMA or abruptly discontinuing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs]) points to the serotonin pathways.
I would love some more information on this, so if you ever come across anything in the future, please report back!
Misconceptions
There are a number of misconceptions surrounding mephedrone, which we should clear up:
Legal does not mean safe
While it seems that users can take vast quantities of the stuff and still function, we don’t know what the long term effects of mephedrone use will entail. A handful of people have died from taking it too. While the number is tiny compared with alcohol, it’s still always a good thing to remember.
Purity isn’t necessarily accurate
Mephedrone bought online will certainly be purer than illegal drugs bought on the street, but claims of 99.9% purity may not be true. Since it’s not sold for human consumption (like everything legal and fun), I’m not sure an accurate purity measure is required. Also, that 0.01% could be some deadly poison. It probably won’t be, but it might!
“Plant Food” might not be mephedrone
Lots of those news stories I’ve mentioned above have listed a million different “street names” for this drug, including “Plant Food”. No one is actually calling it plant food, it’s just how it, and lots of other compounds like it, are sold. If you’ve obtained anything psychoactive packaged as plant food, make sure you know what the hell it is you’re taking!
Side Effects
Side effects can be many and varied, some serious and some not. Mephedrone shares a number of the typical side effects you’d expect to find with any stimulant, such as:
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- Raised blood pressure (hypertension)
- Not wanting to sleep (insomnia)
- Not wanting to eat (anorexia)
- Chewing/grinding teeth (bruxism)
- Moving your eyes loads (nystagmus)
More mephedrone-specific, and so perhaps more serious side effects include
- Turning blue at the extremities & feeling cold (vasoconstriction)
- Pains in the chest, throat and nose
- Nosebleeds when snorted, especially with prolonged or frequent use
The more you use, the more the side effects become apparent and the initial pleasant effects diminish. Also, significant evidence is coming forward suggesting circulation issues are not just vasoconstriction, but something more serious — autoimmune vasculitis, where the immune system attacks your own body. This would seem to account for some of the odd and infrequent side effects, such as bruising or turning blue at the joints. Current reports suggest that this isn’t an issue of a dodgy supply for some people compared with the rest, but rather a small percentage of the population are at risk, probably because of some genetic differences. If you’ve noticed this, stop taking mephedrone! This condition will only get worse the more you consume. Add to that the usual stimulant-induced vasoconstriction, and you could find yourself with some serious problems.
Warning
Mephedrone can be addictive!
- It’s easy to have several large sessions per week because of the cheapness and lack of comedown. Several people have reported taking over 20g per month.
- It’s easy to keep taking it, especially when snorted, so a single line can turn into 5g session easily if you lack self control. There have been a few reports of people taking 5-7g over a 48 hour long single session.
- Tolerance can also develop, so more is required for the same effect.
Safe Usage Tips
Mephedrone is not 100% safe, but then again, nothing is. To make sure you’re as safe as possible, here are a few tips:
- Don’t buy it in bulk — 80% of people won’t be able to resist the charms of a massive bag of the stuff. Sure, you may save a few quid on the gram, but if your consumption sky-rockets, you’re not saving anything.
- If you do buy in bulk, limit yourself — it’s all too easy to “just have one more line”, so perhaps let your friend look after your supply for you, or if you’re going out, take a predetermined quantity out with you and stick to it.
- Don’t snort it if you think there’s any chance you will become addicted to it — this route of administration makes you want to keep on taking it much more than an oral dose, despite the snotty nose and watering eyes.
- Eat healthily before and after — your body needs a good supply of nutrients, vitamins, etc to stay healthy and replenish your neurotransmitters. Forcing yourself to eat, especially during long binges, is essential. At least munch some vitamin tablets or something.
- Take some magnesium supplements — this helps relax your muscles and stop all the jaw clenching and chewing that goes with most stimulants.
- If you’re going to snort it, blow your nose soon after to clear out any powder — drugs aren’t absorbed from your nostrils, so you want to get rid of it. I’d also suggest giving your nose a wash with either a spray bottle and some water, or by cramming some wet tissue up there with your head tilted back.
Do you sell this?
Heh, no.
While I would say it’s reasonably safe, I wouldn’t want to bet my entire livelihood on it!
I’ll also say now — please no one post vendor links in the comments. I’ve removed similar from the JWH-018 posts and I’ll do the same here.
Heh, heard about this on some alarmist facebook group. I won’t be trying it myself, doesn’t seem to be widespread at all in the us, plus it’s probably covered as an analog. Not too fond of stimulants or mdma, anyway. I hope the next new hot drug on the market is something fun and psychedelic!
What an excellent, accurate, balanced article this is!
Total truth from someone who knows the facts and the issues!
Really impressed with this, well done, anyone interested in this should really check out Transform. They’re the people lobbying the goverment (UK & EU) on your behalf to try and stop prohibition, simply put when this becomes illeagal (and it’s looking like it will after xmas) the quality of the product will go down and the risks will go up. If you want to know more put “transform drug” into your search engine. Nothing is going to change unless we have a voice, and the bigger the voice the more notice the authorites will have to take.
Hopefully it’s a good substitute during the MDMA drought here in Australia… I’m getting in on it before it’s illegal
PoisonedV: Here’s a thread about mephedrone in the us: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109418
Also, there’re tonnes of psychedelic research chems out there. Check out 4-AcO-DMT — all the fun of mushrooms in powder form.
Laurence: Thanks!
Phil: Thanks too! I was made aware of Transform after they linked to my previous Nutt Sacked articles from their blog. Good to know someone out there’s doing something. I think the best way to keep everyone safe would be if the government charged £20 tax on the gram. They’d make a fortune and the addiction potential would be decreased quite a bit.
Jared: Be careful though, AU police have made at least one seizure of some meph pills so far. I don’t think any charges have been pressed, but they’re getting pretty pissed off about it. Actually, I think police in the UK have been doing the same thing — seizing it until they can analyse it.
I liked all the info on the write up and the way it was written..
But theres no key info on dosage or anything on what one should really be taking..? Unless I completely missed it (Don’t gun me down if I have).
Fantastic artical,
thank you for taking the time to write such an informative artical on the subject. I heard about this drug at the weekend (slow on the uptake sometimes) so wanted to statisfy my curiosity on this and find out the up’s and down’s of this mephedrone. I feel fairly well informed from reading this artical and make a fair judgement on my actions going forward
SmokeGuru: There was some information up there, but I’ve now put it under its own heading for clarity.
I’ve also updated the side effects section to include some information on autoimmune vasculitis. It could be wrong, but I’d rather be safe than not.
abitkinky: Thanks a lot. Be safe!
YOU WANT TO KNOW THIS
=====================
People, I have not read your 10 comments [YET] as these are finals but I can always find time to share this vital information.
Drugs that begin with meth– or methyl– have the ability to cross your blood brain barrier. This means they affect every single part of your brain (read: your personality, psyche, consciousness) at once. This means you have no way of tracking the effects as they take hold, you are going to become a different person.
I took Ritalin for 5 years as a VERY young child, which is METHylpheidate. Coke heads inject it too, for a cheap, legal, readily available crack-like high. After I quit cold turkey at around 14 I changed forever. Every day life was like being a crack head without a rock; literally. I had never used any other drug but that was the exact chemical situation my brain was in. When you change every part of your brain at once you can’t control or understand any of it, you are 100% changing WHO you are.
Even more interesting…
I was almost 18 1⁄3rd before I realized what was going on with my emotions. That is exactly twice the age I was when I began using Ritalin 2 mos. after my 9th Birthday. I learned so much so fast about the world and myself that week that it wasn’t long before I noticed the age thing; that period of my life was on my mind a lot as that 18 y.o. week drew near but didn’t know why until I was exactly twice as old.
I have concluded that treating our bodies like machines turns our minds into them, and at that point YOU ARE TRULY LOST.
I hope you read this, I am a total lunatic because of the early childhood speed abuse forced on me. You would never let me talk to you for this long in person and I wouldn’t want to. You have all been warned, ask a real junkie if you don’t believe me. To this day my only solace is marijuana and without it I slowly go back to the old ways imprinted on my cortex.
Nothing with meth– or methyl-, that is all.
Sorry if that was touchy/too personal but I want people to understand these feelings so as to FEAR them, not pity them
believe me I have no use for that
I read your article with great interest, lots of information.
I wondered if it woul dbe possible for you to site where some of the information came from??
I am particularly interested in
evidence coming forward for autoimmune vasculitis
Tolerance can also develop, so more is required for the same effect.
To Adam:
For a drug to effect the brain it has to be able to cross the blood brain barrier (BBB), thats how drugs get into the brain from the blood, if they couldn’t they couldn’t have a direct on the brain.
As with all other drugs which cross the BBB, they cross non-selectively, as in their entry is dependent on concentration-gradient of a particular chemical, there aren’t areas of the brain where the BBB is more of a barrier than elsewhere. This means that a drug (for drugs effecting “classical“synaptic transmission) exhibits (generally) greater efficacy in areas where specific receptors are present or present in greater numbers.
Rocking stuff. Have used regulary last few weeks and have taken in various ways.…Snort, IV, Oral. I completely understand the possibility of harm from it but for now its cheap, won’t get me arested and has less immediate unwanted side effects than E, Speed, Coke, Ketamine or any other drug i’ve taken.
I think on annalysis of anyone that has come to harm while taking it that we will probably find they have been mixing it up with other drugs such as Ketamine.
Tolerance does develop of course. FFS take any drug often enough and tolerance will develop. Hell I took a IV hit of half a gram just last night and then the couple of grams I took spread out through the night.…why because i’ve been taking it all week and i’ve begun to build a tolerance.
Lets get in perspective though. Its not Heroin and tolerance to a drug is reversable, just stop taking the crap. Me I aint taking anymore now till next week probably and when I do I’ll bloody well enjoy it in the knowledge that I’ll not fight with anyone, drink drive or overdose myself to an early grave.
One thing i will say is if anyone is gonna IV it then at least have the bloody sense to not share neddles or any other equipment that may come in contact with blood/needles etc.…I.E Water vials or anything.
Peace Out
Adam: I don’t think the methyl group has much to do with it. Take loperamide (4-[4-(4-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidin-1-yl]- N,N–dimethyl–2,2-diphenylbutanamide) for example, prized for not being able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Emma: The autoimmune stuff is just a theory at the moment — no evidence one way or the other. This thread makes for some interesting reading though: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89052
Overfiend: IVing half a gram is insane, especially with such a new drug with such a dangerous tox profile. Good call on taking a break for a bit, although you might want to leave it a couple of months or so for that tolerance to subside. What’s your weekly use like? Is it all IVed? If so, how’re your veins doing?
Yeah I agree completely that IV’n half a gram is mental. Won’t repeat in a hurry for that reason alone. My currently usuage varies. Anywhere from 2 grams to 8 in a week usually all on one night. IV’n it the last 2 weeks and my veins are fine. So long as i don’t miss then no real issues. A little bit os hardning but thats it. They haven’t colasped and I haven’t be using Citrix, just plain sterile water.
Thanks for that. Please keep us all updated as the weeks go by!
Will do. The brother is gonna do the same half gram tomorrow in one go.(he did it first and got me too the last time) He figures do it first instead of after taking hits most of night and then doing. Wants to see what sort of hit he’ll get when its first hit of day. I’ll let you know how that goes. He’ll no doubt be wanting me to also. If i don’t report back then we’ve died and it can be a lesson to others. Madness maybe, insane probaly, fun most definitely
Oh it may also be worth noting that on the 1st weekend bender of_MMC i did develop a nasty tongue ulcer. I’ve never had one in my life. I have however put this down to several days of binging on the stuff and having not slept during this time. Body run down etc etc. May be worth noting tho.
some of the comments really concern me — it appears that they promote the taking of this drug which to young people is like giving them the excuse to try it. I am aware that kids as young as 13 are trying this as ITS NOT ILLEGAL and therefore must be alright. My daughters friend has been taking it over the last couple of months and it doesn’t seem to matter what my daughter says to her (they are only 15) she thinks its great. We live in a small place where two boys have already been taken to hospital after taking “bubbles”. They were drinking as well but then again they are too young to understand any of the consequences of taking drugs — especially legal ones. I hope that when you all have children you will be as keen to indulge in drug taking and openly see it as acceptable when your kids can access these sites as well.
Concerned Mother: I can see where you’re coming from, but I disagree.
Firstly, children can access ANY website an adult can, the only real barrier to entry being some kind of payment (whether buying a product or membership), so children will always be able to find free info on any topic they want. Would you not agree that somewhere like this with a massive harm reduction article before the comments is much better to read than just a forum full of experience reports? At least if a child ends up here, he’ll have to read the article above in its entirety (warnings, misconceptions, safe usage tips ‘n’ all) before he gets to the comments. The amount I write about pharmacology and legislation is enough to keep most kids away anyway.
Also, I’ve never mentioned anywhere that I take drugs (apart from a post about blue lotus and guarana from over a year ago). When I have kids, I will inform them of the dangers of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. They’ll get a stern talking to and a very boring pharmacology lesson if they ever take anything before they’re adults, but I won’t stop them from learning about them or feed them false information to scare them away.
The only solution that would make you happy is to censor the entire internet according to your parenting style. Thankfully, this can be achieved with software on your computer, rather than contacting every site out there with your problems. Not that I agree with this approach, but as a concerned parent, I’d be monitoring my kids’ internet access.
You’re in a great position here — you know your daughter is interested in mephedrone to some extent and that she’s familiar with it. Instead of trying to stop her getting information on it, you should talk to her about it and perhaps get her to read this article. Right now, it seems she thinks that there’s a cool, new, fun stimulant out there and you’re just saying “it’s bad, don’t do it” with no more reasoning than that. Tell her why she shouldn’t take it, explain that no one knows the pharmacology behind it, explain that there are negative side effects, tell her about how drugs can affect a developing brain differently than an adult’s.
THIS DRUG IS EXTREAMLY ADDICTIVE, MOST OF MY FRIENDS HAVE NOW BECOME ADDICTIVE BECAUSE OF STUPID COMMENTS LIK THIS “ITS LEGAL ITS GRAND”! ITS WORSE THEN PILLS OR COKE.….ALOT WORSE!!!
They are only addictied cause they are twats. Christ my usuage is more than most and i aint taken it now in over a week. Am i getting withdrawl? Nooo. Wind your neck in. If they can’t handdle it then they obiviously have addictive tendencies. They should probably stay away from anything addictive including chocolate.
A few points to welcome in the New Year from someone who has used a range of recreational drugs, fairly sensibly, throughout his very long life.…
1. I can confirm that mephedrone is amazingly addictive because of its ready availability, purity of production, purity of buzz, short euphoric life, cost to buy and (apart from nose mucus floods) lack of apparent short term after effects.
2. It WILL be classified in a few months and probably as Class A as it is so similar to coke and ecstacy. Therefore, easy access and low cost will drop out of the equation. It will probably still be available on the street or via overseas websites.
3. Simply making this drug illegal will not impact on the personal, psychological need for addictive personalities to use these drugs, the lack of family disciplines or wider social issues which also contribute.
4. The truth is that most people simply want to have fun and find legal alternatives (such as alcohol) expensive and not to their liking.
Have a happy and safe New Year
Overfiend: Thanks for reporting back. Glad to know you’re coping without it! Any lasting symptoms?
Laurence: That’s almost exactly how I feel. I actually gave an interview about mephedrone to DrugScope the other day for publication in their monthly this Jan. Since my opinion will form a minuscule part of the article, I was thinking of writing a post soon about the pros, cons & alternatives of classifying mephedrone. Thanks for letting me know that’s something at least one member of this community will enjoy.
My son and his friends have been using mephedrone for over a month and it has turned them all into lying, cold, calculating, manipulative, scheming and seemingly conscience-free sociopaths.
My interest in this site is to enquire whether there is a drug test kit which will reliably reveal the use of this substance. I want to do a ‘You have 14 days to clean up your act before I start testing, and if you won’t agree, all the things that you rely on for the other highs in your life, like your school, your phone and your laptop will be taken away, because we love you’ type approach.
Whilst I would support the capacitated decision-making of any over 18 year old to screw with their bodies or their minds in the privacy of their own home, no-one is going to persuade me that taking this ghastly substance is a legitimate choice for a teen. I am seeing first hand the psychologically addictive qualities, never mind the pharmacological ones. I want to like my child, but he is making it really really hard, and I want to help him sooner rather than later.
Thanks for the information by the way — best site I have found on the subject.
re: anxious parent
I was recently living in my parent’s house, going to high school and began experimenting with drugs so maybe I can help you before you test your son. But first in case I forget, you should visit erowid.org once in a while when you want to know about something your son is or may be taking. Here’s their page on this drug: http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/4_methylmethcathinone/4_methylmethcathinone.shtml
Everyone can trust erowid, nobody has ever actually visited without being impressed. It’s a DARE cop’s worst nightmare: free, unbiased data for almost any drug on earth!
Anyway now that you know about erowid, I just wanted to say that any changes or feelings you’ve noticed in him since he began using are 99% likely to be related to feelings or changes in him that led to his choice to use a drug, other than that I would just tell him to smoke pot instead. It’s been clear in recent years that the gateway theory is the opposite of the truth, a lot of hard– and synthetic– drug users with addictions can use weed to wean off of almost anything. I hope that’s not outrageous for you, but if he’s willing to abuse synthetics than he has probably smoked pot before (not that I believe in the “gateway” theory but that is still more likely).
If he has smoked pot try asking him why it was not enough or if he was just curious, he is probably forgetting how he enjoyed things without it as the dependency envelops. Maybe try smoking it with him and observe the change in his behaviour, you’ll understand it better, like Jane Goodall with the chimps.
Adam, thanks very much. Am not shocked at the idea of smoking pot instead of doing this, but think he has done it the other way around already.
He has always been intelligent, lazy, un-boundaried, and interested in thrill-seeking, but is cunning with it, and lacking in emphathy, which is why we are taking this so seriously.
I looked at Erowid and agree it is a brilliant site. But unfortunately, no use on my question about drug testing for this particular drug.
Does no-one involved in drugs culture even know whether a drug test is being developed, since this drug is one of those that is being classified, so far as I can tell, in the spring?
[Erowid — Reports with at least 4-Methylmethcathinone or methcathinone in combination with Drug Testing — zero]
Anxious Parent: It’s unlikely that a test has been developed, or is being developed at the moment since it’s legal. There are a number of more esoteric illegal drugs that standard tests won’t pick up, so it’s unlikely that anything exists for mephedrone.
When it’s eventually scheduled, it will be much harder to get hold of, so the users will be forced back onto similar illegal drugs, most of which are tested for, so it’s unlikely a simple test for mephedrone will ever become available.
This article may be of interest: Drug Testing — All You Need To Know.
Thanks again — as I feared. We’re off to speak to some industrial chemists — how hard can it be, if one understands assaying and chromotram science? It’s extraordinary no-one sees the Parents Of Under 18s market for this as a business opportunity, I have to say! I guess everyone’s too busy enjoying their euphoria.…
Anxious Parent: It’s totally possible in a lab, but I thought you were looking for a cheap ELISA-based drug test. Cromatography can certainly tell you what’s in a sample, but it’s a very expensive, laborious process — certainly not suitable for regular use unless you own your own equipment.
Not sure if any mephedrone makes it to the urine though. If it doesn’t, then the chemist would have to look for its metabolites, which a) may or may not be present in urine and b) are currently unknown, since no research has been done on it.
Thanks for the clarification and for raising the metabolite issue. I was looking for a quickie test, as a screen, for home use, but I think that independent school heads will pay for the development of a lab test, rather than lose half their pupils.… or be seen to be putting their heads in the sand.
Some great and far less intrusive “home tests” would be looking for changes in behaviour, mood and appetite or physical symptoms such as discolouration of the hands (or feet, knees and elbows, but hands are probably most visible), dark rings under the eyes, how often they blow their nose, constantly chapped lips.
Obviously these aren’t definite signs of mephedrone use on their own, but if you know your kid may be using it or has used it in the past, they may be an indication.
Have you tried talking to any of these kids about it? If so, what issues have been the main talking points?
All those signs are there. Along with eczema and light nosebleeds. But I don’t know if this is historic, from a few days or at least a week ago, or current.
We have talked about it but I have been told a given thing — ie we have stopped — apparently with openness and contrition — and then had the opposite told to me — ie they are still all doing it — by other people who care for them. So I don’t think I am getting the truth from them, which adds to the problem of trust.
The main point has been that they do it because they CAN, because it’s cheap, because it makes them feel they are in a gang with something in common, because they feel grown up, and cool, they all have something to be secretive about, which gives them some meaning, etc. All these kids are affluent and relatively well put together kids, and they all know the facts.
This is crazy soon you are all going to realise the effects of this drug…it has exploded all over my town everyone does it and have become sooooo paranoid.…This drug is evil…my own sister is a paranoid mess.…its destroyed my family.…stay away from it!!!!!!!!
@ Knows Well, I can completely understand your adversity to 4-MMC. However to say the Drug is evil is a little melodramatic surely. I don’t mean to belittle your opinion at all.
I appreciate that you may have had a bad experience and/or continue to do so as a result of 4-MMC being taken by a family member.
I will however say that in my own experience which is fairly vast in all drugs that to blame 4-MMC on peoples paranoia could be a little restrictive. Prehaps i’m wrong but I’ve yet to experience any such symptoms or to witness any such behavioural traits in my friends or anyone I know to take it. I would suggest that prehaps in your case the individuals concerned are also users of Cannabis and/or prehaps other drugs also.
Maybe thats all a stab in the dark and prehaps i’m completely wrong in my thoughts. Apologies if this is the case. However i’m 31 yrs of age and have been a fairly regular user of one drug or another since the age of 18 so have a fair bit of experience on the pro’s and con’s.
Just my opinion and by no means a definitive view. I hope your family life improves.
Peace Out.
Anxious Parent: I’m not a health care professional, so never rely solely on my advice. That said, perhaps you could try showing these kids what they’re doing to themselves — not in the form of a telling off, but just listing a few things. Point out to them that all of these signs of their drug use are visible to everyone else. You could even take a few pictures of your own kid’s hands, etc, just to show them how unusual that kind of discolouration is. Perhaps also explain how their behaviour has affected other people (you, the other kids’ families):
Let them know (not in an angry way) that because of their drug use, you can no longer trust them. Is all that really worth it to feel cool?
Knows well: That was a pretty poor comment. What makes you think I haven’t “realised the effects of this drug”? I’d imagine I know more about it that most people, including yourself, considering I wrote the above article.
It seems that you have let personal issues cloud your objectivity. Imagine those people who’s children die from taking ecstasy each year — the number of people is tiny, making ecstasy one of the safest drugs there is. For those parents, ecstasy is evil, but for the vast majority of people, it’s far from it. Do you or your family use any other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco? For some families, those are the drugs that have caused the most hurt, despite the fact that many people don’t have any problems with them.
Your sister has made some poor choices, that’s it. When your sister takes mephedrone, there are two entities there — your sister and the drug itself. Only one of those entities has a conscience, will, intentions, etc, and that’s your sister. Now *I* don’t think your sister is evil, but you’ve attached that label to the one thing in this scenario who has no effect on anything if left alone in a pile somewhere, but only affects people who decide to put it in their bodies. Mephedrone didn’t ask to be taken; it wasn’t fruit from the Tree O’ Knowledge and your sister isn’t Eve, tempted by some external force (not that any of those things actually happened…)
Perhaps you should be less quick to blame a substance for all your problems and try talking to your sister. Explain to her the damage she’s done to your family and how her decisions have negatively affected everyone around her and not just herself. Perhaps there’s a reason she felt the need to take drugs. Do you know why that is, or have you just decided to blame the drug for all these issues?
im just after realising your profession Synchronium and i now realise why you have such a fucked up veiw on drugs.…you sell them (the so called “legal” ones)!! duuuhhh.…my apologies i was under the impression that this site was about the dangers of drugs…not promoting them…my bad…!!
PEACE OUT
Knows well: If I worked in a bar, would you think the same thing?
How is the above post promoting mephedrone (which I don’t sell, see comment #2)?
Also, this site was never about the “dangers of drugs”. It’s about all aspects of drugs. The dangers have certainly been mentioned, but the point was harm reduction, which isn’t all about scaring people away with lies, false information and anecdotes from morons. It’s about accepting that people will use a drug and trying to reduce the harm they cause to themselves and others. What you suggest is the equivalent of abstinence-only sex education (which, as everyone knows, doesn’t work). Teaching people how to be as safe as possible is the only way to keep people safe.
I genuinely worry for your sister. If this is the attitude and support she’s getting from you, she’s in much more danger than we previously thought. Going back to our sex education analogy, your sister would be the one to end up pregnant or with an infection because she’s never heard of a condom. That kind of approach does NOT work.
As a final point, please see this post.
Knows well: a simple browse through Synchronium’s will reveal that he does not sell mephedrone, therefore we can assume that his posting about it on his blog is not to do with any vested interest in selling the product and that he might actually have some useful advise as someone who has knowledge and experience within the industry. Hey, some of his advice doesn’t even sound half bad: listing side effects, tips on safe usage, some beginners information on where this craze has come from; hell, it almost sounds as if he is trying to help!
I assume the title “knows well” was intended to be ironic? All you have contributed to this discussion is a hysterical distraction from a serious and constructive debate and exchange of information. Your claims about its addictiveness or comparisons of harm potentional compared to that of “pills and coke” typify the knee-jerk reaction which stigmatises these drugs and mystifies them further, preventing the rational research into the pharmacology and toxicity of the drug at hand and the subsequent guidance and legislation that could be put in place to protect those vulnerable and those prone to over-indulgence.
I think its wicked better than any illigal drugs.You like music better it builds your confedence up.yeah it may be harmfal and addictive if your taking loads of it. i snort it but a have it 1 night a weak i dont get withdrawal and plus iam not that weak to get addicted.
adam smith r: unfortunately, just by having a ‘normal’ brain you have the capacity to become addicted to physiologically addictive substances (whether or not mephedrone is addictive has not been proven yet, though there are many accounts all over the web of it being so). However, sensible behaviour and moderation (as it sounds like you have been practicing) can prevent tolerance/addictions developing so I would say keep safe, and try not to be too harsh on those with addiction problems!
Well i’m under no illusions regarding it. I could quite happly take truck loads of the stuff. Myself and m8s all agree that out of all drugs we’ve tried since we were 18 (31 Now) that 4-MMC is the best ever.
I have no doubt that it can and does give user a want for more but having used quite heavily for about 2 months + or -, that i do not feel addicted.
Sure I could take for days on end and definitely like to get some, but when I do without I DO NOT suffer from any withdrawl symptons so to speak and my friends and family agree that my personality hasn’t changed.
Its clean in buzz and come down, cheap and side effects (immediate @least) are minimal.
I still frequently say to the m8’s that we truely DO NOT KNOW THE SIDE EFFECTS longterm or even in the short of a couple of years of fairly regular use and that we could be F**king ourselves up but it never stopped me taking E,Speed,LSD,ketamine,MDMA,Nubain,Cannabis etc etc etc and we know the down side of most of those.
For now I will continue to use purely because its cheap and it seems for the moment to be a fairly safe drug.
As with any Drug, moderation would seem to be the key and over indulgence can indeed only be a bad thing, but that applies to all things in life.
I have a friend that lives 100 miles from me who has been admitted to a mental health hospital just today. He uses regularly. However he also uses a multitude of other drugs both illegal, legal and Pharma, has a history of depression and past suicide attempts so i’m not going to blame the 4-MMC for his latest issues. Its a combination of his life experience, depression etc that his mental state is fragile and has driven him to excess in drugs and alcohol.
I also have no doubt that all the drugs he has been taking (including 4-MMC) have most definitely not helped him at all and that if he does not stop taking them he will probably never get out of the hole he is in for any lasting period of time.
K my lengthly rant over. I’m Love the stuff and will continue to take.
I think all things in moderation.
And if you are mentally unstable in any way then you should not take drugs full stop.
Peace Out
Interesting thread.. Rite first, there are plenty of forums out their dedicated to parents and whining. I nearly avoided this site when I saw the posts from mums. However this thread has a couple of sensible informants on it.. Overfiend, I have IV’d 1 Gram in one go and it blows my mind. I agree with everything you say, and as a drug user its not often i meet people that actully talk sence. Im always saying “are people taking the same drug as me or what” But I think what your talking about is pure. Of course addictive personalitys will no doubt grow a fondness or slight obsession with this drug. I will say that when takin this drug it would be advised to take a decent amount in first hit 0.1gram– 0.2gram. If to little is taken we (my Friends) have noticed anxiety, agitation,and generally feeling shit, Untill u take more of-course. Stay away if u have an addictive personality, get any fucked up symptons, or are a light-weight.. I take on average 15grams per week at present.. I haven’t had any side effects or come down..
This is a drug i have enjoyed for about 8months now but I have had few breaks of about 2 weeks every now and again between times..I Have no problem with addiction, I just stop and start and feel fit and as healthy as before I discovered„ I do recommend and suggest though that rest and food consumption are maintained.. I find that sleep and eating aren’t affected by 4mmc, although you may not feel like eatin and/or sleeping both eating and sleeping are easily achieved. I would like your thoughts regarding this Overfiend and any other pertinent information.
Im so pissed off with all the stigma attached to drugs that no one has experienced or experienced properly. Sure too much of anything is bad so please let there be no ambiguity in my meaning. I am not recommending or advising people to start taking drugs. I would infact advise the opposite and tell any person out there to stay away. However if someone plans to or is taking drugs then I will not judge them and feel that they could be taking worse than a substance like 4MMC. Hell I know enough alcoholics to see how bad its screws people up. This (4MMC) in my opinion is the cleanest, safest drug ever created. I have taken all drugs availiable out there apart from heroin. Im not stupid and know the dangers of that road, I choose not to go down it.. Mephedrone is sold legally therefore is regulated to a point and people know what they’re getting for most part at the moment„ I buy nowhere other than online.. Purity and quality changes when bought off the street. Dealers are usually scum and will cut your goods with whatever they get their hands on. I sincerely hope that we don’t see it getting made illegal but I fear thats a bit optimistic.
Anyhow enough from me. I’ll def be taking a look in here in the future.
For now be good, play safe and stay alive.
yeah try not to have to much i would not say its completley safe.iam not addicted to it but i do have it ounce a week lime 2 g. keep the comment coming.
‘Anxious parent’ it seems to me that you’re not very anxious at all! It’s too right that you should be angry at them although I would approach it differently. No son/daughter likes to see their mother cry as they are an adult figure and however old the child is, they will feel a true sense of guilt. In no way am I implying that you should cry to get your point across, but it may help the situation. Let all your emotions out and your son will realise the true impact of his actions. Tell him that you are worried about how the ‘Mephedrone’ is obviously extremely bad for you and that you couldn’t bear to see him hurt. A good cry and a hug will heal things up for sure!
First, I have to ask Decker — is YOUR mother ‘whining’? Or maybe she doesn’t know you on a day-to-day basis any longer? Do YOU have a teenager?
Sure, you don’t like people who have not ‘experienced’ the drug attaching ‘stigma’ to people like you, but you need to consider two things, I would suggest: people who know and live with the mephedrone user ARE experiencing the drug — through what it does to the user. And secondly, if YOU haven’t experienced parenthood — well, your views are never going to have an impact on grown-ups, are they? all our choices make us behave in certain ways, and our behaviour affects others. If you had seen your own child using his friends to make money, and maintaining a front about giving up, but being so memory-impaired or distracted as to leave his facebook logged in online, then I think you’d think differently, and not be so stuck on how much fun it’s been for you, so far. How would a drug user ever see the effect it has on their personality, if they only ever hang out with people who don’t know, or people who are doing it too, and all are becoming more self-obsessed, as each line is done?
Smithy — thanks for the advice, but my child is not always moved by my tears or hugs. It may be because boys are just hard wired to enjoy risk-taking and it carries them away when they are young teens. But I think he’s that way because I am that way,too, and it’s essentially rational not to let others’ feelings overwhelm you — because it does give them power over you. That’s part of why I think the drug is so damaging for him and his future: it’s numbing his sense of fairness about family life, his instinct for self-preservation of his own well-being and reputation, his capacity for kindness, emphathy, compassion etc — and even the ability that a teen SHOULD be developing, even to pretend these things, if he knows enoguh about what the REAL world requires of adults. It’s self-harm without the scalpels, to my mind.
What he WILL be moved by, I hope, is fear of having to leave the school he goes to at present — all independent schools have an ABUSE of LEGAL DRUGS policy, not just usage of illegal ones; and you only get once chance to stop. There’s also fear of becoming a pariah amongst his girlfriend, non-using friends and parents, since their houses are where he spends his time and he’s not doing it with universal knowledge and approval. ALL mums and dads are ‘whiners’, as per Decker’s view, believe me, when their kids are 14 and snorting chemically untested stuff up their bloody noses. I won’t hesitate to make those things come true, if I think he is continuing to take the drug, and it will be tough love.
Good luck anxious parent! I too am the parent of an intelligent, sensitive, precocious 9 year old daughter. She lives with her mother not me and I think that my use of recreational drugs such as mephedrone would be limited/non-existent if she was with me more than 1 day per week as I would want to be a good role model.
I often think about how I will behave if/when she tries drugs and your comments are making me reflect.….. so thanks!
A quick update on testing for all you users out there, since you are keen on actual experience: mephedrone tested positive for methamphetamine on a saliva screening test, whilst a urine test showed negative, no doubt because of the way it metabolises. The test was done some 20 hours after usage and the user had taken 0.5g.
I hope this shows up on Google, so that all anxious parents can go get themselves some relief.
I have been doing mephedrone for over a year now. I’d say on average every 3 weeks I will take some. I would estimate I have taken over 50 grams in my time.
The drug has seemed to affected me in a direct opposite way to your son ‘anxious parent’. I am 19 years old and from the age of 15 to 18 I was quite a heavy cocaine user. That drug made me aggressive and depressed which reflected in my awful attitude towards my parents. I had several arguments with them (before their discovery in my usage of the substance) and I treated them in a dispicable manner.
After they ‘accidently’ discovered my life-destroying habbit I stopped for a while before I discovered mephedrone. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the use of MDMA the risks with buying it illegal (not as advertised, laced, impure etc.) were becoming too risky for me so I was pleased to be getting something that I mostly knew what I was instore for. Now I have a much better relationship with my parents, rather than coming home from a 3 day binge and spending the time in bed angry I am a much more lively and social person. The confidence I lacked in social situations is destroyed and the horrible feelings I got from alcohol sessions, something I indulged in far too much, are gone. I feel awake and fine the next day. I am a lot more happy in myself and everyone I know would agree. My university work has improved, my weight has gone to a safe amount rather than the mere 14 BMI level it was at just over 1 year ago.
I believe the drug needs to be used in correct moderation, the same with everything and this site helpfully instructs people on the negatives and postives so people can rightfully decide for themself what to do. It is a lot better than being censored and being fed lies that upon discovering the substance will be demolished and then it will be difficult to distinguish the truth. I was always told coke was horrible and one line could kill you but when I had some and had a wonderful euphoria I believed everything negative I had been told was a lie. I just wish I had realised the true positive points against the overweighing negative ones and made the clever choice myself.