This is an unofficial archive of PsychonautWiki as of 2025-08-11T15:14:44Z. Content on this page may be outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate. Please refer to the original page for the most up-to-date information.
Mephedrone: Difference between revisions
>Josikins No edit summary |
>Oskykins No edit summary |
||
| Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
|duration-coming-down=30 - 90 mins | |duration-coming-down=30 - 90 mins | ||
|duration-after-effects=2 - 4 hrs | |duration-after-effects=2 - 4 hrs | ||
}} '''Mephedrone''', also known as '''4-methylmethcathinone''' ('''4-MMC''') or '''4-methylephedrone''', is a synthetic stimulant drug of the [[amphetamine]] and [[cathinone]] classes. Slang names include '''drone''',<ref>Mephedrone: Chemistry lessons | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7614099/Mephedrone-Chemistry-lessons.html</ref> '''M-CAT''',<ref>Drugs crackdown hailed a success | http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8555872.stm</ref> and '''meow meow'''.<ref>Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone; ‘meow meow’): chemical, pharmacological and clinical issues | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-010-2070-x</ref> It is chemically similar to the [[cathinone]] compounds found in the [[khat]] plant of eastern Africa. It comes in the form of tablets or a powder, which users can swallow, snort, inject or insert rectally producing effects which are somewhat similar to that [[MDMA]], [[amphetamine]] and [[cocaine]]. | }} '''Mephedrone''', also known as '''4-methylmethcathinone''' ('''4-MMC''') or '''4-methylephedrone''', is a synthetic stimulant drug of the [[amphetamine]] and [[cathinone]] classes. Slang names for the drug include '''drone''',<ref>Mephedrone: Chemistry lessons | http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7614099/Mephedrone-Chemistry-lessons.html</ref> '''M-CAT''',<ref>Drugs crackdown hailed a success | http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/8555872.stm</ref> and '''meow meow'''.<ref>Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone; ‘meow meow’): chemical, pharmacological and clinical issues | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00213-010-2070-x</ref> It is chemically similar to the [[cathinone]] compounds found in the [[khat]] plant of eastern Africa. It comes in the form of tablets or a powder, which users can swallow, snort, inject or insert rectally producing effects which are somewhat similar to that [[MDMA]], [[amphetamine]], and [[cocaine]]. | ||
Mephedrone was first synthesised in 1929, but did not become widely known until it was rediscovered in 2003. By 2007, mephedrone was reported to be available for sale on the internet, by 2008 law enforcement agencies had become aware of the compound, and by 2010 | Mephedrone was first synthesised in 1929, but did not become widely known until it was rediscovered in 2003. By 2007, mephedrone was reported to be available for sale on the internet, by 2008 law enforcement agencies had become aware of the compound, and by 2010 it had been reported in most of Europe, becoming particularly prevalent in the United Kingdom. | ||
==Chemistry== | ==Chemistry== | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
Several articles published near the end of 2011 examined the effects of mephedrone in the brains of rats, as well as examining the reinforcing potential of mephedrone. [[Dopamine]] and [[serotonin]] were collected using microdialysis, and increases in [[dopamine]] and [[serotonin]] were measured. Mephedrone administration caused about a 500% increase in [[dopamine]], and about a 950% increase in [[serotonin]]. They reached their peak concentrations at 40 minutes and 20 minutes and returned to baseline by 120 minutes after injection. | Several articles published near the end of 2011 examined the effects of mephedrone in the brains of rats, as well as examining the reinforcing potential of mephedrone. [[Dopamine]] and [[serotonin]] were collected using microdialysis, and increases in [[dopamine]] and [[serotonin]] were measured. Mephedrone administration caused about a 500% increase in [[dopamine]], and about a 950% increase in [[serotonin]]. They reached their peak concentrations at 40 minutes and 20 minutes and returned to baseline by 120 minutes after injection. | ||
Analysis of the ratio for dopamine and serotonin indicated mephedrone was preferentially a [[serotonin]] [[Releasing agent|releaser]], with a ratio of 1.22:1 ([[serotonin]] vs. [[dopamine]]). Additionally, half-lives for the decrease in dopamine and serotonin were calculated and found to have decay rates of 24.5 minutes and 25.5 minutes. These findings show mephedrone induces a massive increase in both [[dopamine]] and [[serotonin]], combined with rapid clearance. This increase in neurotransmitters provides an explanation for the euphoric and stimulating subjective effects induced by this experience. The rapid rise and subsequent fall of [[dopamine]] levels could also explain some of the addictive properties mephedrone | Analysis of the ratio for dopamine and serotonin indicated mephedrone was preferentially a [[serotonin]] [[Releasing agent|releaser]], with a ratio of 1.22:1 ([[serotonin]] vs. [[dopamine]]). Additionally, half-lives for the decrease in dopamine and serotonin were calculated and found to have decay rates of 24.5 minutes and 25.5 minutes. | ||
These findings show mephedrone induces a massive increase in both [[dopamine]] and [[serotonin]], combined with rapid clearance. This increase in neurotransmitters provides an explanation for the euphoric and stimulating subjective effects induced by this experience. The rapid rise and subsequent fall of [[dopamine]] levels could also explain some of the addictive properties of mephedrone display in some users.<ref>Mephedrone, compared with MDMA (ecstasy) and amphetamine, rapidly increases both dopamine and 5-HT levels in nucleus accumbens of awake rats | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246659/</ref><ref>4-Methylmethcathinone (mephedrone): neuropharmacological effects of a designer stimulant of abuse | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21810934?dopt=Abstract</ref> | |||
==Subjective effects== | ==Subjective effects== | ||