Re: Mephedrone Psychosis
[HR][/HR] It's worth noting that the active ingredients in products sold as "
bath salts" are often ambiguous. The product these individuals consumed may not have been
mephedrone. It could just as easily have been another
beta-ketone, a mixture of multiple substances, or even something else entirely.
I do however agree that bingeing on mephedrone and other
beta-ketones seems to increase the likelihood of these kinds of side-effects. The effects of the
drug are reinforcing and cause users to often continue re-dosing compulsively for hours or days on end. Experience reports where grams and grams of beta-ketones are consumed in a single prelonged binge are found throughout this forum, and this seems to have been the case with at least one of the two users you refer to. This as you might expect rarely ends well and even over short term use can cause people to run into psychological difficulty.
It's important to remember that
cathinones are close relatives of the amphetamines, and that the pyrollidino beta-ketones (e.g.
MDPV) are closely related to the very potent stimulant Pyrovalerone. As such these compounds are extremely strong psychoactives and can trigger a stimulant psychosis much like the more commonly reported
amphetamine psychosis. Legal status and availability are not an indication that these substances are inherently safer than illicit
drugs.
Of particular concern was the individual you comment on that used these substances and suffers from depression. There have been a number of high-profile media stories in the UK where cathinone users have committed suicide during or immediately after a binge. Stimulant abuse is an incredibly dangerous game for someone with a depressive disorder to be playing.. it can warp the mind and provide a strength of conviction that allows them to do something terminal. Mixing it with
antidepressants creates another unpredictable factor, but one I'd think is more likely to have a negative outcome than a positive one.