The Legal Highs of Novel Drugs of Abuse
Pierluigi Pompei
Journal of Drug Abuse 2016 DOI: 10.21767/2471-853x.100025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | Synthetic cannabinoids Recreational drug Drugs of abuse Pharmacology |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | The heterogeneity of synthetic drugs of abuse results in variable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects, making suspected intoxication a priority diagnosis requiring symptom-guided urine and blood analysis. |
Abstract
Abstract The abuse of drugs is a widespread and growing issue, both in United States and Europe, as a number of synthetic drugs have raised popularity over the past years for recreational use. Moreover, the nature of addiction is often debated as either a lifestyle choice that may underline a physiological vulnerability, or a chronic brain disease with remarkable epigenetic, neurodevelopmental and sociocultural components. Consciousness and treatment of new drugs of abuse give challenges for health care practitioners primarily due to a lack of quantitative reports. As law enforcements struggle to ban these often referred as “legal highs”, new compounds are produced. Also, a major problem in tracking these drugs is that they are easily available through head shops, the web and other sources, therefore giving rise to a high risk of suspected intoxication. The aim of this article is to highlight the pharmaco-toxicological features of some common drugs of abuse such as central nervous system stimulants as synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, gabapentin, acetyl fentanyl, phenethylamine called NBOMe, hallucinogenic mushrooms, piperazines, tryptamines, salvia, methoxetamine, kratom and performance-enhancing drugs. The tremendous heterogeneity of these drugs results in variable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects, thus suspected intoxication is a priority diagnosis in order to ensure safety of patients and needs to be handled with the guide of the patient’s symptoms through specific and detailed urine and blood analysis. Keywords: Drugs of abuse; Cannabinoids; Cathinones; Salvia; Kratom; Gabapentin
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Mindfulness meditation–based pain relief: a mechanistic account | 2016 | Review | |
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. | 2013 | Review | |
| The neuropsychopharmacology of cannabis: A review of human imaging studies | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 26
- Salvinorin A: a potent naturally occurring nonnitrogenous kappa opioid selective agonist. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences September 3, 2002
- The pharmacology of psilocybin Addiction Biology October 1, 2002
- Here today, gone tomorrow…and back again? A review of herbal marijuana alternatives (K2, Spice), synthetic cathinones (bath salts), kratom, Salvia divinorum, methoxetamine, and piperazines. Journal of Medical Toxicology March 1, 2012
- Clinical toxicology of newer recreational drugs Clinical Toxicology October 1, 2011
- From PCP to MXE: a comprehensive review of the non-medical use of dissociative drugs. Drug Testing and Analysis 2014
and 21 more in the library