This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on 4-Methylmethcathinone is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
 |
|
|
4-Methylmethcathinone
|
|
| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
| 1-(4-methylphenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-one | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | ? |
| ATC code | ? |
| PubChem | ? |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C11H15NO |
| Mol. mass | 177.242 |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | ? |
| Metabolism | ? |
| Half life | ? |
| Excretion | ? |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. |
? |
| Legal status |
Illegal in Israel and Sweden |
| Routes | Oral |
- Mephedrone redirects here and should not be confused with the opiate drug Methadone
4-Methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone, Bosh, 4-MMC) is a stimulant drug related to cathinone and methcathinone. The effects of 4-methylmethcathinone are reportedly comparable to those of similar drugs such as MDMA and methylone.1citation needed
Contents |
History
The drug was used in early products by the legal high company Neorganics2, but the range was discontinued in January 2008 after the government of Israel, where the company is based, made 4-Methylmethcathinone illegal. The chemical can still be purchased from some online stores but is generally considered a legal 'grey area', as it is an analogue of class-A controlled substance methcathinone, and as such not a substance frequently found in legal drugs. It has been reported to be sold on the illicit market as a controlled substance analogue, but little is known about its pharmacology or toxicology as yet.2 4-Methylmethcathinone has recently been reported as having been sold as "ecstasy" in the Australian city of Cairns, along with ethylcathinone.345 By the end of 2008 4-methylmethcathinone had become quite popular in Sweden, Finland, and the UK; with a proliferation of online vendors typically selling 1 gram of 4-methylmethcathinone between €15-€20.citation needed
Toxicity
Recreational use of 4-methylmethcathinone in combination with other serotonergic agents increases the risk of serotonin syndrome due to the drugs stimulating effects on serotonergic activity within the central nervous system.citation needed At present very little is known about the toxicity of 4-methylmethcathinone.
Effects
 |
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008) |
The effects of 4-MMC are reported to be similar to the some aspects of the empathogenic properties of MDMA and the stimulant properties of cocaine, but to a lesser extent. The empathogenic properties appear to diminish with recurrent use, whereas the stimulant properties seem to stay relatively unchanged, making mephedrone a strong candidate for binging. People may report:
- Euphoria
- Decreased hostility and insecurity
- Feelings of empathy towards others
- Feeling of increased energy
- Rapid and uninhibited talking
- Ability to discuss anxiety-provoking topics with markedly increased ease
- Feelings of insightfulness and mental clarity
- Intensification of sensory experience, particularly auditory
Side effects
4-Methylmethcathinone has not been studied in sufficient detail to ascertain precise side effects in controlled studies, however many recreational users over the past few years have reported the following:6original research?
- Increase in compulsive and spontaneous behaviour
- Notable increase in Heart Rate, Tachycardia
- Mydriasis (abnormal pupil dilation)
- Increased mean body temperature, resultng in hot flushes and sweating
- Retention of the smell of 4-Methylmethcathinone through sweat, leading to some subjects strongly smelling of the substance
- Decreased appetite
- Decreased body temperature/feeling cold/shivering
- Bruxia (involuntary teeth grinding)
- Inability to sleep for prolonged periods after use, Insomnia. Twenty four hours of sleeplessness is not uncommon
- Headache
- Inability to reach orgasm, for both male and female
- Nystagmus (rapid, uncontrollable eye movements)
The so far reported side effects of chronic use include:
- Very high resting pulse rate, some reporting a resting pulse of 140 BPM plus
- Occasional reports of body numbness and loss of tactile sensitivity for very large amounts
- Painful migraine and nausea, usually accompanied with a pressure behind the eyes and sensitivity to movement
- Cervicogenic Headache (headache at the back of the neck and at the base of the skull, thought to be caused by the cervical spine)
- A stiff neck a short while after ingestion, which usually subsides when the desired effects come on
- Discoloration of bodily extremities, such as knees, hands or feet turning purple or blue.
- Muscle tremors and fasciculations (or "muscle twitch"), often reported in the days after use
- Lightheadedness and dizziness
Deaths
On May 20, 2008 an 18-year-old Danish male who had consumed a unknown substance experienced convulsions, and went into a week long coma before passing away. Authorities originally speculated methamphetamine, but later believed it to be 4-methylmethcathinone. Toxicology reports however remain inconclusive on the cause of death.7
On December 14, 2008 an 18-year-old Swedish woman died in Stockholm after overdosing on mephedrone in combination with cannabis. It should be noted that news articles were published the day after her death: denoting that evidence is based on speculation and not conclusive medical examination reports. It should also be noted that descriptors of mephedrone that were published regarding this death, stating that mephedrone smells like seafood8, are blatantly inconsistent with the properties of 4-Methylmethcathinone.
After the girl's death at Karolinska University Hospital on Sunday, 14 December afternoon, Swedish authorities took immediate steps to ban the drug, with the handling of mephedrone classified as a criminal offence as of Monday, December 15th.8
The 18-year-old and some friends took the substance in combination with cannabis on Friday, 12 December night. An ambulance was soon called to Bandhagen after the girl went into convulsions and turned blue in the face, Svenska Dagbladet reports.9
Legal Status
After several alleged incidents including deaths among teenagers, 4-methylmethcathinone is illegal in Sweden since December 15, 2008108 and has also reportedly been illegal in Israel since January 2008. Due to its structural similarity to methcathinone it would most probably also be considered a prohibited controlled substance analogue in countries such as the USA, Australia and New Zealand which have broad controlled substance analogue laws.
References
- ^ A New Stimulus
- ^ a b "Bluelight - View Single Post - Neo-doves Part II".
- ^ Killer pills hit Cairns
- ^ Police warn of potentially fatal 'fake ecstasy'
- ^ Ecstasy users warned of drug switch
- ^ "Drug Forum - Experiences - Mephedrone (2-Methylamino-1-p-tolylpropan-1-one) experiences".
- ^ a b c "Teenager dies of 'net drug' overdose - The Local".
- ^ "Woman died of mephedrone".
- ^ "Substansen mefedron klassas som hälsofarlig vara" (in Swedish). Swedish National Institute of Public Health (Folkhälsoinstitutet). Retrieved on 2008-12-15.
External links
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 8 January 2009, at 03:22.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "4-Methylmethcathinone".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.