Psychiatria pre prax 5/2005

NEW SYNTHETIC DRUGS

The drug scene is developing similarly as any other scene. According to this fact new problems that have to be solved are arising. One of the most prominent problems of the 21st century is increasing frequency of the use of new synthetic drugs. This phenomenon is closely linked to the widespread use of designer drug ecstasy (3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine, MDMA). New synthetic drugs are most often associated to the population of ecstasy users, often distributed as to be the ecstasy itself or something similar to it. Phenylethylamine, tryptamine and piperazine derivatives most likely belong to this category. In general, these are drugs acting predominantly via monoaminergic systems of the brain, having entactogenic, hallucinogenic and stimulant properties. Whenever these substances in some cases could be highly toxic, there is substantial lack of valid and accessible information about them.

Keywords: exstasy, MDMA, phenylethylamines, tryptamines, piperazines, new synthetic drugs.