title: [Mephedrone: a designer drug of recent use in France].
abstract: Designer drugs are currently marketed as substitutes for stimulant drugs as cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA...Unlike compounds listed as narcotics, these new substances are deliberately synthesized to avoid anti-drug laws. Among them, mephedrone (4-methylmethcatinone) that belongs to cathinone family, has been recently introduced in France. Users report positive euphoric and entactogenic effects. They also describe negative effects such as increased dependence towards the drug itself and larger craving for tobacco and alcohol. The numerous and various described adverse effects include psychoactive, digestive, cardiovascular... effects. Some fatality cases have been reported in scientific literature or in press and attributed to mephedrone often in association with other substances. Mephedrone has been listed as narcotic in several European countries and more recently in France.
authors.affiliation: CEIP Addictovigilance, CHU, Caen, France. debruyne-d@chu-caen.fr
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Debruyne
authors.forename: Marie-Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Courné
authors.forename: Reynald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Boisselier
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Djezzar
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gérardin
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boucher
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karila
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coquerel
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mallaret
mesh_terms: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D005059:Euphoria / Q000187:drug effects; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D015198:Designer Drugs; D008694:Methamphetamine; C548233:mephedrone