Designer Drugs: A Synthetic Catastrophe.
Synthetic stimulants can cause hallucinations, aggressive behaviors, death and are sometimes legal. These substances are sold as plant food and bath salts that are "Not for Human Consumption", therefore skirting the 1986 Federal Analogue Act and giving a false pretense of safety. Studies have proved that these substances are toxic, have a high abuse potential, and are becoming extremely prevalent in the United States. This creates a dilemma for law enforcement agents, hospitals, and substance use disorder treatment centers. Urine Drug Testing is utilized as a clinical diagnostic tool in substance use disorder treatment centers, and the furious pace at which new synthetic stimulants are introduced to the black market are making the detection via urine increasingly difficult. This article will discuss the prevalence, pharmacology and difficulty developing laboratory assays to detect synthetic stimulants.
Division of Applied Clinical Research, Dominion Diagnostics, LLC, North Kingstown, RI, USA.
James
J
Fratantonio
Division of Research and Development, Dominion Diagnostics, LLC, North Kingstown, RI, USA.
Lawrence
L
Andrade
Department of Psychiatry and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Marcelo
M
Febo
Bath salts; Designer drugs; MDPV; Mephedrone; Methylone; α-PVP