Your Life

Mephedrone

Referred to as: meph, MC, MCAT, m-cat, 4-MMC, Miaow, Meow Meow, Bubbles, Bounce, Charge, Drone, White Magic.


Facts:

  • A fine white, off-white or yellowish powder. Also comes in pills or capsules.
  • Usually snorted like cocaine or swallowed 'bombed' in wraps of paper, but can also be smoked and in rare cases injected.
  • Sometimes mixed with other cathinones and caffeine.
  • Often described as a mix between amphetamines, ecstasy and cocaine.
  • Identified as a possible contributor to a number of deaths in the UK, with a confirmed case in Sweden.
  • Controlled as a Class B drug as of 16th April 2010.

Effects:

  • Causes feelings of euphoria, alertness, talkativeness and empathy.
  • Users feel alert, confident, euphoric and talkative, and some feel greater empathy with those around them.
  • Sound, colour and emotions may seem more intense.
  • The effects usually last for about an hour, but this can vary.

Risks:

  • Can overstimulate the heart and effects on the circulation probably account for reports by users of blue or cold fingers.
  • Can overstimulate the nervous system to cause fits, agitation and hallucinations.
  • Can also cause anxiety and paranoid feelings.
  • Risks are increased when combined with alcohol, including a higher risk of death.

A young person writes:

I tried mephedrone for the first time last year around October. I first thought it was a one off, just a laugh.

I didn’t think it could be to bad seeing as it was a legal drug, until I found myself snorting half gram lines.

One night I took 4 grams and my heart was beating so quickly, I was very paranoid and everything started feeling spaced out. My head ached and my friends urged me to drink some water because I was so dehydrated, yet I was frightened to drink too much and die.

After 19 hours with no sleep, I had a huge comedown and everything seemed horrible, I slept all day. The comedown lasted for about 24 hours, I felt so depressed, and couldn’t imagine life without the drug.

I never want to take it again. I still get huge paranoia at times, and the shakes. I now wished I never took meph in the first place, it quickly stopped just being a 'laugh.'


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