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The truth about the krokodil drug
Desomorphine (dihydrodesoxymorphine , Permonid, street name
krokodil) is anopioidfirst
patented in 1932 in theUnited Statesthat is a derivative
ofmorphine, where the 6-hydroxyl
group has been removed and the 7,8 double bond has been reduced.
It
hassedativeandanalgesiceffects, and is around 8-10 times more
potent than morphine. It was
used in Switzerland under the brand name Permonidand was
described as having a fast onset
and a short duration of action, with relatively
littlenauseaorrespiratory depressioncompared to
equivalent doses of morphine. The traditional synthesis of
desomorphine starts from-
chlorocodide, which is itself obtained by reactingthionyl
chloridewithcodeine. Bycatalytic
reduction, -chlorocodide gives dihydrodesoxycodeine, which
yields desomorphine
ondemethylation.
"Krokodil"
Desomorphine attracted attention in 2010 inRussiadue to an
increase in clandestine
production, presumably due to its relatively simple synthesis
fromcodeine. Reports of its use
there date back to 2003.The drug is easily made from
codeine,iodineandred phosphorus, in a
process similar to the manufacture
ofmethamphetaminefrompseudoephedrine; like
methamphetamine, desomorphine made this way is often highly
impure and is contaminated
with various toxic and corrosive byproducts. The street name in
Russia for homemade
desomorphine is "krokodil" (Russian: ,crocodile), reportedly due
to the scale-like
appearance of skin of its users and the derivation from
chlorocodide. Due to difficulties in
procuringheroin, combined with easy and cheap access to
over-the-counter pharmacy products
containing codeine in Russia, use of "krokodil" has been on the
increase. The high associated
with krokodil is akin to that of heroin, but lasts a much
shorter period. While the effects of heroin
use can last four to eight hours, the effects of krokodil do not
usually extend past one and a half
hours,with the symptoms of withdrawal setting in soon after.
Krokodil takes roughly 30 minutes
to an hour to prepare with over-the-counter ingredients in a
kitchen.Since the homemade mix is
routinely injected immediately with little or no further
purification, "krokodil" has becomenotorious for producing severe
tissue damage,phlebitisandgangrene, sometimes requiring
limb amputation in long-term users. Although there are not many,
addicts' life expectancies are
said to be as low as two to three years due to injecting drug
users' high susceptablitity to
infections and gangrene.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauseahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauseahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauseahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoventilationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoventilationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoventilationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thionyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thionyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thionyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demethylationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demethylationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demethylationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_phosphorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_phosphorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_phosphorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetaminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetaminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetaminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebitishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebitishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebitishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangrenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangrenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangrenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangrenehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlebitishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetaminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_phosphorushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demethylationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redoxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codeinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thionyl_chloridehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-Chlorocodidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoventilationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nauseahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analgesichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedativehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid
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Abuse of homemade desomorphine was first reported in middle and
easternSiberiain 2002, but
has since spread throughout Russia and the neighboring former
Soviet republics. One death in
Poland in December 2011 was also believed to be caused by
"krokodil" use, and its use has
been confirmed among Russian expatriate communities in a number
of other European
countries.
Possibly the first discovery of use of the drug in theUnited
Stateswas reported by the Banner
Poison Control Center inPhoenix, Arizona, in September 2013.
Other ingredients
While crude amateur attempts to make krokodil will almost
invariably still contain some
remaining codeine, as well as other "accidentally produced"
syntheticopioidssuch as
iodocodeine, some of the krokodil produced also contains other
drugs. For example, the
codeine pills sold in Russia may also contain ingredients such
as caffeine, paracetamol,
ordiphenhydramine(coincidentally an opioid potentiator); while
chemicals such astropicamide,
found in over the counter eyedrops, may also be added to the
mixture in attempt to prolong or
enhance the experience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicamidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicamidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicamidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicamidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydraminehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracetamolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioidshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_Arizonahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Stateshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberia
