Krokodil Drug Effects, Abuse & Warnings
Krokodil is a drug that appeared in Russia around 2002. It started showing up in Siberia and has spread throughout the country since then. While several drugs are quickly and harshly addictive and physically damaging, krokodil sets a new standard for fast destruction of mind, spirit and body. In 2013 reports of its use began cropping up in the U.S.
Desomorphine, known by the street name krokodil, is an opioid derivative of codeine. Like heroin and other opioids, it has a sedative and analgesic effect and is highly addictive. Those who inject these caustic agents into their veins can develop extreme skin ulcerations, infections, and gangrene a discolored (green, grey, black) scale-like skin that resembles a crocodile, hence the street name “krokodil”. Krokodil is also called “Russian Magic”, referring to its short duration of opioid intoxication (euphoria).
Krokodil is reported to contain desomorphine, a synthetic morphine analogue synthesized in the 1930s. Due to illicit, home-based manufacturing it may contain other unknown ingredients. It is typically abused via the intravenous route. Desomorphine is a Schedule I substance in the U.S., meaning it has high abuse potential with no accepted medical use.
Homemade versions of the drug start with codeine, and can be ‘cooked’ similar to illicit methamphetamine (“meth”) production. Organic solvents such as gasoline, paint thinner, or lighter fluid, iodine, hydrochloric acid, and red phosphorus (from matches) are used in homemade synthesis. These dangerous chemicals are not always fully “cooked” out of the concoction when used to make illicit krokodil. Krokodil also refers to chlorocodide, a codeine derivative in the synthetic path to desomorphine.
According to reports, the drug is fast-acting within 2 to 3 minutes and 10 to 15 times more potent than morphine, and three times as toxic. In fact, when the toxic chemicals are removed, quite often what is left is desomorphine, a compound very similar to heroin. After a rapid onset, the euphoric effects may last less than two hours. Due to the short duration of the “high”, many users find themselves in a rapid repetition of drug use to avoid withdrawal symptoms that resemble heroin. Due to the drug’s rapid onset but short duration of action and frequent administration, quick physical dependence may occur.
There have been multiple unconfirmed news reports of users in the U.S. who have had extreme skin ulcerations, infections and scale-like skin due to use of krokodil. Indeed, the most common complications reported thus far from krokodil injection appears to be the serious vein damage, soft tissue infections, necrosis and gangrene. According to reports, the localized soft tissue effects occur relatively quickly after the use of krokodil. There have been news reports of amputations. It appears that ulcerations may occur locally at the drug injection site or also at remote areas of the body. There may be further organ or central nervous system damage.
Reported health hazards due to krokodil injection use include:
Russian doctors reported that krokodil users have suffered extensive tissue damage, which often includes gangrene and damage to internal organs. Referred to as a “flesh, eating drug” the skin of those abusing the drug turns gray, green, and scaly. The drug’s acidity often will eat up the lower jaw of the user. Doctors report that amputations are common, and there is often a rotten flesh smell. While doctors are sometimes able to perform skin grafts and treatment, they don’t always save limbs or lives of krokodil users.
Those who abuse the drug intravenously are likely to suffer from a compromised immune system, which increases the chances of infections, blood borne diseases, and hepatitis C. There is the risk of HIV infection through contaminated needles, death by overdose, and severe withdrawals. The use of the drug in Russia has increased 23-fold since 2009, according to the Federal Drug Control Service head there. By 2010, anywhere from a few thousand to a million people were injecting krokodil. Use spread to other countries in Europe.
Krokodil has been synthesized in Russia for over a decade. About one million people in Russia use krokodil according to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Krokodil goes by the names of “Cheornaya” in Russia and “Himiya” in Ukraine. According to the head of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service, the amount of krokodil seized in Russia increased 23-fold between 2009 and 2011. Krokodil has also been reported in other countries including the Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Germany and Norway.
Previously in Russia and Ukraine, Afghan heroin was the drug of choice when making homemade injectables. Due to a possible Afghan opium crop fungal disease in 2010, the production of opium was 48 percent lower than the previous year. Therefore, in Eurasia, users turned to over-the-counter medications that contain codeine for pain or cough (e.g. Solpadeine, Codterpin or Codelac) as an ingredient for krokodil. Codeine is preferred instead of heroin because of lower costs and ease of availability. However, the medications combined with the codeine such as acetaminophen or terpin hydrate, their effect on the chemical reactions, and their ultimate contribution to the toxicity of krokodil are all unknown. In some former Soviet Union regions, officials attribute at least half of all drug-related deaths due to krokodil.
In the U.S., codeine is a controlled substance and either requires a prescription or may be available over-the-counter from the pharmacist (as with some cough syrups) with restrictions in some states. There were few reports of krokodil use in the U.S. until September 2013 when a poison control center in Phoenix, Arizona received inquiries about the product. Additional reports have surfaced from Illinois and Oklahoma. However, as of October 2013, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has stated that they are skeptical that krokodil has crossed American borders. The DEA notes that they have not seen any cases of it, and nothing has been turned into their laboratories. To have official confirmation, the DEA would require a drug sample. Users in America may unknowingly buy krokodil off the streets under the assumption they are buying heroin.
According the the DEA, repeated administration of desomorphine with short intervals in cancer patients with severe pain showed that desomorphine produced a high degree of addiction liability.
Another less obvious risk with krokodil use is that those who are afflicted with gangrene and other side effects may delay seeking much-needed medical treatment due to fear of legal action. In addition, the desire for continued krokodil administration to prevent withdrawal effects may prevent users from presenting for treatment.
Sometimes referred to as “the most horrible drug in the world,” krokodil drug has made its way to the U.S. and has reportedly been found in Utah, Arizona, and Illinois. After the U.S. cracked down on codeine sales in June 2012, it became more challenging to get the ingredients to make krokodil. But, those who knew how to make the drug found codeine on the black market, so it is still being produced at home. It is a cheap drug to manufacture and its high lasts about an hour-and-a-half longer than a heroin high. In 2014, the National Geographic Channel’s series about drugs indicated the drug had reached the southwest.
While experts are not sure how frequently the drug is being used in the U.S., reports indicate use of krokodil is increasing. Cheaper than heroin and made at home, like meth, it’s easy to create. Medical help is often sought too late and addicts end up with bone infections, mutilations, decayed facial bones, destroyed jaw structure, skull and forehead ulcers, liver and kidney damage, and rotting lips, ears, and noses. If you or a loved one is abusing krokodil, seek help from a reputable California rehab right away. The sooner treatment is received, the better the odds of a successful recovery.
What is Krokodil (Desomorphine)?
Desomorphine, known by the street name krokodil, is an opioid derivative of codeine. Like heroin and other opioids, it has a sedative and analgesic effect and is highly addictive. Those who inject these caustic agents into their veins can develop extreme skin ulcerations, infections, and gangrene a discolored (green, grey, black) scale-like skin that resembles a crocodile, hence the street name “krokodil”. Krokodil is also called “Russian Magic”, referring to its short duration of opioid intoxication (euphoria).
Krokodil is reported to contain desomorphine, a synthetic morphine analogue synthesized in the 1930s. Due to illicit, home-based manufacturing it may contain other unknown ingredients. It is typically abused via the intravenous route. Desomorphine is a Schedule I substance in the U.S., meaning it has high abuse potential with no accepted medical use.
Homemade versions of the drug start with codeine, and can be ‘cooked’ similar to illicit methamphetamine (“meth”) production. Organic solvents such as gasoline, paint thinner, or lighter fluid, iodine, hydrochloric acid, and red phosphorus (from matches) are used in homemade synthesis. These dangerous chemicals are not always fully “cooked” out of the concoction when used to make illicit krokodil. Krokodil also refers to chlorocodide, a codeine derivative in the synthetic path to desomorphine.
What are The Side Effects of Krokodil?
According to reports, the drug is fast-acting within 2 to 3 minutes and 10 to 15 times more potent than morphine, and three times as toxic. In fact, when the toxic chemicals are removed, quite often what is left is desomorphine, a compound very similar to heroin. After a rapid onset, the euphoric effects may last less than two hours. Due to the short duration of the “high”, many users find themselves in a rapid repetition of drug use to avoid withdrawal symptoms that resemble heroin. Due to the drug’s rapid onset but short duration of action and frequent administration, quick physical dependence may occur.
There have been multiple unconfirmed news reports of users in the U.S. who have had extreme skin ulcerations, infections and scale-like skin due to use of krokodil. Indeed, the most common complications reported thus far from krokodil injection appears to be the serious vein damage, soft tissue infections, necrosis and gangrene. According to reports, the localized soft tissue effects occur relatively quickly after the use of krokodil. There have been news reports of amputations. It appears that ulcerations may occur locally at the drug injection site or also at remote areas of the body. There may be further organ or central nervous system damage.
Reported health hazards due to krokodil injection use include:
- Blood vessel damage (thrombophlebitis)
- Open ulcers, gangrene
- Skin and soft tissue infections
- Need for skin grafts and surgery
- Limb amputations
- Pneumonia
- Blood poisoning
- Meningitis
- Rotting gums or tooth loss
- Blood-borne virus transmission (HIV and HCV due to needle sharing)
- Bone infections (osteomyelitis) and osteonecrosis
- Speech and motor skills impairment
- Memory loss and impaired concentration
- Liver and kidney damage
- Overdose
- Powerful respiratory depressant effect
- Death.
- Animal studies in rats have demonstrated cardiac congestion, necrosis at the injection site, and kidney toxicity.
Russian doctors reported that krokodil users have suffered extensive tissue damage, which often includes gangrene and damage to internal organs. Referred to as a “flesh, eating drug” the skin of those abusing the drug turns gray, green, and scaly. The drug’s acidity often will eat up the lower jaw of the user. Doctors report that amputations are common, and there is often a rotten flesh smell. While doctors are sometimes able to perform skin grafts and treatment, they don’t always save limbs or lives of krokodil users.
Those who abuse the drug intravenously are likely to suffer from a compromised immune system, which increases the chances of infections, blood borne diseases, and hepatitis C. There is the risk of HIV infection through contaminated needles, death by overdose, and severe withdrawals. The use of the drug in Russia has increased 23-fold since 2009, according to the Federal Drug Control Service head there. By 2010, anywhere from a few thousand to a million people were injecting krokodil. Use spread to other countries in Europe.
What is the Extent of Krokodil Use?
Krokodil has been synthesized in Russia for over a decade. About one million people in Russia use krokodil according to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Krokodil goes by the names of “Cheornaya” in Russia and “Himiya” in Ukraine. According to the head of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service, the amount of krokodil seized in Russia increased 23-fold between 2009 and 2011. Krokodil has also been reported in other countries including the Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Germany and Norway.
Previously in Russia and Ukraine, Afghan heroin was the drug of choice when making homemade injectables. Due to a possible Afghan opium crop fungal disease in 2010, the production of opium was 48 percent lower than the previous year. Therefore, in Eurasia, users turned to over-the-counter medications that contain codeine for pain or cough (e.g. Solpadeine, Codterpin or Codelac) as an ingredient for krokodil. Codeine is preferred instead of heroin because of lower costs and ease of availability. However, the medications combined with the codeine such as acetaminophen or terpin hydrate, their effect on the chemical reactions, and their ultimate contribution to the toxicity of krokodil are all unknown. In some former Soviet Union regions, officials attribute at least half of all drug-related deaths due to krokodil.
In the U.S., codeine is a controlled substance and either requires a prescription or may be available over-the-counter from the pharmacist (as with some cough syrups) with restrictions in some states. There were few reports of krokodil use in the U.S. until September 2013 when a poison control center in Phoenix, Arizona received inquiries about the product. Additional reports have surfaced from Illinois and Oklahoma. However, as of October 2013, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has stated that they are skeptical that krokodil has crossed American borders. The DEA notes that they have not seen any cases of it, and nothing has been turned into their laboratories. To have official confirmation, the DEA would require a drug sample. Users in America may unknowingly buy krokodil off the streets under the assumption they are buying heroin.
Is Krokodil Addictive?
Addiction is an obvious problem with krokodil use due to its high opioid potency and short duration of effect. Frequent administration may lead to binge patterns that can last for days. Users are at increased risk for exhaustion due to sleep deprivation, memory loss, and problems with speech. Variations in potency or "homemade" recipes can put users at increased risk of overdose.According the the DEA, repeated administration of desomorphine with short intervals in cancer patients with severe pain showed that desomorphine produced a high degree of addiction liability.
Another less obvious risk with krokodil use is that those who are afflicted with gangrene and other side effects may delay seeking much-needed medical treatment due to fear of legal action. In addition, the desire for continued krokodil administration to prevent withdrawal effects may prevent users from presenting for treatment.
Is Krokodil In The United States?
Sometimes referred to as “the most horrible drug in the world,” krokodil drug has made its way to the U.S. and has reportedly been found in Utah, Arizona, and Illinois. After the U.S. cracked down on codeine sales in June 2012, it became more challenging to get the ingredients to make krokodil. But, those who knew how to make the drug found codeine on the black market, so it is still being produced at home. It is a cheap drug to manufacture and its high lasts about an hour-and-a-half longer than a heroin high. In 2014, the National Geographic Channel’s series about drugs indicated the drug had reached the southwest.
While experts are not sure how frequently the drug is being used in the U.S., reports indicate use of krokodil is increasing. Cheaper than heroin and made at home, like meth, it’s easy to create. Medical help is often sought too late and addicts end up with bone infections, mutilations, decayed facial bones, destroyed jaw structure, skull and forehead ulcers, liver and kidney damage, and rotting lips, ears, and noses. If you or a loved one is abusing krokodil, seek help from a reputable California rehab right away. The sooner treatment is received, the better the odds of a successful recovery.
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