Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
08:29
Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm
Published on: June 7, 2018
[Recreational drugs: the complication's pleasure?]
1Département des urgences CHCVs, Hôpital de Sion, Sion. florence.joye@chuv.ch
Revue Medicale Suisse
|September 13, 2013
Summary
Designer drug use, including bath salts and spice, has increased, leading to severe health issues and medical emergencies. Identifying specific toxidromes is crucial for pinpointing the causative psychoactive substances.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Psychoactive substance use has steadily increased since 1990.
- Emergence of novel designer drugs like bath salts and spice with unknown pharmacological effects.
- Initial euphoria from substance use can escalate to acute medical emergencies and chronic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the evolving landscape of designer drug use.
- To underscore the potential for severe adverse effects and medical emergencies.
- To emphasize the importance of toxidrome identification in managing substance-related emergencies.
Main Methods:
- Review of emergency department cases involving designer drug consumption.
- Analysis of reported side effects and clinical presentations.
- Correlation of symptoms with specific designer drugs and adulterants.
Main Results:
- Designer drugs like Krokodil and Spice can cause severe adverse effects, including necrotizing gangrene and dystonic reactions.
- Adulterants in designer drugs significantly increase their dangerosity.
- Toxidrome identification aids in determining the specific incriminated substance.
Conclusions:
- The increasing prevalence and unknown effects of designer drugs pose significant public health challenges.
- Prompt recognition of toxidromes is essential for effective clinical management and treatment of novel psychoactive substance intoxication.
- Further research is needed to understand the pharmacology and toxicology of emerging designer drugs.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Drug Dependence
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
01:28An Overview of Psychoactive Drugs
Psychoactive drugs impact brain function, influencing perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. These substances are grouped based on their effects and the mechanisms by which they act.
Stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine enhance brain activity, leading to increased alertness, attention, and energy. These drugs typically raise heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. While they can induce feelings of euphoria, their misuse can result in severe health...
Stimulants such as cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine enhance brain activity, leading to increased alertness, attention, and energy. These drugs typically raise heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. While they can induce feelings of euphoria, their misuse can result in severe health...
01:22CNS Stimulants: Psychedelic Agents
Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelic drugs, are a class of substances known for their ability to alter perception, cognition, and emotions. Despite their profound effects on the mind, these drugs are non-addictive, setting them apart from many other abused substances. The mechanism of action of these drugs lies in their impact on the 5-HT2A receptor in the brain. Upon activation, this receptor couples to Gq-type G proteins, triggering a cascade that releases intracellular calcium. This...
01:15Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily...
01:27Hallucinogens and Psychedelics
Hallucinogens are psychoactive substances that profoundly alter perceptual experiences, generating unreal visual and sensory images. Often referred to as psychedelic drugs — a term derived from the Greek words "psyche" (mind) and "delos" (revealing) — these substances include marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), among others. These drugs vary in intensity and effects.
Marijuana, derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)...
Marijuana, derived from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant, contains delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)...
01:27Effects of Chemicals: Overview
Drugs, encompassing various chemical compounds from natural sources, lab synthesis, or genetic engineering, elicit different biological responses in living organisms. Some of these responses are desirable or therapeutic, while others are undesirable. The primary goal of administering a drug is to achieve a therapeutic effect, that is, to address a specific disease or health condition. Any concurrent effects outside of this therapeutic outcome are considered undesirable. These undesirable...