2. Academic Validation
  3. 'New/Designer Benzodiazepines': An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts' Trip Reports

'New/Designer Benzodiazepines': An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts' Trip Reports

  • Curr Neuropharmacol. 2020;18(9):809-837. doi: 10.2174/1570159X18666200110121333.
Laura Orsolini 1 2 3,  John M Corkery 1,  Stefania Chiappini 1,  Amira Guirguis 1 4,  Alessandro Vento 5 6 7 8,  Domenico De Berardis 3 9 10,  Duccio Papanti 1,  Fabrizio Schifano 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, Herts, UK
  • 2 Department of Clinical Neurosciences/DIMSC, School of Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
  • 3 Polyedra, Teramo, Italy
  • 4 Swansea University Medical School, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Abertawe, UK
  • 5 NESMOS Department (Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs), Sapienza University - Rome, School of Medicine and Psychology; Sant’Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy
  • 6 School of psychology - G. Marconi Telematic University, Rome, Italy
  • 7 Addictions Observatory (ODDPSS), Rome, Italy
  • 8 Mental Health Department - ASL Roma 2, Rome, Italy
  • 9 Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Science, Chair of Psychiatry, University of “G. D’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy
  • 10 NHS, Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, Hospital “G. Mazzini”, ASL 4 Teramo, Italy
PMID: 31933443 DOI: 10.2174/1570159X18666200110121333
Abstract

Background: NPS belonging to the benzodiazepine (BZD) class, e.g., 'legal/designer BZDs'/'research chemicals', have recently emerged in the drug (mainly online/virtual) market.

Objective: While certain NPS belonging to the BZD class possess pharmacological profiles similar to controlled pharmaceutical BZDs, clinical and pharmacological profiles of current emerging BZDs are still not well-described. Therefore, there is a need to increase clinicians'/public health knowledge/awareness, to incentive harm reduction strategies.

Method: A comprehensive overview was carried out by using the EMCDDA/EDND database regularly monitored by our research team, by specifically looking at the 'new BZDs' so far notified. Furthermore, given the limitation of peer-reviewed data published so far, a nonparticipant multilingual qualitative netnographic study was conducted to obtain further clinical/pharmacological/ toxicological data, including psychonauts' online trip reports.

Results: First designer BZDs appeared as NPS around 2007. So far, 29 designer BZDs have been notified to the EMCDDA, being some of them extremely powerful, also at lower dosages. They are sold as tablets/powder/pellets/capsules/blotters/liquids, at very affordable prices, and variably administered. Some are also sold on the illicit drugmarket as counterfeit forms of traditional BZDs or as either adulterants or diluents in heroin or other synthetic opioids/cannabinoids. Nowadays, there is no guarantee of the quality of designer BZDs composition/purification and, hence, most NPS consumers may be inadvertently exposed to unsafe and harmful compounds.

Conclusion: Given the limited information on their pharmacology/toxicity, variations in dosage, onset of effects, combination of substances, potency, and general patient or individual variability, the concomitant use of these substances with other drugs entails several and unpredictable risks.

Keywords

NPS; New benzodiazepines; benzodiazepines; designer benzodiazepines; novel psychoactive substances; synthetic benzodiazepines.

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