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

Laura Orsolini, John M. Corkery, Stefania Chiappini, Amira Guirguis Orcid Logo, Alessandro Vento, Domenico De Berardis, Duccio Papanti, Fabrizio Schifano

Current Neuropharmacology, Volume: 18, Issue: 9, Pages: 809 - 837

Swansea University Author: Amira Guirguis Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.2174/1570159x18666200110121333

Abstract

BACKGROUND:NPS belonging to the benzodiazepine (BZD) class, e.g., 'legal/designer BZDs'/'research chemicals', have recently emerged on the drug (mainly online/virtual) market.OBJECTIVE:Whilst certain NPS belonging to the BZD class possess pharmacological profiles similar to contr...

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Published in: Current Neuropharmacology
ISSN: 1570-159X
Published: Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. 2020
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53322
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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.CONCLUSIONS: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.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Current Neuropharmacology</journal><volume>18</volume><journalNumber>9</journalNumber><paginationStart>809</paginationStart><paginationEnd>837</paginationEnd><publisher>Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>1570-159X</issnPrint><issnElectronic/><keywords>New benzodiazepines, NPS, Novel psychoactive substances, Benzodiazepines, Designer benzodiazepines, Synthetic benzodiazepines</keywords><publishedDay>1</publishedDay><publishedMonth>9</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2020</publishedYear><publishedDate>2020-09-01</publishedDate><doi>10.2174/1570159x18666200110121333</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Pharmacy</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>PHAR</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm/><funders/><projectreference/><lastEdited>2022-11-02T12:13:18.0840556</lastEdited><Created>2020-01-22T08:46:34.0647095</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">Swansea University Medical School - Medicine</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Laura</firstname><surname>Orsolini</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>John M.</firstname><surname>Corkery</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Stefania</firstname><surname>Chiappini</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Amira</firstname><surname>Guirguis</surname><orcid>0000-0001-8255-0660</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Alessandro</firstname><surname>Vento</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Domenico De</firstname><surname>Berardis</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Duccio</firstname><surname>Papanti</surname><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Fabrizio</firstname><surname>Schifano</surname><order>8</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>53322__16518__043b9840ec6b4edbb827c62570ae5e1e.pdf</filename><originalFilename>New Designer Benzodiazepines - author's final accepted version (Word).pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2020-02-03T17:40:57.2521642</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>1567001</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Accepted Manuscript</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><embargoDate>2021-01-10T00:00:00.0000000</embargoDate><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2022-11-02T12:13:18.0840556 v2 53322 2020-01-22 ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports b49270b9a0d580cf4f31f9a1b6c93f87 0000-0001-8255-0660 Amira Guirguis Amira Guirguis true false 2020-01-22 PHAR BACKGROUND:NPS belonging to the benzodiazepine (BZD) class, e.g., 'legal/designer BZDs'/'research chemicals', have recently emerged on the drug (mainly online/virtual) market.OBJECTIVE:Whilst 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.CONCLUSIONS: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. Journal Article Current Neuropharmacology 18 9 809 837 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. 1570-159X New benzodiazepines, NPS, Novel psychoactive substances, Benzodiazepines, Designer benzodiazepines, Synthetic benzodiazepines 1 9 2020 2020-09-01 10.2174/1570159x18666200110121333 COLLEGE NANME Pharmacy COLLEGE CODE PHAR Swansea University 2022-11-02T12:13:18.0840556 2020-01-22T08:46:34.0647095 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences Swansea University Medical School - Medicine Laura Orsolini 1 John M. Corkery 2 Stefania Chiappini 3 Amira Guirguis 0000-0001-8255-0660 4 Alessandro Vento 5 Domenico De Berardis 6 Duccio Papanti 7 Fabrizio Schifano 8 53322__16518__043b9840ec6b4edbb827c62570ae5e1e.pdf New Designer Benzodiazepines - author's final accepted version (Word).pdf 2020-02-03T17:40:57.2521642 Output 1567001 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2021-01-10T00:00:00.0000000 true eng
title ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
spellingShingle ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
Amira Guirguis
title_short ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
title_full ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
title_fullStr ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
title_full_unstemmed ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
title_sort ‘New/Designer Benzodiazepines’: An Analysis of the Literature and Psychonauts’ Trip Reports
author_id_str_mv b49270b9a0d580cf4f31f9a1b6c93f87
author_id_fullname_str_mv b49270b9a0d580cf4f31f9a1b6c93f87_***_Amira Guirguis
author Amira Guirguis
author2 Laura Orsolini
John M. Corkery
Stefania Chiappini
Amira Guirguis
Alessandro Vento
Domenico De Berardis
Duccio Papanti
Fabrizio Schifano
format Journal article
container_title Current Neuropharmacology
container_volume 18
container_issue 9
container_start_page 809
publishDate 2020
institution Swansea University
issn 1570-159X
doi_str_mv 10.2174/1570159x18666200110121333
publisher Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str Swansea University Medical School - Medicine{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Swansea University Medical School - Medicine
document_store_str 1
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description BACKGROUND:NPS belonging to the benzodiazepine (BZD) class, e.g., 'legal/designer BZDs'/'research chemicals', have recently emerged on the drug (mainly online/virtual) market.OBJECTIVE:Whilst 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.CONCLUSIONS: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.
published_date 2020-09-01T04:06:13Z
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score 11.013148

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