5 disturbing drugs that you never wanted to know about

BY: JESSICA BEUKER

We’ve all been subjected to that terrible ‘This is your brain on drugs’ video where they fry an egg. The only thing that video ever did was make me hungry for breakfast food. In my opinion, if the public school system wants to scare kids away from doing drugs, they should put on a screening of Requiem for a Dream at the school assembly. Or they could simply tell kids about the following five drugs.

1. Zolpidem – The sleeping pill that gives you amnesia after going insane.

More commonly known as Ambien, this prescription sleeping pill was developed to treat insomnia. The manufacturer lists some of the side effects as drowsiness, dizziness, headache and nausea. However, there are a few side effects that are much worse. There have been multiple cases of people sleep-driving without knowing it, and even getting into accidents. Even more bizarre, are the cases of people who experience hallucinations. In one instance, a couple had both taken one pill before bed. The woman hallucinated that she was floating above the bed, before she began projectile vomiting. Seeing this, the husband put on a tool belt, loaded it with kitchen utensils and began to clean it up using spatulas. Another woman claimed to have woken up to find a dinner plate with a box of cornflakes emptied out onto it. It appears she had been eating them with a sharp cutting knife.

2. Nutmeg – The home-made psychedelic that makes your eyelids feel like sandpaper

Photo credit: Azlin Ahmad

Yes, that’s right – the stuff you generously sprinkle on your eggnog around the holidays is a hallucinogenic. High doses of the spice will induce hallucinations that are described as generally unpleasant. Physical effects include rapid heart rate, palpitations, nausea and dry mouth. But before you think of nutmeg as the cheap and convenient psychedelic sitting in your cupboard, take caution, as one guy describes his trip as follows:
“I kept pacing around my room with an intense feeling of nervousness and anxiety that I couldn’t shake off. My eyes were red as hell and made a scratching sound when I blinked. My mouth was beyond cottonmouth, it was as though my tongue was made of wax paper and my saliva glands had gone on strike. I was so thirsty but it was even hard holding water in my mouth. Every time my mind wandered, I felt like I was suffocating.” Next Christmas, I’m switching to cinnamon.

3. Bromo-dragonfly— LSD’s demented twin that lasts three days

Named for its molecular structure, which resembles a dragonfly, this drug is essentially a super-charged version of LSD. While an LSD trip usually lasts up to a few hours, bromo-dragonfly can last for up to three days and be accompanied by a range of negative side effects. Side effects can include seizures, spasms in the veins and blood vessel constriction. Not all experiences while on the drug are negative, but the ones that are have been described as being “dragged to hell and back again.”
Some people describe their positive trip as a “warm euphoria” with strong amazing visuals. While there is a chance you will have a positive trip, just remember, if you do happen to turn down the wrong lane, you’re stuck on that ride for three hellish days.

4. DNP— The weight-loss pill that was also used to make explosives

2,4-Dinitrophenol is an industrial chemical that became popular among those who wanted to lose weight – without doing the work. DNP was originally used with picric acid to make explosives (red flag number one). According to The Guardian, workers who were exposed to the chemical lost weight, felt fatigued, sweat excessively and exhibited elevated body temperature. A study later conducted showed that metabolism was stimulated by 50 per cent in those taking the chemical. In the 1930s DNP was marketed as a diet drug, before being taken off the market in 1938 after a man literally cooked to death – he took too much and his temperature rose to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, it is still available via the Internet and it is still being used as a weight loss drug. My advice? Skip the shortcuts, go to the gym and avoid becoming a human oven.

5. Krokodil—the Russian version of heroin that makes your flesh fall off

Popular in Russia, this DIY drug is cheap and can be easily made with just a single trip to your local pharmacy and hardware store. According to TIME magazine, users mix codeine – which is sold over the counter in most places – with paint thinner, hydrochloric acid and red phosphorus, which is scraped from strike pads on matchboxes. The result is a murky, yellow liquid with a questionable odor. This already sounds pretty disgusting, so why do people do it? Most likely due to finances – this drug mimics the effects of heroin at only a fraction of the cost. Besides all the money you can save on a quick high, Krokodil doesn’t seem to have any other benefits. Wherever on the body a user injects, blood vessels burst and the surrounding tissue becomes severely damaged – sometimes falling off the bone in chunks. Heavy use leaves skin grey and scaly – like that of a crocodile – and the average lifespan of an addict is only two to three years. In one case, a user’s finger fell off after injecting. This is the drug that nightmares are made of.