What are designer drugs?
The name might imply that these drugs are somehow more expensive or more appealing, but the reality is quite different. Designer drugs are simply drugs that have been designed in a lab. They are synthetic, and the following five are some of the most common and most dangerous varieties.
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (meth) is not a naturally occurring drug. It has to be produced in a process known as cooking. The final product, methamphetamine, increases energy, prevents sleep and may decrease appetite. If you’re wondering, what are designer drugs, then meth is one of the most obvious answers.
Bath Salts
While there are salts that are placed in a tub of warm water, the so-called bath salts, which are a designer drug, are far more dangerous. Bath salts are a synthetic drug, and they tend to be a light powder. Shockingly, just a few years ago foil packages of these dangerous bath salts could be purchased in common places like gas stations.
Ecstasy
What are designer drugs? One clear example of a designer drug is ecstasy. Ecstasy, or MDMA, is made by combining stimulants into a single dose. Depending on the batch or the maker, ecstasy might contain amphetamines, cocaine or even caffeine.
Although ecstasy is widely used by those who want to dance all night, using these pills can lead to heart failure and severe dehydration. Sometimes known as club drugs, long-term users can suffer from permanent brain damage as a result of ecstasy consumption.
Ketamine
While ketamine is a designer drug, many users don’t realize that it was designed for animals, not humans. Ketamine is a drug meant to be used as an anesthetic when animals go into surgery. When humans take ketamine, they may suffer from amnesia, hallucinations or what is called a near-death experience. Many users rapidly become addicted to the dream-like states that ketamine can create.
Rohypnol
Many people know rohypnol as a drug used in sexual assault or rape, but it is important to note that others actually consume the designer drug on their own. As a form of benzodiazepine, rohypnol can reduce anxiety and even cause sedation. However, it is dangerous as well as addictive, and it should never be used recreationally.
What are designer drugs? These five examples help answer the question. Designer drugs are just as addictive as any other form of drugs and require addiction treatment to get free. Call 866.488.8684 to learn more about Steps to Recovery and how you can end an addiction to any of these designer drugs.
