4-MMC, also known as Mephedrone, is a stimulant and to a lesser extent, an emphathogen.
It was synthesized nearly a century ago, but its history of use is much shorter.
The drug comes from the cathinone family.
Among its positive effects are stimulation, strong euphoria, mood lift, sociability, a
euphoric tingling body high, and some feelings of increased empathy.
The negative effects include decreased appetite, disrupted temperature regulation, sweating
or chills, increased heart rate and blood pressure, compulsive redosing, dry mouth,
insomnia, muscle twitching, tight jaw, vasoconstriction, and dizziness.
With the stimulation, a lot of people describe it as forced.
Both mental and physical stimulation are present, with 4-MMC lending itself to activities like
dancing.
The stimulant and euphoric effects surpass what MDMA provides, though MDMA is still a
stronger emphathogen.
In one study involving people who had used Mephedrone and Cocaine, a significant portion
ranked Mephedrone higher for the quality of the experience.
When you're able to control your dose and use a reasonable amount, a lot of people describe
it as a nice euphoric stimulant.
But, it can become dangerous and uncomfortable with higher doses.
Some of the issues with Mephedrone, like vasoconstriction, really pop up with higher dosages often brought
on by redosing.
You should always be controlling your doses, not just seeing where the day takes you.
For the timeline, Mephedrone is a very up and down drug, especially when it's used intranasally.
This often results in compulsive redosing.
Orally, it lasts for 2 to 5 hours and has an onset of 15 to 45 minutes.
The strongest effects are present 1 to 2 hours after administration.
With intranasal use, it lasts for 1 to 3 hours and has an onset of around 5 minutes.
The strongest effects exist 10 to 45 minutes after administration.
The comedown period, at least for some users, features a significant decrease in mood and
a desire to use more.
4-MMC is a member of the cathinone family, featuring an amphetamine backbone.
It appears to function as a releasing agent and reuptake inhibitor for dopamine, serotonin,
and norepinephrine.
Dopamine and serotonin are both significantly increased, with dopamine rising up to 500%
and serotonin rising up to 950% in rats.
Those levels quickly return to normal within an hour or two.
It was synthesized by Saem de Burnaga Sanchez in 1929 and was first reported in a French
scientific journal.
The drug was described as a derivative of cathinone, which is found naturally in khat.
Mephedrone was rediscovered in 2003 by a chemist who described the drug on The Hive.
Online sales made the drug popular in the 2000s, with a lot of use reported by 2007.
It's still used now, but it received much of its attention prior to 2012.
A lot of the use has occurred in Europe (particularly the UK), Australia, New Zealand, and North
America.
Mephedrone was connected to a number of deaths, contributing to bans in many countries.
In 2012, it was made illegal in the United States.
Orally, a light dose is 50 to 100 mg.
A common dose is 100 to 175 mg.
And a strong dose is 175 to 300 mg or more.
Intranasally, a light dose is 15 to 25 mg, a common dose is 25 to 80 mg, and a strong
dose is 80 to 125 mg.
Mephedrone is generally sold as a powder or in the form of tablets.
Dosing is complicated because many users use more than one dose, which is not recommended.
Compulsive redosing is definitely not a good idea and if you're going to use more than
one dose, the second amount should be planned.
You should always check your local laws before ordering or using 4-MMC.
The drug is illegal in the US and it's also illegal in many countries, including China,
Israel, Norway, Russia, and the UK.
At least a couple deaths have been tied to Mephedrone, though existing health issues
and redosing are generally core factors in the deaths.
Vasoconstriction is a clear, established concern with the substance.
Especially with higher doses brought on by redosing, bluing of the feet, legs, hands,
lips, and other parts of the body is possible.
Due to its effects on the cardiovascular system, those with heart issues are best off avoiding
the drug.
If its still used, significant caution is warranted.
You shouldn't combine Mephedrone with other stimulants, since the negative effects can
compound.
I see the potential for hypertensive emergency with the drug when it's combined with other
stimulants or high doses are used.
Some level of neurotoxicity appears to exist with Mephedrone when a relatively large dose,
such as 200 mg, is used.
Neurotoxicity will be more of an issue for those who compulsively use it for an extended
period of time.
It appears possible for parts of cells to be damaged by the drug, as shown by some of
the research in mice.
Dopamine transporter decreases and decreases in the metabolism required for serotonin can
be seen for a week or more, which is bad for regular use.
The neurotoxicity of MDMA and mephedrone seems to be additive, so it's best to not combine
them.
As for minimizing neurotoxicity, you should avoid using it with other drugs, it shouldn't
be used many days in a row, and all of your doses should be controlled.
Also, you should avoid hot environments and high activity levels.
That means dancing in a hot, enclosed environment for hours on end isn't wise.
Compulsive redosing is one of the biggest issues with the drug.
You definitely should not impulsively use more each time you come down.
The usual stimulant safety measures of avoiding sleep deprivation, not taking the drug too
late, and making sure you stay nourished all apply.
If you have any questions about Mephedrone, feel free to leave them in the comments section.
You can also leave them in the Reddit thread for this video, which is linked in the description.
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