NSW’s Alcohol and Drug Information Service has warned people to watch out for a highly potent psychedelic drug being sold as MDMA that has actually lead to several hospitalisations.
Obviously, MDMA is not exactly 100% safe to begin with, but this combination (which looks like light brown powder) consists of 25C-NBOMe, a potent hallucinogenic drug, and 4-fluoroamphetamine, a stimulant, which makes it potentially lethal.
NBOMe drugs are usually found in the form of blotting paper, liquid and tablets, and sometimes they can be misrepresented as LSD, too.
While 4-fluoroamphetamine causes similar effects to MDMA and amphetamine, these drugs are potent, and the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) has warned they can be life threatening.
The NBOMe drugs can cause symptoms such as vivid hallucinations, violence, fear and agitation, the combination of which can lead to accidents, or harm to not just yourself but to your mates, too.
#DrugWarning Potent synthetic hallucinogen 25C-NBOMe & stimulant 4-fluoroamphetamine in #MDMA powder.
Effects may include violent behaviour, vivid hallucinations, fever, agitation & derealisation. Get help immediately if you see the signs – Call 000 https://t.co/jkv0yXRGqm pic.twitter.com/EAN2A7b4RT— Alcohol and Drug Information Service (@ADIS_NSW) July 2, 2021
People are at an increased risk of harm from the substance if they use other hallucinatory drugs at the same time, and the service says to watch out for effects such as violent behaviour, vivid hallucinations, fever, agitation, derealisation and depersonalisation.
The ADIS also warned that it’s becoming more and more common for substances to be contaminated with opioids, which is obviously very scary. Signs of that include losing consciousness, slow/difficult breathing, or skin turning blue. It recommends the Take Home Naloxone program, with allows you to get your hands on Naxolone (which is used to reverse opioid overdose) for free at participating locations. Check out more details on that here.
There were several hospitalisations from the dodgy ‘MDMA’ in June 2021, so if you’re start to see warning signs of potentially having taken the psychedelic mix, don’t hesitate to get help – make sure you call ‘000’. That’s the same for any opioid overdoses too — even if you or your mate has taken Naxolone, you still need to call emergency services and get checked out to make sure you’re okay.
Need support and advice? You can call the Alcohol and Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 1800 250 015 at any time 24/7. Not one for phone calls? That’s okay, you can start an online chat with an ADIS counsellor Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm too.
