Synthetic drugs, or chemically-made drugs, are created in laboratories. While some of these drugs are created for medicinal uses, most of them have no medical reason to be made and only are so due to the psychoactive and psychedelic effects they have on the user. In fact, most of these drugs give the user a feeling like they are on marijuana, heroin, fentanyl or cocaine.
Most of the synthetic drugs made are quite potent. They often have unknown harmful chemicals in them that can be fatal for the user, even if the dealer markets them as safe. In addition, due to the euphoria felt when using these drugs, the user often becomes addicted to them quickly.
If you or someone you know is using synthetic drugs, there are some things you may need and want to know about them. If you or your loved one are ready to overcome an addiction to these drugs, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Harmony Health Group today.
History of the Synthetic Drugs
The purpose of making synthetic drugs was to copy the effects that illegal drugs have on a person. Unlike many illegal drugs, however, synthetic drugs are made completely in laboratories. Manufacturers of these drugs do it, so their drugs aren’t called illegal and they can sell the drug legally. However, these drugs are just as damaging or even more harmful than the drugs they are mimicking.
While there are some of these drugs made illegally, it is tough for law enforcement to put a stop to it, because the makers of the drugs keep changing the chemical makeup of them to avoid being caught.
What Are the Types of Synthetic Drugs
You will read about two categories of these drugs – synthetic cannabinoids and sythetic stimulants. They may be called spice, delta 8, bath salts and other street names.
Learn All About Synthetic Cannabinoids
You may have heard of the name “spice”. This is the most common name for chemically-made cannabinoids. Typically, these drugs are made by someone spraying harmful substances onto herbs they dried out. Then, the user smokes or ingests the drug. Sometimes, these drugs are made in a liquid form, so they can be consumed or vaped, too.
Before synthetic cannabinoids made their way to the market, cannabinoids were used teo study brain effects. In this day and age, synthetic cannabinoids are often sold as herbal incense and bought at gas stations or convenience stores. Some other names for these drugs that you might hear about or come across include:
- Dawn
- Blaze
- K2
- Genie
- Skunk
- Kronic
It is a challenge to remember all the new synthetic cannabinoids on the market. However, if you hear your loved ones or friends talking about these drugs, they could be abusing them and need help to overcome that addiction. If so, encourage them to reach out to our Harmony Health Group team today.
Studies have been done in recent years that revealed the illicit drug that is used second most are synthetic cannabinoids. Some people believe that these drugs will impact their body the same that THC does, however, that is not commonly the case. Due to the other chemicals often mixed in with these cannabinoids, there are other dangerous effects such as:
- Severe vomiting
- Suicidal ideation
- Rapid heart rate
- Violence
- Kidney injury
- Major nausea
- High blood pressure
If you or someone you know is using synthetic cannabinoids and experiencing any of these symptoms, get immediate medical attention. From there, you can get into our Harmony Health Group treatment programs.
Learn All About Synthetic Stimulants
Synthetic stimulants, or synthetic cathinones, are drugs that mimic the high people get from amphetamines and cocaine. Many people choose to use these drugs over the latter because they are more readily available and cheaper.
There are thousands of people who are snorting, swallowing, smoking and injecting these stimulants. Most of the time, you will see the label “not suitable for human consumption” on synthetic stimulants. The manufacturers make this label to prevent authorities from finding out they are illegal.
Some of the commonly manufactured synthetic stimulants include:
- Ecstasy
- Bath salts
If you or someone you know needs help overcoming an addiction to synthetic stimulants, please don’t hesitate to contact our Harmony Health Group team. We can get you the treatment you need starting right away.
If you suspect someone in your life is using these drugs, but you aren’t sure, there are some adverse effects that you should be looking for including:
- High blood pressure
- Chest pain
- Violent behaviors
- Agitation
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
If someone you know is displaying these signs, it may be necessary to hold an intervention to try to help them get into a treatment program as soon as possible.
Who Uses Synthetic Drugs
Unfortunately, synthetic drugs are so readily available, that people from all age groups and demographics are using them. There are some children under the age of 13 using them, some younger adults, older adults, college students, senior citizens and others using these drugs.
Negative Impact of Synthetic Drugs
As you read above, there are so many dangers to using synthetic drugs. While there isn’t as much research on these drugs as there is for many legal drugs, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been proven that they are dangerous. In addition, they are even more dangerous than it has been shown due to the additional chemicals manufacturers keep adding to the drugs.
To recap, some of the negative impacts that synthetic drugs of any type can have on the body include:
- High blood pressure
- Anxiety
- Tremors
- Hallucinations
- Seizures
- Paranoia
- Tachycardia (fast heartbeat)
- Suicidal ideations
- Agitation
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Psychosis
- Violent behaviors
Do you know anyone who is displaying these behaviors? If so, be sure to have an intervention with other family members and friends to talk about this issue. Hopefully, your friend or loved one will agree to get treatment for their addiction to these drugs and for any other addictions they might have, as well.
Get Help Overcoming Synthetic Drug Abuse Today
While synthetic drugs are often marked as safe and legal, they aren’t. There are so many different adverse health effects that these drugs can and will have on the user’s system. They are potent and can even be fatal. This is due to the unidentifiable chemicals that they often contain.
Are you or someone you know using synthetic cannabinoids or synthetic stimulants? If so, our Harmony Health Group would like to help you overcome that addiction. Contact us today to get into a treatment program for synthetic drug addiction.