Legal Drug I: Overview of Research Chemicals, and why they're legal.

A Research Chemical (RC) is a term used for legal chemicals sold over the internet that are derivatives of existing, illegal drugs. They're able to be sold legally because, quite simply, though many have been banned, they simply don't have time to ban thousands of chemicals. There's three main types of RC, I'll give a brief overview and some examples below, many will be explained in much more detail in later posts. I will hotlink any chemical when I write a blog about it.

1. Synthetic Cannabinoids

Man-made chemicals that activate the CB receptors(1) in a similar fashion to cannabis/THC, but at a much more extreme level. Basically, to sum it up in an analogy, Synthetic Cannabinoids are to THC as smoking Meth is to taking an Adderall. Most people don't enjoy them and end up having horrible panic attacks due to how overwhelming it is, and some people end up liking them FAR TOO MUCH and becoming hopelessly addicted to them despite the fact they aren't really that fun. The names don't matter, they all represent the initials of their creator alongside a random number, which has  nothing to do with it's potency. AM-2201 is the most powerful closely followed by JWH-018, and the mildest is JWH-250

Examples:

JWH-018 (Original Cannabinoid, now illegal in the US but not Canada and some of Europe)

AM-2201 

JWH-250

JWH-007

AM-2233

AM-1220

HU-210

JTE-907

Hundreds and hundreds more.

2. MDMA-like empathogenic(2), serotonin-dopamine releasing stimulants.

These are the kind of stimulants that make you feel an incredible urge to socialize and get to know people. When Serotonin is released with dopamine, all of the dopamine motivation goes toward the desire to be close with people. They're not sex drugs, they're love drugs. But, if you overdo them, they'll cause a FAR worse crash and withdrawal than regular old stimulants will.

Examples:

4-FA(illegal in UK, legal in US)

Methylone(now illegal in US)

Mephedrone(illegal in US)

6-APB

5-APB

4-FMA

Ethylone(Kind of. It's dysphoric on it's own but can turn any normal stimulant in to an empathogen!)

Any of the many unknown still-level MDxx compounds.

3. Meth-like dopamine preferring stimulants.

These RCs are just regular stimulants like Adderall or meth, only with different potencies.

Examples:

2-FMA(all of the number-Fxx drugs are illegal in the UK and legal in North America)

2-FA

3-FA

Butylone

MDPV(Now illegal in US)

4. LSD-like Psychedelic Phenethylamines(3) AND Ketamine-like Dissociatives

These, I have no personal experience with myself, but they're all 5-HT2a receptor agonists or partial agonists, just like LSD, magic mushrooms, and DMT are.(Except methoxetamine and the DMTs/PCPs) As with all psychedelics, they can be incredibly euphoric or dysphoric depending on whether or not you have a bad trip.

Examples:

2c-e

2c-i

2c-b 

(Any compound beginning with "2-c")

DOI

DOB

DOA

25i-NOMBe

All of the above are 5-HT2a psychedelics, all of the below are NMDA antagonist(4) dissociatives and should be used with the same caution as the other psychedelics)

4-MeO-PCP

5-MeO-PCP

Methoxetamine

Many, many other PCP derivatives.

DISCLAIMER: Despite the name "Research Chemicals", any and all of these chemicals except for the major ones such as Methylone and 4-FA have VERY little research on their toxicity and MAY have unknown properties such as carcinogenic-ness and neurotoxicity, though this is unlikely due to the fact their mechanisms are so similar or even exactly the same as well researched drugs. That's the whole "legal" drug catch here, you get them cheaply and legally while putting forth some risk. If the risk is not worth it to you, don't fucking do it. Many of these chemicals are sold with the label "not for human consumption" to protect the vendors from legal issues when/if some idiot dies using what they sell. Don't buy mystery blends, always know what you're getting, pretty much all RC deaths I've seen have been due to mystery blends of shit.

Footnotes

1. CB Receptors - CB1 and CB2, the brain receptors that mediate the effects of Cannabis and it's synthetic cousins. More on this topic here.
2. Empathogenic - Drugs that increase empathy and urge to socialize.
3. Psychedelic Phenethylamines - Classic psychedelics, and their newer RC cousins. LSD, psiliocin(chemical in magic mushrooms), the 2c series and the DOx series.
4. NMDA Receptor Antagonist - Dissociative drugs and their RC cousins. Ketamine, PCP, RC PCP derivatives, DXM in high doses, Methoxetamine, and some Alzheimers drugs such as Memantine.

Illegal Drug III: Pharmaceutical Amphetamines (Stimulants, ADHD meds, dopamine releasers), dopamine's role in ADHD, and the blessing-and-curse of stimulant abuse. (Part 2)

Now, what I said before applies to normal, low doses of stimulants. Taking a high dose of a stimulant FLOODS your brain with dopamine. It's a feeling that can best be described as...well...You know that happy, excited feeling you get when doing something you enjoy? Imagine having that feeling applied to any mundane task, even staring at a wall or cleaning. That's actually why tweakers have a reputation for cleaning, it feels like the most fun game in the world to them. The euphoria(1) felt goes away quick with redosing(2), and people who go on binges usually spend 1 day in euphoric bliss and the next 4 being frustrated trying to bring that euphoria back.

The euphoria doesn't come back because your brain has released all of it's dopamine stored up, and at that point taking the stimulant just gives you the effects of Noradrenaline(3) release, which is only pleasant when combined with dopamine release. You need to take AT LEAST a 24-48 hour break for the euphoric bliss to return, and that's the only way, no matter how high of a dose you take. But people still commonly go on binges because, although they conciously know the euphoria isn't coming back, their brain tells them "well damn it we're gonna try".

High-dose or long term stimulant use has no physical withdrawal syndrome except in the case of HARDCORE, intravenous meth users, who experience symptoms similar to parkinson's disease for a time after stopping. For most people, the mental "withdrawals" are killer enough. It's like ADHD symptoms times ten. Anhedonia appears like I've mentioned, but also boredom so intense the minutes feel like hours. I also develop somewhat of a narcoleptic sleeping pattern, where I'll fall asleep for a half an hour at a time every so often and have very vivid dreams that all involve trying to get something but never getting it. It sucks when a dream goes on for what seems like hours and you wake up realizing only 20-30 minutes have passed.

We'll cover this more in another blog, but if you're using a non-pharmaceutical stimulant heavily that is not only a potent DA releaser but also a Serotonin(4) releaser, such as MDMA or 4-FA(more on these later), you'll have all of the above on your plate plus the horrid effects of Serotonin depletion. I'll cover this more later. I'm sticking to pharmaceutical stimulants for this blogpost.

Luckily, stimulants are quite hard to fatally overdose on. A minor overdose will make you uncomfortably physically stimulated and anxious, but death is HIGHLY unlikely unless you intentionally took an insane dose like 500mg of adderall, you have a heart condition/high blood pressure normally, or you mixed it with certain other drugs such as DXM(5). Binging for 4 or more days can cause acute, temporary psychosis and, while psychosis itself will not kill you, something stupid you're doing while psychotic such as walking in to traffic or hurting someone, can get you in to deep shit. Don't take stimulants at all if you're prone to psychosis, aka have a disorder with "Schizo-"(6) in it or are bipolar I. (In which case it can trigger psychotic mania.)

Tolerance to stimulants is due to downregulation(7) of the dopamine receptors, and can be lowered by taking a break and allowing your dopamine system time to heal. Taking Magnesium supplements (NOT Magnesium Oxide or Milk of Magnesia, but any others.) has been proven to slow the development of tolerance or even stop it completely in light users. I'd highly recommend picking up a bottle of magnesium citrate from a pharmacy and taking one or two tablespoons every day. Yes, MagCitrate is a laxative, but to get that effect you'd need 20x the amount I'm instructing you to take.

Stimulant use really is a blessing and a curse. It can enable you to do things you've never imagined possible, and it can totally destroy your life if you let it. And make no mistake, no matter how strong you think your willpower is, the dopamine system is truly a force not to be reckoned with. Do you think every sad, homeless tweaker started stimulants thinking he'd end up that way? No, most of them were normal, functioning people! Destruction of the dopamine system can turn you in to something you never thought you'd be IF YOU LET IT. Stimulants are probably the safest drug available if taken in moderation, all of the kids who grew up on adderall and ritalin show no problems, because they didn't abuse it. If you're the type of person with no self control and still are hell-bent on doing stimulants, have someone else hold the drugs for you, you'll thank yourself later. Stick to oral usage, intra-nasal usage is much more addictive, and smoking is by far more addictive than even that and by doing that you're basically catapulting yourself down the road to ruin. (Smoking only applies to the non-pharm stimulants like crystal meth, crack, etc. Don't smoke pills unless you want to die.)

Remember, I'm not a doctor nor am I a pharmacist, what I write is based on personal experience and pharmacology books, while I wouldn't intentionally mislead you, I am human and I can be wrong or make mistakes. So please, be careful.

To end this blog on a lighter note, I mentioned that dopamine controls sex drive. Well, the bitch about stimulants are, they will make you hornier than you've ever been in your life, yet it'll be very difficult to get it up due to your veins being constricted. Once you do get it up though, dear god, you'll have the most potent orgasm of your life that will literally make you convulse in pleasure.

Footnotes

1. Euphoria - A profound happiness and/or contentment given by many drugs, mainly induced by dopamine but serotonin can increase it. (But causes dysphoria(8) on its own)
2. Redosing - Taking more of a drug after your original dose, can be anything from good to deadly totally worthless depending on the drug or amount
3. Noradrenaline - Neurotransmitter responsible for physical stimulation such as hyperthermia, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and also is the main chemical cause of anxiety along with, to a lesser extent, dopamine. Release of NE can be euphoric if in a good situation combined with dopamine, and incredibly uncomfortable and anxiety causing if released alone. If released in an extreme amount such as when a NE Reuptake Inhibitor is taken with a releaser, or a large amount of an NE selective releaser such as Ephedrine is taken, it can cause a deadly condition known as a hypertensive crisis, where blood pressure spikes to dangerous levels.
4. Serotonin - Neurotransmitter responsible for a plethora of bodily and mental functions. While pharmaceutical stimulants release serotonin, it's too small of a release to be noticible. It plays a larger part in other, non-pharma stimulants such as DXM, MDMA and similar, and 4-FA. Too much serotonin caused by many combinations of drugs can cause serotonin syndrome, which is discussed in depth in another blog post.
5. DXM - Dextromethorphan, found in OTC cough syrups in the US. Relatively safe on it's own, but it can cause a hypertensive crisis if combined with pharma stimulants, and serotonin syndrome in combination with serotonin-preferring stimulants. More on that here.
6. Schizo- - Psychotic illnesses, such as Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizoid personality disorder, and schizotypal personality disorder.
7. Receptor Downregulation - When receptors are over-activated, they get destroyed for the time being, leaving you with less and less receptors for the released dopamine to bind to, causing tolerance. They, except in extreme cases, always come back with time.
8. Dysphoria - The opposite of euphoria. A feeling of "wrongness", sometimes accompanied by anxiety.

Illegal Drug II: Pharmaceutical Amphetamines (Stimulants, ADHD meds, dopamine releasers), dopamine's role in ADHD, and the blessing-and-curse of stimulant abuse. (Part 1)

Pharmaceutical amphetamines. Adderall(Dextro- and Levo-amphetamine), Dexedrine(Dextro-amphetamine), Vyvanse(Lisdexamfetamine, basically time released dexedrine), and the rarely prescribed Desoxyn(Methamphetamine, absolutely nothing like crystal street methamphetamine). Back in the day they were prescribed as appetite suppressants for people trying to lose weight(And are still used in that way for the morbidly obese and some recreational users), nowadays are mostly used for the treatment of ADHD, which I myself have a severe case of. To me, taking a stimulant is almost like filling in a missing puzzle piece in my brain. And what's funny? It kind of is, literally.

You see, stimulants are potent releasers of the neurotransmitter(1) dopamine, which, as I've mentioned, is the chemical responsible for motivation, desire, sex drive, pleasure, and (in part), alertness/energy/social drive. ADHD is a deficiency in dopamine, basically. That's why ADHD people often get bored of things incredibly fast and often feel anhedonic(2). Whenever I explain this to people, they always ask the same question...

"But Geno, if dopamine gives you energy and ADHD is a deficiency in dopamine, why are many (but not all) ADHD people hyperactive?"

The hyperactivity isn't REALLY excess energy: It's us trying to alleviate the soul crushing boredom. To me and many ADHDers, boredom is the one of the most unbearable and painful things to deal with, so we often appear immature by annoying others to entertain ourselves, and fidgeting in our seats because sitting still ads even more to the boredom due to our lack of dopamine. Yes, everyone gets bored, but to a far lesser extent than an ADHDer. That's why stimulants, in reasonable doses, calm us down, they basically make the boredom easier to deal with, allowing us to see through boring tasks without that gut-wrenching feeling of "Oh god I want to be doing something else so badly.".

In part 2, I'll cover recreational use of these drugs and withdrawal. In the near future I also have a blog planned where I'll recount my first stimulant binge(3), the most mindblowing experience of my life.

Footnotes/Definitions:

1. Neurotransmitter - A brain chemical that binds to a receptor and activates it to perform a bodily or mental function. In dopamine's case, the d1, d2, d3, d4, and d5 receptors.
2. Anhedonia - Dopamine depletion. Seen in (sometimes) clinical depression, as a side effect of antipsychotic medications, and stimulant withdrawal. Basically the inability to feel pleasure from anything and a lack of motivation for doing anything more than basic needs like eating and sleeping.
3. Binge - Using a stimulant to stay awake for 4-7 days, usually ends in the eruption of (temporary) psychotic symptoms in normal people, and is followed by a few days of anhedonia.

Robitussin Cough Syrup and Yohimbe: A Deadly Combination! (My experience with Serotonin Syndrome.)

Robitussin Max Stregnth, a cough syrup containing the dissociative(1) drug Dextromethorphan(DXM), a popular legal high in the US, especially among younger people. I'll be writing more on DXM use on a later date, this blog is about the time I combined a Yohimbe(2) bark supplement (an antagonist(3) at many serotonin(4) receptors(5)) with DXM, a potent serotonin re-uptake inhibitor(6). You see, the antagonist blocks the serotonin receptors from recieving serotonin, thus leaving more in the brain. Although DXM does many things, it's serotonin reuptake inhibitory properties (which also increase serotonin levels) are the toxicity concern here. Having far too much serotonin in the brain causes Serotonin syndrome, which can very easily kill you if it's moderate to severe. I only had a mild case, and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life.

Last year around this time, I had taken a 400mg dose of Dextromethorphan at about 3:00 in the morning. Later on when the trip started to wear off and I felt tired(about 4 hours later), I took a yohimbe supplement to boost my energy a bit. About a half an hour after taking the yohimbe, I start to feel off. It was August and very hot inside my house, but all of a sudden I was freezing and drenched in sweat. My legs and arms began shaking violently and my stomach started feeling like it was about to explode, making very loud noises.

Then the anxiety hit, and my blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate soared. My heart was going at 180 BPM and I thought I was having a heart attack. I proceeded to chew on some aspirin and, stupidly, not call an ambulance. I was walking around outside in 95 degree heat, yet I was freezing and covered in so much sweat it looked like I had just been pushed in to a pool. Then, explosive, painful diarrhea came. This all continued for about three hours before beginning to die down. I later look up my symptoms and find out it was most likely Serotonin Syndrome and that combo of drugs could have killed me.

Don't mix DXM with any other drugs that effect serotonin, including all stimulants, MDMA, almost all antidepressants, all psychedelics except Cannabis, and migraine medications. You may not end up as lucky as I. If you suspect serotonin syndrome, get your ass to a hospital ASAP and tell them it's Serotonin Syndrome most likely, most doctors still don't know it exists, but it is very real and deadly if left untreated. Severe cases will generally render you unable to call for help, as you won't be able to walk or talk and you'll be hallucinating like you're on a bad acid trip.

Footnotes:

1. Dissociative - A type of drug that causes a feeling of disconnection from the body, more will be explained in another blog.
2. Yohimbe - An herbal supplement for energy and erectile dysfunction.
3. Antagonist - Similar to an agonist, only instead of occupying the receptor AND activating it, it simply blocks it from being activated by it's respective neurotransmitter.
4. Serotonin - Neurotransmitter involved in empathy, social desire, romantic love, GI functions, body temperature regulation, psychedelic hallucinations, and psychotic episodes. Has many unknown functions as well.
5. Receptor - Chemical that performs a bodily function or mental function when activated by it's respective neurotransmitter or ingested chemical.
6. Reuptake Inhibitor - Chemical that slows the re-uptake of a neurotransmitter, thus increasing it's levels in the brain.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE!

Illegal Drug I: Cannabis, Weed, Marijuana, Pot, Tetrahydrocannabinol, Cannabidol, THC.

Ah, yes. What better to start with than Cannabis? It's one of the most popular drugs in the entire world, but most people have no clue how it does what it does, or even that your brain has a natural Cannabinoid(1, see footnotes for definition) system!

Anandamide is the natural cannabinoid neurotransmitter(2), it's involved in many things such as pain perception and vomiting/nausea. Anandamide, THC(3), CBD(4), and the Synthetic Cannabinoid(5) series of chemicals do what they do by activating the CB1 and CB2 receptors(6) in the brain. THC is a partial agonist(7) at both receptors, while CBD is a partial agonist at the CB2 receptor alone. Activation of the CB1 receptor releases dopamine(8) and because of this, you'll feel the mood lift and the giggly-ness(and sometimes aphordesiac effect) or, in some cases, anxiety and even panic attacks in people who are susceptible. Activation of the CB2 receptor is responsible for the anti-nausea aspect of Cannabis, and possibly for the body-stoning effect of an Indica strain. Sativa strains have more THC, Indica strains have more CBD.

The great thing about Cannabis is it's inability to kill you. Be careful though, if you're new to smoking and don't have a tolerance, smoking too much can and will induce a panic attack, which will make you FEEL like you're going to die. But that's basically the worst side effect you'll get from smoking Cannabis. Contrary to what many people say, Cannabis IS addictive. It won't produce physical withdrawals like many drugs, but it is very mentally addicting to those of us with an addictive personality. (me)

Footnotes/definitions:

1. Cannabinoid - A drug that affects the CB1 and/or CB2 receptors in the brain.
2. Neurotransmitter - A brain chemical that controls a bodily/mental function by activating a receptor.
3. Tetrahydrocannabinol - The main chemical in Cannabis, found in higher amounts in Sativa strains, partial agonist at the CB1 and CB2 receptors.
4. Cannabidol - Partial agonist at the CB2 receptors. Found in higher amounts in Indica strains.
5. Synthetic Cannabinoids - Man-made, strong, full agonists at the CB1 and CB2 receptors, much different than cannabis, many are still legal, will be explained in more detail in a future article.
6. Receptor - Chemicals that, when contacted by either a neurotransmitter or an ingested chemical, controls a bodily or mental function.
7. (Partial) Agonist - An agonist chemical activates a receptor similarly to a neurotransmitter, a partial agonist weakly activates a receptor.
8. Dopamine - Neurotransmitter that is responsible for pleasure, motivation, sex drive, focus, anger, and (partially) anxiety.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE! THANKS! :)

Lets start off with a little about me and this blog...

Before we get in to things, let me just say a few things. I'm not advocating recreational drug use, but the hard truth is, no matter how many times you tell people to not do drugs, they're going to do them. The purpose of this blog is to teach you how the drugs do what they do, and how to do them without killing yourself by accident like so many people do. Think of it this way, which would be a better learning experience for a child? Telling them to stay away from fire because it's hot? Or finding out for themselves that fire burns when you touch it?

Any requests for a drug to blog about? Send me an email or a comment and tell me! And if you want to help me out, click on any of the many text ads on this page if one interests you!

I plan on covering many chemicals, from hundreds of years old and world famous, to the obscure research chemicals available on the internet legally!