In recent decades, a terrible drug, desomorphine, has spread among young people. The consequences of its use are extremely dangerous for life and health. This substance quickly causes severe dependence and kills a person in 1-3 years. How to save a loved one from a addiction? And how to help a drug addict recover and overcome the consequences of drinking? These issues will be discussed later.
The history and composition of the substance
Desomorphine, or “crocodile,” is an injectable drug of the opioid group. It causes addiction after 4-5 uses. Its household name is "crocodile" due to the fact that injection of desomorphine leads to severe damage to the skin. The epidermis is covered with spots and patches of necrosis. The skin of the addict becomes like the skin of an alligator.
Here are some facts from the history of the creation of this substance. At the beginning of the 20th century, the narcotic drug morphine was often used for pain relief. However, already in those years, doctors drew attention to the fact that the drug causes serious dependence in patients. Scientists synthesized in the 30s a new similar substance from codeine - desomorphine. It was assumed that it would have the same analgesic effect without the risk of drug addiction. However, in reality, everything turned out differently. The new Permonid drug containing desomorphine was even more addictive than morphine, so this medicine had to be discontinued and its use for medical purposes was abandoned.
In Russia, desomorphine addiction became widespread after 2000. "Crocodile" was obtained in artisanal conditions from medicines containing codeine. During the chemical reaction, phosphorus was used, which exacerbated the toxicity of the substance. The resulting solution was extremely dirty, which led not only to severe physical and mental dependence, but also to thrombosis, gangrene and subsequent amputation of the limbs.
Distinctive features of the drug
The main consequence of the use of desomorphine is the formation of severe dependence. This substance is a modification of morphine and acts on special receptors in the brain and gastrointestinal tract. Compared to other opioids, desomorphine has the following features:
- To achieve an analgesic effect, a scanty dose of the substance is required. Desomorphine is 10 times stronger than morphine.
- Drug addiction is instantaneous. Sometimes even a single dose is enough for this. The brain “remembers” the euphorizing effect of drug use very quickly.
- Crocodile has a more powerful destructive effect than other opiates. The consequences of taking desomorphine affect almost all organs - the drug is extremely toxic.
The danger lies in its availability. After all, until recently, drugs with codeine were dispensed from pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription. A dangerous substance could be obtained from conventional cough tablets or analgesics. This drug was used mainly by adolescents and youth. Crocodile served as a cheap and affordable replacement for morphine and heroin.
The effect of a substance on the body
The drug acts primarily on the brain and spinal cord. After its use comes a feeling of relaxation and intense euphoria. This is due to the rapid addiction to desomorphine. In addition, the substance acts on the autonomic nervous system. There is a feeling of warmth and slight tingling, redness of the skin. The intoxicating effect lasts from 2 to 6 hours. Then euphoria is replaced by drowsiness, lethargy and apathy. Movement becomes slow, and gradually the person falls into a dream.
When using desomorphine in the body, the following changes occur:
- heart rate and blood pressure are reduced;
- pupils are narrowed;
- intestinal motility worsens;
- respiratory depression.
These changes are hardly noticeable for the addict. A person feels pleasure and does not notice how rapidly his body is destroyed after each injection. The negative consequences of using desomorphine are as follows:
- Crocodile is an aggressive substance. It quickly causes pathological changes in the vessels. Under its influence, the inner choroid is replaced by connective tissue.
- Disrupted nutrition of tissues in the injection area.
- Zones of necrosis and gangrene on the extremities are formed. The arms and legs of desomorphine addicts have a terrible appearance, a person actually rotting alive. Very often, this ends with amputation of the limbs.
- In severe cases, sepsis occurs, which leads to death amid a general weakening of the immune system.
It's hard to name another narcotic substance that kills and cripples an addict so quickly. Desomorphine is able to turn a healthy person into a disabled person in just a few months.
Long-term effects of use
Suppose a person has been using desomorphine for several months. The consequences of drug addiction may not affect health immediately, but after a while, the following manifestations are observed in a drug addict:
- The patient is losing weight dramatically. The decrease in body weight in this case is due to a decrease in muscle mass. This usually indicates a poor prognosis of drug dependence.
- Drug addicts often start to get sick. It is prone to colds and infections due to a sharp drop in immunity.
- The patient has a disturbed blood supply to internal organs, especially the kidneys and liver, which provokes cirrhosis and nephritis.
- The condition of the peripheral nervous system worsens. In drug addicts, tactile sensitivity is impaired, various forms of neuropathy are manifested.
- In girls, the menstrual cycle is violated, and in boys, impotence begins, which is a consequence of the inhibition of hormone production.
In addition, desomorphine addicts are often diagnosed with hepatitis and HIV infection. Life expectancy of patients without treatment is only 1-3 years after the start of the drug.
Overdose
Over time, the body develops drug tolerance. To achieve euphoria, a person needs an increasing and greater dose of desomorphine. The consequence of this is often an overdose of a narcotic substance. Symptoms of this condition include the following symptoms:
- The patient becomes inhibited. In severe cases, the patient is not able to move.
- Severe vomiting is observed.
- Due to circulatory disorders, severe muscle pain appears.
Danger to life is taking a large amount of desomorphine. The consequence of this may be coma and death due to respiratory depression. It is impossible to determine the lethal dose of a drug, as it is individual. Over time, the health status of the addict rapidly deteriorates, and even a relatively small amount of the psychoactive substance can lead to a sad outcome. In addition, the "crocodile" is most often made at home and has increased toxicity due to harmful impurities.
First aid for poisoning
What to do with an overdose of desomorphine? First of all, you must immediately call an ambulance. At the pre-medical stage, the patient needs to rinse the stomach. It is useful to give saline laxative and enterosorbent.
Further treatment is carried out first by the ambulance team, and then in the hospital. The patient is administered the drug "Naloxone", which is an antidote to opioid substances. The patient is given droppers to quickly remove toxins from the body. Resuscitation is carried out to maintain breathing and cardiac activity.
Withdrawal syndrome
Desomorphine withdrawal syndrome (“breaking”) is very difficult. Signs of well-being appear 3-4 hours after the last injection. First, a person develops anxiety, anxiety, malaise. Then there are severe muscle pains, sweating, migraine, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and vomiting. To endure this condition is quite difficult, and the addict is looking for a new dose to improve health. As a result, a person is not able to independently get rid of addiction. Help in such cases can only be the qualified help of a narcologist.
Addiction treatment
Is it possible to get rid of addiction to desomorphine? Treatment for drug addiction in this case takes a long time. The longer the experience of using a psychoactive substance, the harder it is to recover. Complex therapy is needed, including drug treatment, classes with a psychologist and long-term rehabilitation.
In the treatment of desomorphine addicts, the following groups of drugs are used:
- antidepressants;
- antipsychotics;
- tranquilizers.
It is important to remember that in order to successfully get rid of drug addiction, the desire of the patient himself is necessary. Only in this case can one count on positive results of therapy. Currently, all preparations containing codeine are dispensed from pharmacy chains strictly by prescription. This has significantly reduced the incidence of desomorphine addiction.