CAFFEINE (3,7-Dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione)

What is caffeine? Caffeine is a legal stimulant present in many OTC products and food and drinks such as: coffee, tea and chocolate.

What are the short term effects of caffeine on the body? Caffeine increases heartbeat, respiration, basal metabolic rate, and the production of stomach acid and urine; and it relaxes smooth muscles, notably the bronchial muscle.

How long does it take to feel the effects? Caffeine is rapidly absorbed through the stomach and small intestine into the bloodstream, where it takes about 15-45 minutes to reach peak levels.

Be careful! Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and can produce a variety of effects elsewhere in the body. The symptoms of a caffeine overdose ("caffeinism") will vary, according to individual differences and the amount consumed. Doses ranging from 250 to 750 mg (2 to 7 cups of coffee or tablets of NoDoz) can produce restlessness, nausea, headache, tense muscles, sleep disturbances, and irregular heart beats. Doses of over 750 mg (7 cups of coffee) can produce a reaction similar to an anxiety attack, including delirium, ringing ears, and light flashes. Extremely high doses of caffeine can also be fatal (LD 50 is ~4500 mg). These amounts of caffeine may come from a single dose or from multiple doses at short intervals. Besides caffeine's effects, the essential oils of coffee may cause gastrointestinal irritation and diarrhea, and the high tannin content of tea can result in constipation. Abuse of caffeine has also been linked to the following diseases: heartburn, ulcers, fibrocystic breast disease, cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats), and heart disease.

** All information contained herein can be found at Erowid.org.

DXM (dextromethorphan)

What is DXM? It is a legal cough suppressant found in many over-the-counter cough syrups. In high doses it acts as a "dissociative anesthetic" like ketamine or PCP.

Why are people selling DXM as "Ecstasy?" DXM is cheap, legal and easy to obtain, while making MDMA is expensive and risky. Help spread the word about the dangers of DXM being sold as ecstasy.

What are the effects of DXM? A high dose will cause you to feel very spacey and "out of it," and you may lose motor control. It can also produce audio and visual hallucinations, and can sometimes cause nausea and itchy skin. Some people use DXM recreationally. When they do, they nearly always do it at home, in bed or on their couch. DXM is definitely not a dance drug, and getting scammed with a DXM tablet when you are expecting ecstasy is no fun at all. It can also be quite dangerous.

Watch Out! High doses of DXM have contributed to numerous cases of rave-related heatstroke. Most heatstroke emergencies DanceSafe volunteers have witnessed around the country have resulted after an individual unsuspectingly consumed DXM rather than MDMA. Many drugs can increase the risk of heatstroke in a hot environment by inhibiting the body's ability to regulate its temperature. Both MDMA and DXM carry this risk, but anecdotal evidence suggests DXM is much more likely to contribute to life-threatening heatstroke reactions at raves (especially when taking multiple tablets).

How can I tell if my pill contains DXM? Using the marquis reagent test can screen against DXM. They are available through SD DanceSafe by contacting sandiego@dancesafe.org.

** All information contained herein can be found at DanceSafe.org.

HEROIN (diacetylmorphine)

What is Heroin? Heroin is an opiate drug. It is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar heroin." It can be snorted, smoked, eaten, shafted and injected.

What are the physical effects of Heroin? Heroin has very effective abilities in both the euphoric and analgesic areas. This essentially means that it creates an intense feeling of well being and relief from stresses and it relieves physical pains. Many users will feel an increase in self-confidence, an empathy with people around them, and some users report increased creativity. Larger doses will create a dreamlike state, with visual distortions, which could be described as hallucinations.

Watch Out! In a pure form heroin does not take a great toll on the body, but there are some side-effects. Constipation is a fairly uncomfortable one. Nausea can affect many users. Response time is certainly slowed, making driving dangerous. Regular heroin use can lead to physical and psychological dependence.

Among heroin injectors, sharing syringes or other injection equipment, including rinse water, cookers, and unsterile surfaces is a very effective vehicle for the transmission of viruses passed through blood, like Hepatitis C or HIV.

** All information contained herein can be found at Erowid.org.

PMA (Para-methoxyamphetamine, p-methoxyamphetamine,4-methoxyamphetamine)

What is PMA? PMA is a hallucinogenic stimulant that some people experimented with in the 1970s, but which never became a popular recreational drug due to its high toxicity. It is one of the most dangerous and toxic hallucinogens known.

Why are people consuming PMA if it is so dangerous? They are not taking it on purpose. They think they are taking ecstasy (MDMA).

What are the effects of PMA? At lower doses (less than 50mg, depending on body weight) PMA produces an increase in energy, minor visual hallucinations, and a mild euphoric state. At slightly higher doses it (suddenly) increases heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature to dangerously high levels that can lead to convulsions, coma and death. A person who has ingested a high enough dose of PMA has difficulty breathing, develops muscle spasms and nausea, and starts vomiting. The initial effects of a low dose of PMA might feel a little bit like MDMA, but PMA takes more than half an hour longer to come on. This may cause some people to take another pill thinking that they got "weak Ecstasy." By this time the person may have taken a lethal dose.

How can I tell if my pill contains PMA? Using the marquis reagent test can screen against PMA. They are available through SD DanceSafe by contacting sandiego@dancesafe.org.

** All information contained herein can be found at DanceSafe.org.

ROHYPNOL"Roofies" (flunitrazepam)

What is Rohypnol? Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine, or sedative, with approximately ten-times the potency of diazepam (Valium) .The tablets manufactured in Mexico (the source for most of the U.S. supply) are round, white and slightly smaller than an aspirin. The manufacturer's marking are similar to those found on other pills, including Rivotril and Valium.

What are the effects of Rohypnol? Rohypnol can cause sedative effects, including amnesia, decreased blood pressure, drowsiness, muscle relaxation, the slowing of physical performance, visual disturbances, dizziness, confusion, gastrointestinal disturbances, and urinary retention. Adverse effects can include loss of memory, impaired judgment, dizziness, and prolonged periods of blackout. Although a sedative, Rohypnol can induce aggressive behavior.

Watch Out! Like other sedative-hypnotics, Rohypnol can produce physical dependence, and abrupt cessation may cause signs and symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, intense dreaming, increased sensitivity to light and sounds, and grand mal seizures.

This drug has been associated with date rape. Several arrests have been made in cases where it has allegedly been added to a woman's drink without her knowledge, for the purpose of reducing resistance. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless when added to either alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages

** All information contained herein can be found at lec.org.

All Content Copyright 2003 San Diego Dancesafe