The big drug story of 2009 was the unstoppable rise of mephedrone, the ‘ecstasy alternative’ powder which has risen from nowhere to become the sixth most popular drug in the survey for recent use. 41.7% of you have ever tried it, and 33.6% of you have done it in the last month. Easily available over the internet, sold as ‘plant food - not for human consumption’ over the internet, most users describe mephedrone’s effects as a cross between ecstasy and cocaine.

Name: Methylmethcathinone
Appearance: A fine white powder
Street/Brand Name: Mephedrone, 4-MMC, Charge
Chemical formula: C11H15NO
Price: £15-£30 per gram
Similar to: Cocaine (Chemical formula: C17H21NO4)

Reported effects: Initial rush followed by increased energy levels, euphoria, desire to be social, alertness, restlessness, detachment, blurred/twitchy vision with pupil dilation, jaw-grinding, fishy-smelling perspiration, increases in heart rate and sex drive.

A spokesman for the Government’s Drug Strategy Unit told Mixmag that they consider Mephedrone the lesser of two evils compared to cocaine (“...but the Government considers that neither should be used”). Mephedrone is made entirely from non organic pharmaceutical supplies and is chemically similar to the alkaloid found in Khat, a shrub chewed as a stimulant in countries across Africa. The drug has a distinctive fishy chemical smell and is so new that government advisor Les Iversen says there is “no data on toxicity that I could find,” meaning Meph users have no guidance on correct dosage or safety

Chris Hudson from Talk to FRANK said: “... (Mephedrone) can be addictive, with users planning to take only a small amount and then finding themselves compelled to take larger and larger doses. There have been some unsubstantiated reports that it can cause sudden death as result of its impact on the heart.”

Mickey, a veteran clubber from Leeds says, “You can cut it into lines to snort it, bomb it, mix it with water or cap it. They say meph is like coke, but I reckon it’s more like a mixture of coke and weak speed; it’s very moreish, you’re always trying to re-enact that first line buzz. The comedown is clean and rapid. Meph is great because it’s legal, pure, and unlike coke it doesn’t have a human misery cost.” Most users have commented on the substance’s ‘moreishness’, how a few lines can lead to an all-night session and corresponding racing heartbeat and headaches.

Most users (44%) did mephedrone not more than once every three months, but 14.5% were on it at least weekly. The most common amount used at a time was between ½ and 1 gram. 70% of users snorted it, 30% took it orally.

60% of you have experienced an increased sex drive on mephedrone.

There’s been little or no research done on mephedrone. We asked users if they’d experienced any side effects after using it

67% had experienced excessive sweating

51% headaches

27% nausea

43% palpitations

15% cold or blue fingers

Who’s your invisible friend?

Reports are coming in from around the country of Mephedrone’s dark side - attacks of paranoia, hallucinations and disturbing experiences. As LCD Soundsystem have it: ‘If you do it again, I’m gonna freak out...’

Mark, 25, Manchester: “My girlfriend had to go and stay with her sister for the night. She was so scared of the state I was in, she couldn’t be around me, I was freaking right out, couldn’t focus on anything, was getting tracers from everything that moved and felt ill. Something wasn’t right.”

The mephedrone that Mark had been snorting all day was that something. “Me, my girlfriend and some mates had been at a club in Manchester partying, I’d done a pill and some ket and felt fine, good actually” says Mark. “We left about 5am and my mate said he had some mephedrone back at his and to go back for a crack-on. My girlfriend went home but I went and we were snorting for hours. It was ok at first, then about lunchtime I started feeling agitated, paranoid and a little bit sick.”

When he got home in a taxi things got worse. “My girlfriend had just got up as I arrived home but I couldn’t face her and went straight into our bedroom. She came in and knew straight away something was up. I told her what we’d been doing, and that I was feeling really sketchy. She was obviously concerned and trying to help, but I ended up snapping and shouting at her,” he says. “She left and I just sat there for the rest of the day and night; tripping, hallucinating, my mind racing. My breathing also didn’t feel right. Eventually, the following morning, I got a few hours sleep and started to feel a bit better.”

Simon, 33, London: “My mate, Paul, came down for the weekend and brought a massive bag of it, about 15 grams. We ended up snorting it all weekend at my flat then on the Sunday we went to this daytime party but suddenly Paul starting to freak out. He was getting paranoid, saying he didn’t feel well,” explains Simon. “In the end he didn’t sleep for days, was pacing around my house, and then he even got it into his head that he was spiked. Several people have tried to explain to him it was the Mephedrone, but he’s not happy and adamant he was spiked.“

Sleep deprivation may be an important factor - experts say that if you’ve been up for more than three days you may start to experience paranoia and delusions, and the more-ish nature of mephedrone combined with its stimulant qualities makes this more than likely. However, some users have reported side effects even without a marathon session.

Debbie, 28, Nottingham: “I was out clubbing with my boyfriend and some friends at Stealth. We had been snorting mephedrone all night before they went out. We just stupidly kept doing more and more, and I didn’t know my boundaries as I’d only done it once before,” she says. “When we got to the club I just completely lost it, I thought people were going to beat up my boyfriend - but it was all in my head. He took me home and I felt really sickly, weak and worried, I was also struggling to breathe at times. It was really freaky.”

Dr. Paolo Deluca is a psychologist who’s been researching drug addiction for the past 10 years. Recently Mephedrone has popped up on his team’s radar. “There is little known about this new phenomenon and so we are trying to understand it.” Says Dr Deluca, “It’s a difficult one. Hopefully this way we don’t have to wait for somebody to die on it.”

“There’s obviously a dosage link, as people keep topping up and doing more and then we see the bad side effects,” Dr. Deluca says. “I’d say don’t do it at all, but if you have to the good advice would be to be aware of the consequences and regulate your dose.”

More real-life clubbers' Mephedrone experiences on DontStayIn.com
Talk To Frank's mephedrone page