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Is White Powder Which Causes Tingling In Mouth And Racing Heart A Drug?

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Posted on Sat, 18 Oct 2014
Twitter Sat, 18 Oct 2014 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 14 Nov 2014 Last reviewed on
Question : I just found a little bag on my kitchen floor and it had white powder in it. I am not sure what it is, I put my finger in the bag and put my finger on my tongue to taste it to see what it was, I do not do drugs so I guess I do not know what I am looking for. Would it make your tongue go numb if it were a drug or make your heart race? it there a way I can test it to see what the drug is?
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Answered by Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar (56 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Could be a drug.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for writing in to us.

An unknown small bag with a white powder could be a drug. If it is causing a tingling sensation in the mouth and a racing of your heart, it is more likely to be a drug.

However, there is no reliable way of finding out on your own what the substance is. This is because most drugs are in the form of a white powder and there is no simple home test to find out. Tasting or trying the drug is not a good idea because there is a risk that it may even be a hazardous substance.

The only option to find out for sure is to get it tested at a forensic lab, but this is an expensive and rather difficult process.

If there is anyone in your house who you have a suspicion on, then one option would be to directly confront the person and ask for an explanation.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2003

Answered : 2190 Questions

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Is White Powder Which Causes Tingling In Mouth And Racing Heart A Drug?

Brief Answer: Could be a drug. Detailed Answer: Hello and thanks for writing in to us. An unknown small bag with a white powder could be a drug. If it is causing a tingling sensation in the mouth and a racing of your heart, it is more likely to be a drug. However, there is no reliable way of finding out on your own what the substance is. This is because most drugs are in the form of a white powder and there is no simple home test to find out. Tasting or trying the drug is not a good idea because there is a risk that it may even be a hazardous substance. The only option to find out for sure is to get it tested at a forensic lab, but this is an expensive and rather difficult process. If there is anyone in your house who you have a suspicion on, then one option would be to directly confront the person and ask for an explanation. Regards, Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar MBBS., DPM., MRCPsych.(U.K.)