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What Is Desomorphine?
Question: yes I am a herion addict I have been for the past 15 years. I do not use everyday. I use the Mexican Black tar that has a very distinct odar. recently my supplier had something that he claimed was really good, but it had a weird smell. I refused it. He gave me a sample I cooked it up and threw it away ,it had a sweet musty odor about it. My question what does the Krokidil drug look like and what does it smell like? I am scared because I think its in California now. I am from XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
sounds LIKELY
Detailed Answer:
There are several possibilities, but krokadil is an altered form of heroin processed by iodination. The residual iodine and nitrogen compounds that linger in it are likely to give an odor. The iodine will be medicinal in smell. The nitrogen compounds would be fishy, or sour or could be described by musty by some (mostly pretty foul). It MIGHT be krokadil. Furthermore, there isn't ONE krokadil. It is a series of different reactions to increase the potency of heroin with variations at each step. It doesn't necessarily look different from normal heroin, but if it did it would be less clean looking (tan to brown).
the other possibilites aren't good either. The heroin is usually cut with very benign stuff like various sugars (testable by taste). But a wide variety of stuff has been used to adulterate the heroin. Furthermore the synthetic process that makes heroin from opium is not performed in a "good laboratory process" setting and can produce side reactions and unknown contaminants. More steps are used to make krokadil with more chemicals and more side reactions. All of these are going to be toxic to blood vessels. It is USUAL for veins to be injured by injection of intravenous narcotics, but much more occurs with krokadil. Furthermore, it is not rare for some of the contaminants to get into the heart and damage heart valves.
Basically, you KNOW this mixture is even more risky than the usual heroin.
sounds LIKELY
Detailed Answer:
There are several possibilities, but krokadil is an altered form of heroin processed by iodination. The residual iodine and nitrogen compounds that linger in it are likely to give an odor. The iodine will be medicinal in smell. The nitrogen compounds would be fishy, or sour or could be described by musty by some (mostly pretty foul). It MIGHT be krokadil. Furthermore, there isn't ONE krokadil. It is a series of different reactions to increase the potency of heroin with variations at each step. It doesn't necessarily look different from normal heroin, but if it did it would be less clean looking (tan to brown).
the other possibilites aren't good either. The heroin is usually cut with very benign stuff like various sugars (testable by taste). But a wide variety of stuff has been used to adulterate the heroin. Furthermore the synthetic process that makes heroin from opium is not performed in a "good laboratory process" setting and can produce side reactions and unknown contaminants. More steps are used to make krokadil with more chemicals and more side reactions. All of these are going to be toxic to blood vessels. It is USUAL for veins to be injured by injection of intravenous narcotics, but much more occurs with krokadil. Furthermore, it is not rare for some of the contaminants to get into the heart and damage heart valves.
Basically, you KNOW this mixture is even more risky than the usual heroin.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you for your response. I do not inject the Mexican black tar into my veins, I am happy for that after reading your response about the damage that is caused to the veins and heart. I inject into my skin, called muscling. But now that you mention it the odor of that stuff smelled of musty Betadine Solution. I am so glad I through that stuff away. Its a scary thing. I quit buying from that supplier because he tried to push that crap on me even after I told him I didn't want it because it smelled different. That's when he gave me the sample. I should have kept it. I am thinking of getting a hold of DEA regarding this matter and this supplier. I am very upset about this situation, there is a code of ethics that I am expected to follow. Knowing what I know, what do you advise me to do about this predicament? I am afraid that there is going to be a bunch of people doing this stuff in my town. I wonder if he knows what he is selling?
Brief Answer:
Happy to advise.
Detailed Answer:
Possession and sale of narcotics is against the law, but disposing of it probably wouldn't be prosecuted. I hear about several cases where someone has brought drugs to a law enforcement agency and it never ends well for the person bringing them.
1) don't get involved with illegal activities, and do not tell law enforcement of the illegal activities in which you are doing / have participated in.
2) Treatment for addiction is a lot more straightforward than the textbooks realize. There's avoiding the obvious situations/people/contexts that make it hard to turn down drugs, then there's substituting methadone or suboxone IN A TREATMENT MILIEU for other narcotics, and then, there's transformation. Same brain functions work for addiction cues and the feelings of dread and avoidance--these can be transformed. Either by well-known brainwashing techniques of getting a group/cult/religion of people all insanely devoted to an ideal, joining and participating in the group. We call this '12-step programs'. OR....remembering the most awful feelings associated with drugs (google images of krakodil if you don't have any feelings that already come to mind) and each time you have a craving/trigger, replay the craving/trigger but with the bad feeling associated with it. Quickly, the craving/trigger instead triggers bad feelings.
3) how do you stop a drug dealer? having someone ElSE drop a dime on him?
it's a fraught problem because it will lead back to you and you are engaged in illegal activities and, it can get complicated. Cannot advise on legal matters since I have no more knowledge than you do.
Happy to advise.
Detailed Answer:
Possession and sale of narcotics is against the law, but disposing of it probably wouldn't be prosecuted. I hear about several cases where someone has brought drugs to a law enforcement agency and it never ends well for the person bringing them.
1) don't get involved with illegal activities, and do not tell law enforcement of the illegal activities in which you are doing / have participated in.
2) Treatment for addiction is a lot more straightforward than the textbooks realize. There's avoiding the obvious situations/people/contexts that make it hard to turn down drugs, then there's substituting methadone or suboxone IN A TREATMENT MILIEU for other narcotics, and then, there's transformation. Same brain functions work for addiction cues and the feelings of dread and avoidance--these can be transformed. Either by well-known brainwashing techniques of getting a group/cult/religion of people all insanely devoted to an ideal, joining and participating in the group. We call this '12-step programs'. OR....remembering the most awful feelings associated with drugs (google images of krakodil if you don't have any feelings that already come to mind) and each time you have a craving/trigger, replay the craving/trigger but with the bad feeling associated with it. Quickly, the craving/trigger instead triggers bad feelings.
3) how do you stop a drug dealer? having someone ElSE drop a dime on him?
it's a fraught problem because it will lead back to you and you are engaged in illegal activities and, it can get complicated. Cannot advise on legal matters since I have no more knowledge than you do.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I am very upset right now. I can't believe my own supplier misrepresented what he was selling me and the fact that he himself doesn't use makes me very angry. I can't believe that he tried to con me into buying that ticking time bomb and gave me a sample of it to try to boot. It scares me to no end that I actually cooked that shit up and came so close to trying it. But, I am so happy that I stuck by my guns and I chucked that shit into the toilet without trying it. After what I have seen on the internet, U-Tube, knowing that that shit is here in my hometown and after evaluating your information. Realizing that I could actually be slipped that stuff tomorrow and that's the would be the end of XXXXXXX XXXXXXX I scared to death and am ready to throw in the towel. I promise I won't contact get the police, but what scares me more then anything is the knowing that people are going to die a horrible death in my home. I feel so guilty but, I have decided that I am calling one of our local methadone clinics tomorrow. Thank you so much for Doctor and for helping me finally see the light. Sincerely XXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX
Brief Answer:
Teachable moment.
Detailed Answer:
First, there is the question of solidness of information. I agree that it is really suspicious for krakodil but that isn't quite the same as knowing. In clinical drug development we give drugs all the time that we suspect could have dangers (we minimize them; we balance the disorder to the drug like giving dangerous chemotherapy only to those dying of cancer and needing hope) but we don't KNOW we are going to harm someone. You don't know it was krakodil.
XXXX
and statistically the odds are very much against it.
BUT
1) drug dealers cut heroin with other things that are bad as a general rule anyway.
Talc powder is bad, not as bad, but will cause scars.
2) run the numbers.
"Most Common Drugs Involved in Overdoses. Of the 22,767 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2013, 16,235 (71.3%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,973 (30.6%) involved benzodiazepines.8 (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)"
problems with narcotics in general are at least a thousand times worse than krokodil. "slipped that stuff tomorrow and that would be the end" was always a very high risk from the narcotics which have zero quality control in any case. Krokodil is an extreme example of a basic underlying dangerous situation.
Good time to get out.
oh, and.....
you will want to know about this.
XXXX
Teachable moment.
Detailed Answer:
First, there is the question of solidness of information. I agree that it is really suspicious for krakodil but that isn't quite the same as knowing. In clinical drug development we give drugs all the time that we suspect could have dangers (we minimize them; we balance the disorder to the drug like giving dangerous chemotherapy only to those dying of cancer and needing hope) but we don't KNOW we are going to harm someone. You don't know it was krakodil.
XXXX
and statistically the odds are very much against it.
BUT
1) drug dealers cut heroin with other things that are bad as a general rule anyway.
Talc powder is bad, not as bad, but will cause scars.
2) run the numbers.
"Most Common Drugs Involved in Overdoses. Of the 22,767 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2013, 16,235 (71.3%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,973 (30.6%) involved benzodiazepines.8 (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)"
problems with narcotics in general are at least a thousand times worse than krokodil. "slipped that stuff tomorrow and that would be the end" was always a very high risk from the narcotics which have zero quality control in any case. Krokodil is an extreme example of a basic underlying dangerous situation.
Good time to get out.
oh, and.....
you will want to know about this.
XXXX
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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