Signs and Symptoms of Piperazine Abuse
Until several years ago, it was unlikely that anyone but a few chemists had ever heard of Piperazines. This is a class of drug with stimulating effects that first appeared in New Zealand and then traveled to Europe and then the US. They are promoted as being similar in effect to Ecstasy.
There are several drugs in this class, the main ones being:
- BZP or 1-Benzylpiperazine: may be brand named Legal X, Pep X or A2
- mCPP or 1-(3-chlorophenyl)Piperazine
- TFMPP or 1-(3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl) Piperazine
These drugs may be sold as pills, in capsules or as liquids. They are often found in combination with other drugs or chemicals. Basically, when a person begins abusing synthetics, he (or she) will have no idea what he is taking or how dangerous it is.
Some of these substances are legitimately used in manufacturing, so eliminating them from the market is impossible.
Original Medical Use of Piperazine
Originally, this class of drug was developed for medical use to treat depression. So many problems came up when it was tested that it was abandoned. Some formulas are still used to eliminate worms in animals.
This class of drug is often sold in party or music festival environments, either as loose pills or capsules or in a blister pack. Buyers may be told that they contain Ecstasy when actually, there is little or no MDMA (the chemical designation for Ecstasy) in them.
Pills that were primarily made up of Piperazines were also found to be mixed with amphetamine, cocaine or the veterinary anesthetic ketamine. Some substances sold as “bath salts” were found to contain Piperazines instead of cathinones, the usual substance sold as bath salts.
Piperazine Signs and Symptoms
While the exact symptoms of use vary by which drug is taken, signs of this class of drug include:
- Increased energy and alertness
- Loss of appetite
- Shakiness
- Nausea and stomach pain
- Vomiting
- Confusion
- Emotional instability
- Inability to sleep
- Dizziness
- Irritability
- Terror attacks
- Oversensitivity to light or sound
- Severe seizures
- Hallucinations
- Headaches and migraines after the drug wears off
- Hangover
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
- Addiction
This type of drug has not definitely been associated with overdose deaths because whenever death has occurred, there have been other drugs also present. BZP was reported to be present in four deaths between 2006 and 2010 in the US and more in Europe, sometimes mixed with MDMA. Over those four years in the US, Piperazine distribution grew from a few reports in seven states to hundreds or even thousands of reports in nearly every state.
These drugs have been found in nearly every European country and they have been made illegal in most countries as well. Piperazines have also been reported in Japan.
These drugs are normally ingested, although some people have smoked, snorted or injected them. Some formulas contain more than one Piperazine, for example, BZP and TFMPP are often found in combination. This combination has resulted in these symptoms:
- Erratic eye movements
- Vomiting
- Seizures
- Vomiting
- High blood pressure
- Panic
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- Migraine
- Insomnia
- Hangover
Addiction Can Drive Use Despite Harm
These drugs are known to cause addiction, so that a person may continue to use them despite the harm he is suffering. The signs that a person is addicted to a Piperazine would include the most common manifestations of addiction:
- Isolation
- Abandonment of goals and interests
- Declining health and energy
- Loss of jobs and relationships
- Erratic, irrational behavior
- Argumentative response to questions
- Refusal to admit drug abuse
When families see the signs of Piperazine abuse and symptoms of addiction, they would be wise to take action rapidly. Addiction rehabilitation can bring a person out of the destructive, altered world of drug abuse and back to mental and physical health.
The Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation program has had five decades of experience in dealing with all types of addiction to allmost every substance under the sun. Families who have chosen Narconon for their loved one’s recovery have described the way that this time, they finally got their loved one back.
Learn how this rehab program with dozens of locations around the world can help bring addiction to an end.
References
