4 reasons why using new generation drugs can easily cause death

The death of seven young people at the electronic music festival “Trip to the Moon” held at West Lake Water Park on the evening of September 16 truly sounded the alarm about the current state of drug use among young people.

Rapid test results on all deceased and emergency victims were positive for crystal meth, ecstasy, and marijuana. Crystal meth and ecstasy are the two most popular synthetic drugs in Vietnam today.

According to the list of the Ministry of Public Security, there are currently nearly 100 different types of drugs that directly affect the central nervous system, destroying the user's brain, some of which create hallucinations and paranoia. If used in high doses for 3 months, the ability to recover the brain will be very difficult, even impossible.

Synthetic drugs can easily cause shock and heart failure.

Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital 09, said that drugs can be divided into 3 types: Natural drugs (whole cannabis leaves, opium); semi-natural drugs with some active ingredients such as heroin; synthetic drugs (synthesized from toxic substances in the amphetamine, ketamine, methamphetamine groups...).

Synthetic drugs have a special attraction for young people because they are more "high" and "flying" in many different forms such as "ice" drugs, "ecstasy", "cow grass", "tea", tongue charms... with toxicity hundreds of times higher than traditional drugs.

Synthetic drugs do not make users strongly dependent every hour, every minute like traditional drugs, but can be dependent for weeks, months.

People who use synthetic drugs are often highly stimulated and like crowded and fun places. This type of drug has a very strong effect on the nervous system and if used regularly, it can easily lead to mental illness.

“Synthetic drugs easily destroy the body. Users can easily go into shock, have respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse, nervous system collapse... If not given timely emergency care, users can easily die,” Dr. Hung warned.

At the music festival on the evening of September 16, Dr. Hung said that there was a possibility that the victim was using drugs for the first time, overdosed and went into shock but did not receive timely emergency care. It is also possible that a person used multiple drugs at the same time. Combining multiple drugs will increase the level of danger.

According to Dr. Hung, at a music festival, normal people are tired from shouting, drug users are stimulated and will move even more, causing the body to lose energy. If you continue to use drugs while tired or drink alcohol... it is very easy to get shocked and have sudden heart failure.

60% of "crystal" drug shock deaths

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, in charge of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said that in the past, the center mainly received cases of heroin poisoning, a few cases per month. But in the past 10 years, there have been only a few cases per year, replaced by cases of poisoning with new-generation drugs (synthetic drugs).

As for methamphetamine, previously patients were mainly hospitalized for psychosis, hallucinations, and excitement, with no deaths recorded. However, now patients are more seriously ill, with coma, convulsions, arrhythmia, and blood pressure, threatening their lives, with at least 2 deaths.

Crystal meth is a highly addictive stimulant that exists in both compressed and crystalline forms, 500 times more toxic than heroin, strongly stimulating the nervous system, rapidly increasing signals to the brain.

Dr. Nguyen said that when entering the body, crystal meth directly attacks the cardiovascular system, causing heart damage and vasoconstriction, resulting in the death of over 60% of patients.

In addition, "ice" drugs also attack the kidneys causing kidney failure, attack directly the brain causing nervous tension, creating feelings of pleasure, changing the body's emotions so that users can do many things they normally wouldn't dare to do, causing harm to themselves and others due to paranoia, most commonly paranoia of being persecuted or paranoia of jealousy.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy is one of the most toxic synthetic drugs, made from many different chemicals in both pill and powder form.

The main effects of ecstasy include increased sensory awareness and openness. After being high, users feel happy, are more excited about music and movement, and some prefer sex.

The Institute of Mental Health, Bach Mai Hospital once treated a case of a man who demanded his wife to have sex 20-30 times a day after using ecstasy.

Former Director of the Institute of Mental Health Tran Huu Binh said that after using "ecstasy", users experience a decline in general awareness in the cerebral cortex and release of instinctive activity under the cerebral cortex.

At that time, they can no longer control all their emotional behaviors, so they have indecent behaviors and speak according to their instinctive emotions (screaming, dancing to loud music...).

Because ecstasy affects the brain, it can cause users to have mental disorders, hallucinations and paranoia. Many people have hallucinations that someone is harming them, and will react by killing them. There are cases where ecstasy users have stabbed their father and grandmother to death and still remain calm as if nothing happened. This drug also causes sleep disorders and especially memory loss.

Hallucinogenic drugs

Recently in Vietnam, the most powerful synthetic hallucinogen ever (LSD), odorless and tasteless, has begun to appear. The popular name among young people is paper stamp or tongue charm.

Just a few dozen micrograms can cause hallucinations. This is the most dangerous, hallucinogenic and stimulating drug. The way to use it is very simple: lick a piece of paper or hold it on your tongue. LSD works very quickly, feeling after only 5 minutes of holding it. The half-life is 5 hours but the effect lasts up to 12 hours. Using a high dose of about 1mcg/kg can cause hallucinations that last for several days.

Whereas with cannabis, the level needed for the drug to take effect is up to 10 micrograms/kg of body weight.