Abstract
The abuse of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) has been increasing dramatically worldwide since late 2000s. By the end of 2015, more than 560 NPS had been reported to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Although the most popular compounds are synthetic cannabinoids and psychostimulatory derivatives of cathinone (so-called β-keto-amphetamines), novel synthetic opioids have recently emerged on the recreational drug market. They include fentanyl (a potent narcotic analgesic) and its analogs (e.g., acetylfentanyl, acryloylfentanyl, carfentanil, α-methylfentanyl, 3-methylfentanyl, furanylfentanyl, 4-fluorobutyrylfentanyl, 4-methoxybutyrylfentanyl, 4-chloroisobutyrylfentanyl, 4-fluoroisobutyrylfentanyl, tetrahydrofuranylfentanyl, cyclopentylfentanyl, and ocfentanil) and compounds with different chemical structures, such as AH-7921, MT-45, and U-47700. This survey provides an overview of the pharmacological properties, pattern of use, and desired and unwanted effects of the above-listed novel opioids. Special emphasis is given to cases of non-fatal and lethal intoxication involving these compounds.
Highlights
The last decade has seen a worldwide surge in the recreational use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS)
A literature search was performed on two representative databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) and various governmental and institutional websites, using the following keywords alone or in combination: NPS, synthetic opioid, fentanyl, illicit fentanyls, names of particular designer analogs of fentanyl, MT-45, AH-7921, U-47700, toxicity, and naloxone
A significant change has been seen in the use and availability of recreational drugs in various parts of the world, with an increasing number of NPS being observed
Summary
The last decade has seen a worldwide surge in the recreational use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS). The most popular of these have been cannabinoids and designer cathinones, recent years have seen the appearance of novel synthetic opioids on the recreational drug market [1, 2, 6]. NPS and Synthetic Opioids opioids such as AH-7921, MT-45, and U-47700, with structures distinct from those of known therapeutic or recreational drugs, have emerged. They are used on their own or in combination with other opioids. Special attention is given to the acute toxic effects exerted by this group of NPS
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