Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) refer to synthetic compounds or derivatives of more widely known substances of abuse that have emerged over the last two decades. Case reports suggest that users combine substances to achieve desired psychotropic experiences while reducing dysphoria and unpleasant somatic effects. However, the pattern of combining NPS has not been studied on a large scale. Here, we show that posts discussing NPS describe combining nootropics with sedative-hypnotics and stimulants with plant hallucinogens or psychiatric medications. Discussions that mention sedative-hypnotics most commonly also mention hallucinogens and stimulants. We analyzed 20 years of publicly available posts from Lycaeum, an Internet forum dedicated to sharing information about psychoactive substance use. We used techniques from natural language processing and machine learning to identify NPS and correlate patterns of co-mentions of substances across posts. We found that conversations mentioning synthetic hallucinogens tended to divide into those mentioning hallucinogens derived from amphetamine and those derived from ergot. Conversations that mentioned synthetic hallucinogens tended not to mention plant hallucinogens. Conversations that mention bath salts commonly mention sedative-hypnotics or nootropics while more canonical stimulants are discussed with plant hallucinogens and psychiatric medications. All types of substances are frequently compared to MDMA, DMT, cocaine, or atropine when trying to describe their effects. Our results provide the largest analysis to date of online descriptions of patterns of polysubstance use and further demonstrate the utility of social media in learning about trends in substance use. We anticipate this work to lead to a more detailed analysis of the knowledge contained online about the patterns of usage and effects of novel psychoactive substances.
Highlights
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) refer to novel synthetic compounds or derivatives of more widely known substances of abuse that have emerged over the last two decades [1]
Posts to Lycaeum frequently described listening to binaural beats while using substances to enhance the experience
This study presents the first formal analysis of patterns of discussion in online fora describing patterns of substance–substance co-ingestion
Summary
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) refer to novel synthetic compounds or derivatives of more widely known substances of abuse that have emerged over the last two decades [1]. Examples include derivatives of cannabis, substituted phenylethylamines, or cathinones (bath salts). The term NPS may include substances used by other cultures, but new to Western users, such as khat (the progenitor of Candyflipping in Lycaeum bath salts), kratom, or Salvia. Use of substituted amphetamines is associated with sudden cardiac death and renal failure [3]. Use of bath salts is associated with acute and persistent psychosis [3]. Use of tryptamine derivatives is associated with psychosis and long-term psychiatric impairment, including anxiety and paranoia [4]. The authors could find no study in the literature quantifying the impact of novel psychoactive substances in terms of disease-adjusted life years or monetary impact
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
