Psychiatry: Stranger Things: Addiction Psychiatry in the World of Street Chemists and Designer Drugs

Presented by:
Kent Mathias, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Addiction Medicine

Faculty Disclosure:

Dr. Mathias has disclosed that he has no relevant financial relationships. No one else in a position to control content has any financial relationships to disclose. Conflict of interest information for the CME Advisory Committee members can be found on the following website: https://cme.ufl.edu/disclosure/. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Release Date: September 29, 2023
Expiration Date: September 28, 2025

Target Audience: All physicians

Learning Objectives:

As a result of participation in this activity, participants should be able to:

  1. Define designer drugs.
  2. Recognize new designer drugs and detox considerations.
  3. Cite terminology related to street and designer drugs.
  4. Describe trends in designer drugs.

Requirements for successful completion: Certificates are awarded upon successful completion (80% proficiency) of the post-test.

Accreditation: The University of Florida College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit: The University of Florida College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Resources for further study:

  1. https://www.8newsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/2021/09/fentanyl-lethal-dose.jpg?resize=876,492
  2. https://cdn.britannica.com/
  3. https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/drug_fact_sheets
  4. https://d3i71xaburhd42.cloudfront.net/28c6b192fa21b7a4d0e17f127f29460c83272ec9/250px/7-Figure2-1.png
  5. DEA Washington, DC Division – Public Information Office. (2022, June 1). New, Dangerous Synthetic Opioid in D.C., Emerging in Tri-State Area. Drug Enforcement Administration. https://www.dea.gov/stories/2022/2022-06/2022-06-01/new-dangerous-synthetic-opioid-dc-emerging-tri-state-area
  6. Mérette, S. A. M., Thériault, S., Piramide, L. E. C., Davis, M. D., & Shapiro, A. M. (2023). Bromazolam Blood Concentrations in Postmortem Cases-A British Columbia Perspective. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 47(4), 385-392. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkad005
  7. Niello, M., Sideromenos, S., Gradisch, R., O’Shea, R., Schwazer, J., Maier, J., Kastner, N., Sandtner, W., Jäntsch, K., Lupica, C. R., Hoffman, A. F., Lubec, G., Loland, C. J., Stockner, T., Pollak, D. D., Baumann, M. H., & Sitte, H. H. (2023). Persistent binding at dopamine transporters determines sustained psychostimulant effects. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(6), e2114204120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114204120
  8. Humphreys, K., Shover, C. L., Andrews, C. M., Bohnert, A. S. B., Brandeau, M. L., Caulkins, J. P., Chen, J. H., Cuéllar, M.-F., Hurd, Y. L., Juurlink, D. N., Koh, H. K., Krebs, E. E., Lembke, A., Mackey, S. C., Ouellette, L. L., Suffoletto, B., & Timko, C. (2022). Responding to the opioid crisis in North America and beyond: recommendations of the Stanford–Lancet Commission. The Lancet, 399(10324). https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/opioid-crisis
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021). Drug overdose deaths in the United States by drug category. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.nist.gov/feature-stories/safe-efficient-reliable-new-science-fight-against-killer-drugs
  10. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): Methodological Summary and Definitions. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt35330/2020NSDUHMethodSummDefs091721.pdf
  11. Hardman, M. I., Sprung, J., & Weingarten, T. N. (2019). Acute phenibut withdrawal: A comprehensive literature review and illustrative case report. Bosnian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, 19(2), 125-129. https://doi.org/10.17305/bjbms.2018.4008
  12. Brunetti P, Giorgetti R, Tagliabracci A, Huestis MA, Busardò FP. Designer Benzodiazepines: A Review of Toxicology and Public Health Risks. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021 Jun 11;14(6):560. doi: 10.3390/ph14060560. PMID: 34208284; PMCID: PMC8230725.
  13. Florida Medical Examiners Commission & Florida Department of Law Enforcement. (2023, July). Drugs identified in deceased persons: 2022 Interim Report. https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/MEC/Publications-and-Forms/Documents/Drugs-in-Deceased-Persons/2022-Interim-Drug-Report-FINAL.aspx

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nancy Boyd at (352) 594-4298 or at nancy.boyd@ufl.edu

Section #: 2579