Methylone Crystals

Description

What is Methylone?

Methylone, also known as 3,4-Methylenedioxy-N-methcathinone, M1, MDMC, βk-MDMA, is an entactogenic and stimulant drug of the cathinone chemical class that produces a mixture of entactogenic, stimulating, and euphoric effects when administered.

Usually, methylone is offered as powder, but pills are in circulation as well. As with XTC, these tablets can differ in size, color, and strength.

Status

In the Netherlands, methylone doesn’t fall under the Opium Act, but under the Medicines Act. At the same time, it’s not officially registered as a medicine. Therefore a general practitioner cannot prescribe it and it’s only possible to obtain the substance illegally. As it is in the Medicines Act other sanctions apply for trading than for drug trafficking. Illicit trafficking in medicines may lead up to a maximum of six years imprisonment, whereas illegal trafficking in substances on the Opium act – e.g. MDMA – can lead up to a maximum of twelve years imprisonment. The status of it differs per country. In the United States, for example, it is on the Opium List and in Canada, it isn’t. The Canadian authorities do not even consider it a medicine, which means the substance is still legal over there.

Chemistry

As mentioned earlier it is similar to MDMA in both structure and functioning. See the picture on the right for structures of different stimulants. The left structures from the top down: amphetamine, methylamphetamine, and methcathinone. The right structures from top to bottom: MDA, MDMA, and Methylone. As you can see the only difference with MDMA is an oxygen atom. The effect of a substance depends mainly on the extent to which it binds to certain receptors in the brain.

In vitro research (carried out in test tubes) shows that methylone acts like MDMA regarding the release of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain. Moreover, methyl binds 13 times worse to the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 than MDMA. This is a protein that transports serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline out of the brain cells. MDMA thus inhibits this process much stronger than it does. Monoamine transporters that take the same substances back into the cells exist as well. They influence both processes in a more balanced way than MDMA. Therefore it will leave you with a clearer head than MDMA.

Short-term Effects

The short-term effects include nausea, increased heart rate, perspiration, appetite loss, and high blood pressure. Other medical complications may arise due to the side effects of the drug.

Long-term Effects

The long-term effects include addiction to the drug as methylone is habit-forming, anxiety and depression. In case of severe complications, it can also lead to the death of an individual.

Dosage and overdose

It has to be taken with serious care and in consultation with a medical practitioner. The dosage amount of Methylone may vary depending on the age group of the user. Learn how to do a Methylone drug test and methylone come down.

Legal status

It is an addictive stimulant drug with a high tendency of being misused by the people for recreational purposes. Due to these reasons, it has been listed as a scheduled drug in most European countries as well as in the United States. It is also a banned or illegal substance in some parts of the world.

Uses

Methylone as a research chemical is used in forensic science, toxicology, and neuroscience. It has also found applications in the field of Mass spectrometry.