Dimethocaine, also known as DMC or larocaine, is a compound with a stimulatory effect. This effect resembles that of cocaine, although dimethocaine appears to be less potent. Just like cocaine, dimethocaine is addictive due to its stimulation of the reward pathway in the brain. However, dimethocaine is a legal cocaine replacement in some countries and is even listed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) under the category “synthetic cocaine derivatives”.[1] The structure of dimethocaine, being a 4-aminobenzoic acid ester, resembles that of procaine. It is found as a white powder at room temperature.[2]
When a product sold online in the UK in June 2010, advertised as dimethocaine was tested, it was found to be a mixture of caffeine and lidocaine,[3] and the lack of any dopaminergic stimulant ingredient in such mixes may explain the limited recreational effects reported by many users. Other samples tested have however been shown to contain genuine dimethocaine, and one branded "bath salt" product containing primarily dimethocaine as the active ingredient, was noted to have been particularly subject to abuse by intravenous drug users in Ireland.[4]
^Meyer MR, Lindauer C, Welter J, Maurer HH (March 2014). "Dimethocaine, a synthetic cocaine analogue: studies on its in-vivo metabolism and its detectability in urine by means of a rat model and liquid chromatography-linear ion-trap (high-resolution) mass spectrometry". Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 406 (7): 1845–54. doi:10.1007/s00216-013-7539-0. PMID 24448968. S2CID 10850370.
^Dargan P, Wood D (2013-08-06). Novel Psychoactive Substances: Classification, Pharmacology and Toxicology. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-415911-2.
^Brandt SD, Sumnall HR, Measham F, Cole J (July 2010). "Second generation mephedrone. The confusing case of NRG-1". BMJ. 341: c3564. doi:10.1136/bmj.c3564. PMID 20605894. S2CID 20354123.
^An overview of new psychoactive substances and the outlets supplying them Archived November 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
Dimethocaine, also known as DMC or larocaine, is a compound with a stimulatory effect. This effect resembles that of cocaine, although dimethocaine appears...
Global Information
(what is this?) (verify)