MT-45, a new psychoactive substance associated with hearing loss and unconsciousness.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

MT-45 (1-cyclohexyl-4-(1,2-diphenylethyl)piperazine) is an opioid analgesic drug candidate developed in the 1970s that has recently been introduced as a new psychoactive substance (NPS) on the "recreational" drug market. We describe a case series of non-fatal intoxications associated with MT-45 within the Swedish STRIDA project.

STUDY DESIGN:

Observational case series of consecutive patients with admitted or suspected intake of NPS presenting to hospitals in Sweden from November 2013 to February 2014.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Blood and urine samples were collected from intoxicated patients presenting to emergency departments and intensive care units over the country. NPS analysis was performed by an LC-MS/MS multi-component method. Clinical data were collected when caregivers consulted the Poisons Information Centre and also retrieved from medical records. CASE SERIES. Among nine intoxications where MT-45 was detected in the biological samples, four cases were indicated to only involve MT-45, while one or several psychoactive substances were found along with MT-45 in the others. All patients were men aged 17-32 years and they commonly presented with opioid-like adverse symptoms, such as unconsciousness and respiratory depression. Naloxone appeared to have utility in the treatment of MT-45 intoxication in several cases. Three patients complained of bilateral hearing loss that in one case persisted after two weeks.

CONCLUSION:

MT-45 should be added to the growing list of harmful NPS causing life-threatening poisonings, and rapid actions taken to make it a controlled substance.

• Authors: A Helander, M Bäckberg, O Beck
• Journal: Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Clin Toxicol (Phila)) 2014 Sep-Oct Vol. 52 Issue 8 Pg. 901-4 ISSN: 1556-9519 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 25175898 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Observational Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Analgesics, Opioid
• Illicit Drugs
• Piperazines
• (+,-)-1-cyclohexyl-4-(1,2-diphenylethyl)piperazine

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Analgesics, Opioid (poisoning)
• Chromatography, Liquid
• Emergency Service, Hospital
• Hearing Loss (chemically induced)
• Humans
• Illicit Drugs (poisoning)
• Male
• Piperazines (poisoning)
• Sweden
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry
• Unconsciousness (chemically induced)
• Young Adult