Table 2.
Homemade drug solutions, street names, ingredients, geographic area of use and key public health concerns
| Street name | Drug type/chemical | Ingredients | Key adverse health and social consequences | Country/city of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krokodil. Other common street names: Russian Magic, Crocodile, Russian Heroin |
Opiate-desomorphine | Codeine, gasoline or paint thinner, iodine, red phosphorous, tropicamide | Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, chemical reaction, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. High mortality rates. Krokodil users presenting in surgeries/emergency rooms with serious and advanced medical complications. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan. Germany (Bochum, Berlin, Frankfurt), Norway (Tromsø). Also: Anecdotal reports in UK, Czech Republic, France, Belgium |
| Boltushka. Other common street names: Baltushka, Balka |
Cathinone | Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, warm water, household vinegar, and potassium permanganate | Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, chemical reaction, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Long-term users of boltushka can experience partial loss of cognitive function, Alzheimer-type symptoms, and possible brain damage. Manganese-induced Parkinsonism, which is irreversible. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Odessa* |
| Jeff Other common street names: Jaff, Cat, Mulka, Ephedrone |
Methcathinone | Phenylpropanolamine, warm water, household vinegar, and potassium permanganate | Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, chemical reaction, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Manganese-induced Parkinsonism. Injecting risks for BBV transmission. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Ukraine |
| Fentanyl patches (new and used). Other common street names: China White, White Persian |
Opiate | Fentanyl, acetaminophen, caffeine | Fentanyl use is associated with increased odds of overdose. Criminality such as misusers who resort to obtaining used patches from elderly nursing home residents, and searching hospital and nursing home dumpsters for discarded patches. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Russia, Belarus |
| Cheornaya | Opiate | Poppy Straw, cigarette ash, sodium bicarbonate | Access to poppy straw is seasonal and when it is scarce, injectors will turn to other opiate-type drugs. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, chemical reaction, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Circulatory damage and soft tissue infections amongst injectors. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Russia |
| Himiya | Opiate | Poppy straw | Access to poppy straw is seasonal and when it is scarce, injectors will turn to other opiate-type drugs, including krokodil. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Ukraine |
| Braun Other common street name: Brown |
Opiate | Mixture of morphine and codeine products, e.g. hydrocodone | Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. | Czech Republic |
| Kompot Other common street names: Polish heroin |
Opiate | Poppy straw, acetic anhydride, acetone | Access to poppy straw is seasonal and when it is scarce, injectors will turn to other opiate-type drugs. Injecting risks for BBV transmission Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Poland |
| Shirka (Ukraine) Other common street names: Cherniashka, Black, Hanka |
Opiate | Poppy straw | Access to poppy straw is seasonal and when it is scarce, injectors will turn to other opiate-type drugs Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Ukraine, Moldova |
| Shirka (Odessa*) | Methamphetamine | Ephedrin, Pseudoephedrine | Binge-using patterns that enhance the probability of unintentional overdoses. Injecting risks for BBV transmission, i.e. risks present in the production process, contamination, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Odessa* |
| Hemia | Opiate | Poppy straw | Access to poppy straw is seasonal and when it is scarce, injectors will turn to other opiate-type drugs, including krokodil and kolyosa. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Odessa* |
| Kolyosa | Opiate | Mixture of codeine-containing pills | Users will turn to this due to poppy straw being unavailable with associated overdose and injecting risks. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Moldova |
| Pervitin Other common street name: Vint, Piko |
Methamphetamine | Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, industrial chemicals such as gasoline, toluene and tetrachlorethylene | Binge-using patterns that enhance the probability of unintentional overdoses. Injecting risks for BBV transmission and risks present in the production process, contamination, sharing of paraphernalia, and group injecting practices. Undesirable medical and social costs. |
Czech Republic, Moldova |
* Ukraine - refers to all cities in Ukraine, except Odessa, which has a range of different terms/names for their homemade drugs