SUPERMAN DRUG: CHARACTERISTICS, COMPOSITION AND EFFECTS - ARTE - 2024

The drug or pill Superman is a new drug whose pharmacological composition is very similar to ecstasy, and its effects are also similar. It is another of the new synthetic substances that have recently emerged on the streets of different countries in Europe and America.

It is estimated that the potential of the drug Superman could be much greater than that of previously designed stimulant drugs. In fact, the scientific community warns that, although this drug may be related to ecstasy, it is a much more toxic and dangerous substance for health.

It is estimated that its addictive potential can be very high. Likewise, despite not being a drug fully established in society, its consumption has shown a growing trend in recent months and years.

The drug Superman joins the group of new synthetic substances. The constant appearance of different drugs in recent years poses a high threat to society and increases the danger of drug addiction among the population.

Characteristics of the drug Superman

The drug Superman is one of the substances that has uncovered the most social alarm in recent months. In fact, the appearance of this drug, along with other new synthetic narcotics, constitutes a clear threat to society.

It can be much more toxic and harmful than the "hard" drugs currently used in Europe and the United States, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or even heroin.

It is a synthetic drug from the amphetamine and methamphetamine family. It is also known as a "superhero drug."

Its pharmacological basis is characterized by combining two different stimulants. Specifically, ecstasy and methamphetamine are combined in its composition. This fact makes it possible to obtain a stimulant drug that is much more powerful than the others, so that both its harmful effects and its capacity for addiction are extremely high.

For all this, the drug Superman is considered today, despite the absence of firm data about its characteristics, as one of the most dangerous and potentially deadly substances in the world.

How to identify it?

One of the main current threats posed by the drug Superman is limited knowledge about its characteristics. The substance has appeared recently so, unlike other "older" drugs, analysis and research have not yet been carried out to delineate the properties of this drug.

In addition, the drug Superman is camouflaged between ecstasy and methamphetamine, two substances notably used in different countries in Europe and America. In this way, it is marketed under the association with known stimulant substances, without highlighting its greater toxicity and danger.

This fact is undoubtedly a good entry point for this substance in the drug market, since it allows the consumer to define in a general way the effects that they will experience when using it.

However, the drug Superman is an easy substance to identify, mainly because it is marketed as a pill that, as its name suggests, has the typical "S" engraved on the outside.

Thus, it can be distinguished from other stimulant pills through its own appearance. This element could be important in preventing mass consumption of the substance in society.

Effects of the drug Superman

The name of the drug Superman not only refers to the form of the pill, but also to the main effect that its consumption produces. This substance causes a marked effect of "flight" and hallucination; it is a stimulant drug that causes a marked functional alteration of the brain.

Its consumption causes high feelings of euphoria, well-being, disinhibition and increased desire to speak, interact and socialize with others. On the other hand, it can also cause other symptoms such as seizures, insomnia, aggressive behaviors, and increased muscle strength and sexual power.

These effects would be similar to those of other stimulant drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamines, but much more powerful and marked.

Likewise, it is characterized by easily inducing visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusional thoughts, which is why it constitutes a substance that can develop psychotic outbreaks in the user.

The effects of the drug appear during the 30-40 minutes after its consumption, and the ingestion of a single pill is more than enough to cause a highly intense brain stimulation.

This fact is an added risk factor for the substance. The Superman drug takes longer to take effect than the other stimulant substances, so the individual can choose to consume several pills during that period of time.

Thus, this drug is a substance that causes a highly elevated and uncontrolled stimulation on brain function. Likewise, its consumption causes high gratifying sensations and the adoption of a highly excited state.

Addictive potential

Stimulant drugs are themselves highly addictive substances. These drugs act directly on the pleasure and reward systems of the brain, modifying the rewarding processes of the user.

This fact explains the effect of well-being and pleasure caused by the consumption of the substance. When the individual ingests the pill, they experience much more rewarding sensations than they can have without using the drug.

Likewise, stimulant drugs are characterized by acting directly on dopamine receptors. This neurotransmitter is one of the substances most involved with pleasure and addiction.

However, in the same way that the stimulant potential of the drug Superman is higher than that of other stimulant substances, its addictive potential must also be higher.

The release of dopamine caused by the consumption of this substance is very high, even more than that caused by highly addictive drugs such as cocaine.

The greater release of dopamine and, therefore, the greater cerebral excitement that the drug Superman causes, would explain that both its effects and its addictive potential are superior to those of other stimulant substances.

Health risks

The drug Superman causes symptoms of euphoria, well-being and excitement. Likewise, it generates addictive processes in the person who consumes it. However, these are not the most alarming elements of the substance.

Its high toxicity makes the consumption of this substance highly dangerous and entails a large number of dire consequences for the body.

In this sense, the ingestion of the drug usually causes cardiological complications such as arrhythmias or heart attacks. Likewise, it can cause acute kidney failure and respiratory depression.

Finally, one of the highest risks of the drug Superman is the increase in temperature that its consumption usually causes.

After taking the pill, the body temperature increases significantly, which can reach 40 or 41 degrees Celsius. This effect can be exacerbated in the event that consumers are in closed spaces such as discos or other entertainment venues.

In addition, this increase in temperature is negatively fed with the feelings of energy and excitement that the person experiences.

The user feels much more energized and hyperactive than normal, a fact that causes him to adopt intense and impulsive exercises. This factor can contribute even more to the increase in body temperature and increase the risk of death of the person.

Pharmacological composition

The Superman drug is primarily made up of Para-methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA). Likewise, it contains amphetamine and calcium sulfate. The molecular composition is practically identical to that of methamphetamines.

However, its action in the brain is different. The electron density of the drug interaction causes the molecules of the substance to stick to the membranes of neurons in the brain.

This fact makes it more difficult for neural structures to "release" the drug inside them, so taking more than one pill causes cumulative effects.

This means that taking several pills of this drug can turn off the involuntary contraction mechanisms of neurons. The drug sticks to them and does not go back, so it can easily short circuit.

These characteristics of the drug Superman expose the main differences from methamphetamines. MDMA is relatively easy to remove and its effect is shorter. Instead, the drug Superman stays much longer in the brain regions, modifying their functioning.

On the other hand, this factor also explains the deadly potential of the drug Superman. The consumption of several pills of this substance switches off certain brain mechanisms that lead to cardiac arrest.

Appearance in society

Research indicates that this substance has its origin in northern European countries. Belgium and the Netherlands appear to be the regions where the Superman drug began to be designed and marketed.

However, the first detected cases of drug use were in the United Kingdom, where four young people between 20 and 30 years old died after ingesting these pills.

It is stipulated that the drug Superman appeared between the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. During the following months, its consumption spread to different countries in Europe, in the United States and in some regions of South America, such as Argentina or Chile..

Although there is no conclusive data about the number of people who use the drug Superman, it is estimated that this is in a clear boom.

Thus, despite the fact that the use of the substance is not established in any region, more and more cases of death due to ingestion of the drug are detected.

Legal situation in Europe

The legal status of the drug Superman has been regularized in Europe since 2002. In fact, PMMA is an illegal psychoactive substance, the trade of which is not allowed throughout the territory of the European Union.

As it has a pharmacological composition very similar to that of other stimulant substances of previous appearance, this drug does not present conflicts of legislation observed in other “new drugs”.

Both MDMA and ecstasy (the main compounds in the drug Superman) are well identified and legally regulated.

However, the boom in trade and consumption of this drug in different parts of Europe has caused several countries of the old continent to sound the alarm to warn of its high toxicity.

The consumption of the drug Superman has extremely high mortality rates, a fact that motivates a need for action and prevention regarding this substance.

Likewise, in 2015 the population of Chile was also alerted, since the country's Anti-Narcotics Brigade detected and requisitioned almost 5,000 doses of PMMA from Manises and Valencia.

Situation in Spain

As regards Spain, the use and trade of the drug Superman is, today, residual according to the authorities. The indecency of this substance in the Spanish territory is minimal and the drug has not yet generated any type of social alert.

However, some cases of death caused by the consumption of this substance have already been known. In this way, despite the fact that the National Police Corps assures that the production of synthetic drugs is minimal in Spain, the drug is already found on the streets of different cities.

Especially, the autonomous communities of Madrid, the Basque Country and Catalonia seem to be the most vulnerable to the Superman drug, since they are the territories where a greater presence of this type of substances has been connoted among the population.

References

1. Glennon, RA, Young, R., Dukat, M. and Cheng, Y., 'Initial characterization of PMMA as a discriminative stimulus', Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 57, 1997, pp. 151-158.
2. Steele, TD, Katz, JL and Ricaurte, GA, 'Evaluation of the neurotoxicity of N-methyl-1- (4-methoxyphenyl) -2-aminopropane (for methoxymethamphetamine, PMMA)', Brain Research, 589, 1992, pp. 349–352.
3. Dal Cason, TA, 'The identification of 4-methoxyamphetamine (PMA) and 4- methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA)'. Microgram, 33, 2000, pp. 207–222.
4. Young, R., Dukat, M., Malmusi, L. and Glennon, RA, 'Stimulus properties of PMMA: effect of optical isomers and conformational restriction', Pharmacology and Biochemistry of Behavior, 64, 1999, pp. 449–453.