New psychoactive substances (designer drugs): an approach to classification
Neurology Bulletin March 23, 2026 Azat R. Asadullin, Elvina A. Akhmetova, Ilia S. Efremov et al.
Substance use disorders remain a global public health problem. The drug market has shifted from traditional drugs to new psychoactive substances with high toxicity and addictive potential, distributed via the Internet and social media, which impedes control and increases public health risks. This review classifies modern synthetic narcotics into six groups by pharmacological mechanism: psychostimulants (amphetamine, cocaine, MDMA analogs) that increase dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels; synthetic cannabinoids (spice) that are full CB1/CB2 receptor agonists; psychedelics (LSD, DMT analogs) that are 5-HT2A receptor agonists; dissociatives (ketamine, phencyclidine analogs) that are NMDA receptor antagonists; synthetic opioids...