Club drugs: Um Novo Perfil de Abuso de Substâncias em Adolescentes e Jovens Adultos.

Club drugs—MDMA, methamphetamine, LSD, ketamine, GHB, and flunitrazepam—are primarily used by adolescents and young adults in recreational settings like dance clubs and rave parties. These substances produce diverse psychotropic effects and are associated with varying degrees of toxicity, dependence, and long-term adverse effects. Some have been used for decades, while others are newer. They are difficult to detect and often underdiagnosed. A systematic literature review synthesized existing knowledge on their epidemiology, mechanism of action, detection, adverse reactions, and treatment. The article aims to create a Portuguese-language reference database for health professionals to use when treating individuals with club drug abuse.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Club drugs are the following substances: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA); Methamphetamine; Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD); Ketamine; Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and Flunitrazepam. These substances are mainly used by adolescents and young adults, mostly in recreational settings like dance clubs and rave parties. These drugs have diverse psychotropic effects, are associated with several degrees of toxicity, dependence and long term adverse effects. Some have been used for several decades, while others are relatively recent substances of abuse. They have distinct pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, are not easy to detect and, many times, the use of club drugs is under diagnosed. Although the use of these drugs is increasingly common, few health professionals feel comfortable with the diagnosis and treatment. The authors performed a systematic literature review, with the goal of synthesising the existing knowledge about club drugs, namely epidemiology, mechanism of action, detection, adverse reactions and treatment. The purpose of this article is creating in Portuguese language a knowledge data base on club drugs, that health professionals of various specialties can use as a reference when dealing with individual with this kind of drug abuse.