Mephedrone (4 - methylmethcathinone)

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) - colloquially known as 'Miaow,' '4-MMC,'Meph,' and 'TopCat'

• is believed to act by stimulating the release of monoamine neurotransmitters and inhibit their reuptake
  
  
• is a synthetic stimulant that is chemically related to cathinone, the psychoactive chemical class present in the khat plant
  
  
• drug causes euphoria, sexual stimulation, stimulus-enhanced appreciation for music, and similar effects to cocaine, amphetamines, and MDMA
  
  
• also causes hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia and other delusions, seizures, poor concentration, poor short-term memory, teeth grinding, raised blood pressure, dilated pupils, and seizures
  
  
• can be taken orally, snorted, or intravenously administered
  
  
• several deaths from effects of the drug have been reported in Europe
  • Stimulant related deaths typically result from a sympathomimetic toxidrome - a constellation of symptoms and signs that can be seen with excessive consumption of stimulant type drugs - accompanied by cardiac conduction problems, cerebral haemorrhage, and sometimes hyperpyrexia
    
    
• available in the form of tablets, capsules, or white powder. Snorting is the most common route of drug use, and the intravenous the least used

Mephedrone was classified as a Class B drug in the UK in 2010.

Reference:

• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and EUROPOL. (2010) Europol-EMCDDA joint report on a new psychoactive substance: 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone). European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and EUROPOL, Lisbon.
• Winstock AR, Marsden J, Mitcheson L.What should be done about mephedrone? BMJ. 2010;340:c1605