Krokodil

Krokodil is new disgusting drug. I heard of it on the news. I do not know anyone who uses Krokodil. But I saw terrible picture of the people who were using that drug. Those people look very bad, as they burned in the fire. So do you know anyone who use this drug? Do you have any experience with Krokodil? Please tell your story.

Krokodil is supposed to be a Russian painkiller based on desmorphine. Unfortunately the painkiller has some nasty side effects like your skin being eaten. The flesh eating side effects are so gruesome that some people call it the flesh eating zombie virus. There are numerous photos that you can find on Google that would show what a victim of Krokodil looks like.

Couple of Krokodil infographics. I know I've seen a documentary on it, too.....Trying to find the link. It was horrifying.

Any moron who takes this crazy krokodil, deserves to allow their self to suffer the grotesque pain and rot he/she will definitely go through using this super self-defeating drug! I've seen videos showing krokodil users, not willing to stop their addiction, even after losing their limbs - they still continued use afterwards, some to their deaths. The painkiller drug, definitely changes the addicts' perception of life and death, making him/her dissonant to their own existence as untrue or not valuable; then again, one can also imply, that these individuals were lost in mind before taking up the drug use.

Although I am concerned about the rapid growth of krokodil usage, ultimately, most people will be strong willed enough to avoid using this self-defeating drug... I hope.

WHOOOOOA! Haha.



Just a few things.

1. Addiction leads to crazy. Like....literally insane behaviors. It's part of the disease. I know this.
...because I'm an intelligent person who did a lot of crazy, harmful, terrible things that made absolutely no sense. It's not a matter of will-power.

2. I try not to judge people's decisions. They don't always represent who they are as human beings, thanks to #1. Bottom line: krokodil users are probably not morons - more like very sick people.

3. I can't say I've ever wanted anyone to suffer because they "deserved" it. I'm pretty sure if I started thinking, speaking or typing that way I'd know - without a doubt - it was time for me to point the finger right back at myself.

What are you angry about, valiantx?
You don't have to tell me, but you might feel better if you ask yourself.

It's a very nasty way of doing things. Desomorphine is contained within some cough medicines, so they mix it with other substances such as paint thinner, petrol and sulphur and create an injectable mixture. Some users have been known to scrape the sulfur from the ends of matches to put into their mix and then they inject it. Krokodil, as mentioned, causes necrosis and the average Krokodil user dies within two years of starting to take it. It has become popular with heroin addicts in Russia because it has the same effect as heroin and is much cheaper and can be made at home.

Clearly, but what about that suggests they are morons rather than extremely sick people? I mean...have you ever met an alcoholic who drank rubbing alcohol? These things happen.

We can either judge someone with a drug of choice we consider "nastier" than our own (like we have a right to judge) or we can acknowledge just how terrible the disease of addiction really is. And I dunno....pray for them.

That's a great info graphic, I wonder who designed it.

I have never heard of this drug before, but it sounds pretty scary. I am most certain that I do not want to see pictures of its effects. I feel sorry for the people who are using it. I hope that they can find the will and courage to stop taking it before it takes them. How can people with this addiction get the support and help that they need?

Krokodil is most popular among addicts living in extreme poverty. It's an inexpensive, easy to make drug that was apparently invented during a massive heroin shortage in Siberia. The Russian government doesn't offer adequate support for people suffering from mental health or substance abuse problems. I did watch a documentary that explained there are private and religious programs (although limited) available to people. It's just sad. In every way.

I'm also going to add (just to clear up any confusion), the "flesh eating" side effects of Krokodil occur when the drug is accidentally injected into your muscle. In other words, when someone misses their vein. So just because someone doesn't have the zombie-look the drug gets its name from doesn't mean they're not abusing Krokodil. It just means they happen to be a very good shot. So far, anyway. Missing a vein is common, if not inevitable, for IV drug users.

I didn't realize that it doesn't cause necrosis unless injected into the muscle. A lot of the information I have read about Krokodil hasn't mentioned this - it just says that the drug causes necrosis. The thing is, I imagine that some of the raw substances (e.g.paint thinner) users put into their Krokodil are capable of causing necrosis anyway if they enter the bloodstream (that's what I would have thought anyway) - it's a bit like what they call the "crocodile" technique of making M-CAT - mixing it with petrol so that it can be injected, which also causes necrosis.

Well, it still damages the blood vessels and can cause ulceration and tissue damage at sites away from the actual injection site. Just a lot less common. As far as I know, anyway (I'm not a medical professional).

As a pharmacy student, I just wanted to chime in on this. I've been studying Krokodil for a while, so I figured I'd clear up some misconceptions.

The actual drug itself, desomorphine, is no more harmful than morphine, codeine, or any other opiate/opioid. If you can get clean desomorphine and clean paraphernalia (needles, pipes, etc., depending on your route of administration), the only thing you will have to deal with is addiction. The problems come from the crude clandestine production which results in severe phosphorus contamination, damaging the injection site.

The most common way of synthesizing desomorphine is by taking codeine (Codeine can be purchased OTC in Russia), adding red phosphorus and iodine (also used in meth production), and heating and cooling the solution at certain points. When you have poor, backyard chemists playing with impure chemicals, dirty lab equipment, and an environment that isn't sterile, you end up with contaminated product.

Krokodil is a direct result of poverty, heroin addiction, and prohibition. If you're a young person in Russia with a heroin addiction and almost no money, what do you do? You attempt to synthesize desomorphine because it's dirt cheap to make and it will help you avoid withdrawal.

It is quite clear that some people here have zero understanding of addictions. Kicking an addiction is a lot easier said than done. Do you honestly think the people want to be in those situations?

I have seen the videos on youtube and this stuff scares the crap out of me because I think there are probably dope dealers who will pass it off as heroin, Not that heroin is good for anyone either, but this stuff has a faster death toll.

If you don't live in Russia, you're probably not going to come across this stuff. In most other countries, heroin is cheap enough to prevent people from resorting to desomorphine. Dealers have absolutely no reason to sell desomorphine in place of heroin.

So, what's the average street price of Heroin in Russia? I'm curious. And why is it so expensive there?

I have no idea what the price of heroin is in Russia, nor do I know why it's so expensive. I do know, however, that codeine, one of the main ingredients in the creation of desomorphine, can be purchased over-the-counter. That explains why desomorphine is so cheap over there.

This stuff can be found in the USA, there have been reports of it in Arizona, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.