Parkland Hospital Warns Of Dangerous Drug Sold Online

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Poison Center at Parkland Hospital is alerting the public about a dangerous drug available on the internet called  U-47700.

"We've had calls recently from people concerned about this new drug," said Kristina Domanski, MD, a toxicologist with the North Texas Poison Center. "In one situation, four young adults used U-47700 at a party and while two of the people were fine, two others had to be hospitalized. One of them ended up in an ICU with respiratory depression."

Respiratory depression, also known as hypoventilation, is a potentially life-threatening condition that can be brought on by the use of strong opioids. Dr. Domanski said that in the recent case, the young people who used the drug had snorted it, thinking it would have the same effect as cocaine but instead it had an effect similar to heroin.

"This seems to be a pretty new recycling of the drug, which is intended as a research drug and not for use in humans," Dr. Domanski said. "Overdose deaths have been reported in Europe and both Sweden and Finland have made U-47700 illegal."

Over the Internet the drug is usually sold as a powder or granules. Potential side effects, including overdose reactions, are similar to other opiates and include slow breathing and pinpoint pupils, according to Dr. Domanski. Very high doses could lead to coma and eventually death.

In the U.S., advertisements for the drug can be found online with prices ranging from $65 to $200. U-47700 is  7 ½ times more potent than morphine and health experts urge people to avoid this drug and any other recreational drug being sold online.

"You never really know what you are buying when you purchase something online, especially from an overseas vendor," Dr. Domanski said. "People should use extreme caution."

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