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Mephedrone as a cognitive enhancer and its kinship to khat

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Karl H. Marlowe  and
Henrietta Mbeah-Banks
Karl H. Marlowe
Affiliation:
East London NHS Foundation Trust, UK, email: karl.marlowe@eastlondon.nhs.uk
Henrietta Mbeah-Banks
Affiliation:
Mental Health Nurse, East London NHS Foundation Trust
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Abstract

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The Psychiatrist , Volume 35 , Issue 11 , November 2011 , pp. 432
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011

The report on the adverse effects of mephedrone in patients presenting to an acute service in Scotland echoed many of our own findings in attendees of a service aimed at the early detection of psychotic illness based in inner-city London. Reference Mackay, Taylor and Bajaj1

In a small sample, we found that 8% of patients (n = 5) seeking help for concerns about their mental health were using mephedrone. They reported using the drug for recreational reasons (during activities such as clubbing) and simply out of curiosity. Four out of the five patients stated that they also used mephedrone as a cognitive and performance enhancer to aid them in their studying and to help them stay awake while at university or college. They explained that it was a cheap and accessible alternative to other stimulants: one dose of 200 mg costs £2-3.

As mephedrone has now been classified as an illicit substance, it is possible that similar (currently unclassified) chemical compounds will become more widely used as cognitive enhancers in the student population. Both acute secondary and primary care mental health services should be aware of the adverse effects of this group of stimulants.

It is interesting to note that mephedrone is a semi-synthetic form of cathinone, the drug found in the East African herb khat. The chewing of khat has a long history and the drug continues to be used legally within several immigrant populations in Britain. Understanding the adverse effects of mephedrone has allowed us to appreciate the adverse consequences of khat misuse - a problem that has provoked substantial debate previously. Reference Warfa, Klein, Bhui, Leavey, Craig and Stansfeld2

References

1 Mackay, K, Taylor, M, Bajaj, N. The adverse consequences of mephedrone use: a case series. Psychiatrist 2011; 35: 203–5.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2 Warfa, N, Klein, A, Bhui, K, Leavey, G, Craig, T, Stansfeld, SA. Khat use and mental illness: a critical review. Soc Sci Med 2007; 65: 309–18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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