U-47700 (Pink Heroin)

Pink Heroin

According to a press release on pink from CBS affiliate KUTV, here’s what you need to know:

What To Look For:

• White, chalky powder
• Also comes in liquid form; watch for dropper bottles and nasal inhalers
• Unmarked “stealth” delivery boxes – in some cases, these may have hand-written labels
• Boxes, vials, or plastic baggies labeled “Not for Human Consumption” or “For Research Purposes Only”
• Pay attention to any packages shipped to your house, especially those shipped from Asian countries

What To Do:

• U-47700 is extremely toxic, even in small doses.
• Exposure to U-47700 by either inhalation or skin contact can be fatal.
• If you believe you have encountered the drug, contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

U-47700 Effects

U-47700 or “Pink” is abused for its opioid and narcotic-like effects and is swallowed, snorted, or injected. It is one of many synthetic designer drugs. Pink effects as reported by users are similar to the effects of opioids, which might include:

One published review noted that patients that died after an overdose with U-47700 typically presented to the hospital with pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs).

Physical Effects Of U-47700

• Sedation: With high dosages, this compound causes considerably stronger sedation than oxycodone or hydrocodone.
• Constipation
• Cough suppression
• Difficulty urinating
• Pupil constriction
• Decreased libido
• Appetite suppression

Psychological Effects of U-47700

• Cognitive euphoria: This particular substance can be considered less intense in its cognitive euphoria when compared with that of morphine or diacetylmorphine (heroin) due to its short duration and structural differences. It is still, however, capable of extreme intensity and overwhelming bliss at heavier dosages with a low tolerance. The sensation itself can be described as a powerful and overwhelming feeling of emotional bliss, contentment, and happiness.
• Anxiety suppression
• Compulsive redosing: Due to the short duration of this substance and the addictive properties of opioids in general, there is a strong risk of compulsive redosing which is considered dangerous considering it is very corrosive to mucous membranes.
• Dream potentiation

Methods Of U-47700/Pink Heroin Abuse

U-47700 is a synthetic opioid, meaning that it is man-made in a lab. It is an illegal drug in the United States and is around 7.5 times more potent than morphine. Although originally developed by a pharmaceutical company as an alternative to morphine in the late 1970s, it is not approved for medical use in any country in the world. People often buy and sell the drug online from international sources.

The drug often looks like a white or pink powder. It can be sold in baggies or made into counterfeit pills that look like prescription painkillers. Sometimes the drug may be sold in other formulations, such as a liquid form to be inhaled.

People abuse U-47700 in various ways, including by mouth, rectally, snorting, inhaling, and injecting.

U-47700 Overdose

A toxicology case report was published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine that detailed events in which fentanyl and U-47700 were being sold misleadingly as the prescription opioid pain medication Norco (acetaminophen and hydrocodone) on the streets of Northern and Central California. In one patient who presented to the emergency room, naloxone (Narcan) was administered which reversed respiratory depression and pinpoint pupils. After additional chemical analysis, it was found the “Norco” contained hydrocodone, fentanyl, and U-47700.

How is “Pink Heroine” sold?

• U-47700 has been seized by law officials on the street in powder form and as tablets. Typically it appears as a white or light pinkish, chalky powder.
• It may be sold in glassine bags stamped with logos imitating heroin, in envelopes, and inside knotted corners of plastic bags. Labels on the products may state “not for human consumption” or “for research purposes only”, probably to avoid legal detection.
• Some “Pink” products have been sold to mimic bags of heroin or prescription opioid tablets.
• In Ohio, authorities seized 500 pills resembling a manufacturer’s oxycodone immediate-release tablets, but they were confirmed by chemical analysis to contain “Pink”.
• U-47700 has also been identified and sold on the Internet misleadingly as a “research chemical” at roughly $30 per gram.

U-47700 Withdrawal

As with other opioids, the chronic use of U-47700 can be considered moderately addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal symptoms may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage.

Tolerance to many of the effects of U-47700 develops with prolonged and repeated use. The rate at which this occurs develops at different rates for different effects, with tolerance to the constipation-inducing effects developing particularly slowly for instance. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects.

After that, it takes about 3 – 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 – 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). U-47700 presents cross-tolerance with all other opioids, meaning that after the consumption of U-47700 all opioids will have a reduced effect.

U-47700 withdrawal symptoms can be especially painful and emerge after 2-4 hours after the last dose administration. It is highly advisable not to become physically dependent on this substance, as physical dependence can develop in a short period.

The risk of fatal opioid overdoses rises sharply after a period of cessation and relapse, largely because of reduced tolerance. To account for this lack of tolerance, it is safer to only dose a fraction of one’s usual dosage if relapsing. It has also been found that the environment one is in can play a role in opioid tolerance. In one scientific study, rats with the same history of heroin administration were significantly more likely to die after receiving their dose in an environment not associated with the drug in contrast to a familiar environment.

U-47700 vs Fentanyl

This drug may be found in combination, knowingly or unknowingly, with other drugs of abuse bought on the streets such as heroin or fentanyl. It has also been confiscated as a separate product.

Since many patients don’t believe Fentanyl harbors significant addictive potentials like Heroin or other street drugs, Fentanyl has a higher likelihood of accidental and intentional abuse.

Fentanyl impacts the Central Nervous System (CNS) to a significant degree, causing excess amounts of dopamine to flood and chemically alter the brain over time. Due to these neurochemical changes, someone prescribed Fentanyl might become dependent on the drug and turn to illegal methods of getting it after exhausting their prescribed amount.

Once someone develops a tolerance to Fentanyl’s Narcotic properties, he or she will depend on it to feel “normal,” requiring more of the drug to reach the previous sensations.

Fentanyl use can escalate from abuse to full-blown addiction rapidly. Thanks to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for diagnosing substance use disorder, healthcare professionals can pinpoint problematic behavior like building a tolerance or suffering withdrawal symptoms.

As the National Institute on Drug Abuse states,  it is very possible for a person to overdose on fentanyl. An overdose occurs when a drug produces serious adverse effects and life-threatening symptoms. When people overdose on fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop. This can decrease the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, a condition called hypoxia. Hypoxia can lead to a coma and permanent brain damage, and even death.

U-47700 Dangerous interactions

Many psychoactive substances that are reasonably safe to use on their own can suddenly become dangerous and even life-threatening when combined with certain other substances. The following list provides some known dangerous interactions (although it is not guaranteed to include all of them).

• Alcohol: Both substances potentiate the ataxia and sedation caused by the other and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. Place affected patients in the recovery position to prevent vomit aspiration from excess. Memory blackouts are likely
• Amphetamines: Stimulants increase respiration rate which allows for a higher dose of opiates than would otherwise be used. If the stimulant wears off first then the opiate may overcome the user and cause respiratory arrest.
• Benzodiazepines: Central nervous system and/or respiratory-depressant effects may be additively or synergistically present. The two substances potentiate each other strongly and unpredictably, very rapidly leading to unconsciousness. While unconscious, vomit aspiration is a risk if not placed in the recovery position blackouts/memory loss are likely.
• Cocaine: Stimulants increase respiration rate, which allows for a higher dose of opiates than would otherwise be used. If the stimulant wears off first then the opiate may overcome the patient and cause respiratory arrest.
• DXM: Generally considered to be toxic. CNS depression, difficulty breathing, heart issues, and liver toxicity have been observed. Additionally if one takes DXM, their tolerance of opiates goes down slightly, thus causing additional synergistic effects.
• GHB/GBL: The two substances potentiate each other strongly and unpredictably, very rapidly leading to unconsciousness. While unconscious, vomit aspiration is a risk if not placed in the recovery position
• Ketamine: Both substances bring a risk of vomiting and unconsciousness. If the user falls unconscious while under the influence there is a severe risk of vomit aspiration if they are not placed in the recovery position.
• MAOIs: Coadministration of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) with certain opioids has been associated with rare reports of severe adverse reactions. There appear to be two types of interaction, an excitatory and a depressive one. Symptoms of the excitatory reaction may include agitation, headache, diaphoresis, hyperpyrexia, flushing, shivering, myoclonus, rigidity, tremor, diarrhea, hypertension, and tachycardia, seizures, and coma. Death has occurred in some cases.
• MXE: MXE can potentiate the effects of opioids but also increases the risk of respiratory depression and organ toxicity.
• Nitrous: Both substances potentiate the ataxia and sedation caused by the other and can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness at high doses. While unconscious, vomit aspiration is a risk if not placed in the recovery position. Memory blackouts are common.
• PCP: PCP may reduce opioid tolerance, increasing the risk of overdose.
• Tramadol: Increased risk of seizures. Tramadol itself is known to induce seizures and it may have additive effects on seizure threshold with other opioids. Central nervous system- and/or respiratory-depressant effects may be additively or synergistically present.
• Grapefruit: While grapefruit is not psychoactive, it may affect the metabolism of certain opioids. Tramadol, oxycodone and fentanyl are all primarily metabolized by the enzyme CYP3A4, which is potently inhibited by grapefruit juice. This may cause the drug to take longer to clear from the body. it may increase toxicity with repeated doses. Methadone may also be affected. Codeine and hydrocodone are metabolized by CYP2D6. People who are on medicines that inhibit CYP2D6, or that lack the enzyme due to a genetic mutation will not respond to codeine as it can not be metabolized into its active product: morphine.

Treatment For Heroin Addiction

Behavioral therapies for Heroin Addiction include methods called Cognitive-Behavioral therapy and contingency management. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy helps modify the patient’s drug-use expectations and behaviors and helps effectively manage triggers and stress. Contingency Management provides motivational incentives, such as vouchers or small cash rewards for positive behaviors such as staying drug-free. These Behavioral Treatment approaches are especially effective when used along with medicines.

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