Full Answer
How is krokodil skin infection treated?
How is krokodil skin treated? If caught soon enough the infected skin can be treated with antibiotics. However, if left too long doctors need to cut away the dead skin and treat the exposed area with skin grafts. In severe cases, limb amputation or cutting out infected bones, such as the jaw bone, has been reported with long-term users.
Is krokodil safe to use?
Reported health hazards due to krokodil injection use include: death. Animal studies in rats have demonstrated cardiac (heart) congestion, necrosis (dead tissue) at the injection site, and kidney toxicity. What is the extent of krokodil use? Krokodil has been synthesized in Russia for over a decade.
What are the different types of krokodil rehab?
Krokodil rehab can take on many different forms, depending on your treatment needs, financial ability, and resources available near you. Two of the most common types of drug rehab programs are inpatient rehab programs and outpatient rehab programs. If you’re searching for krokodil rehab, here’s a quick comparison of these two types of programs.
Is inpatient or outpatient treatment better for Krokodil addiction?
Inpatient care will almost always be recommended in the case of krokodil use since inpatient treatment prevents relapse with higher rates of success than outpatient treatment, and krokodil relapse is too risky a possibility to leave to chance.
What is the life expectancy of a krokodil addict?
while the life expectancy of a Moscow heroin addict is four to seven years, the life expectancy of a krokodil addict is just a year or two.
What krokodil does to the skin?
Its street name comes from one of its many toxic side effects. People who use krokodil develop scaly, black and green skin that resembles crocodile skin.
What is the new drug krokodil made out of?
Krokodil is made up of the synthetic morphine analog, desomorphine which produces an opiate-like effect with a fast onset and brief duration. The drug is known to have a 10 times more potent analgesic effect than morphine with increased toxicity, respiratory effects, and depression.
What is the cost of krokodil?
Addicts who cannot afford to sustain their heroin addiction turn to krokodil instead. A hit of krokodil only costs about $8 in the streets, while users pay $25 or $30 for heroin.
What Are Krokodil Withdrawal Symptoms?
Krokodil withdrawal symptoms are often similar to morphine withdrawal symptoms and may include:
What is Krokodil (desomorphine)?
Krokodil is an illegal street drug that is made with desomorphine, which is an injectable form of morphine. An opioid drug that was first introduced in Russia in the early 2000s, krokodil is notorious for causing horrific side effects and is named for the discolored scaly skin it causes on users. This is likely due to the additives that are used to make it, such as hydrochloric acid, paint thinner, iodine, and gasoline, among others. 1
How Common Is Krokodil Addiction and Abuse?
About 1 million people in Russia use krokodil and use of the drug has also been reported in Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Germany, and Norway. 3 While it is not commonly abused in America, reports of krokodil popped up in 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. Since then, krokodil use has also been reported in Illinois and Oklahoma. However, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is still skeptical that krokodil has crossed U.S. borders. 4
How Addictive is Krokodil?
Krokodil is highly addictive and can cause physical dependence in a very short time. This is largely due to its ability to cause a powerful high that only lasts a few hours. The high’s short duration motivates users to rapidly inject multiple times to extend the high and avoid withdrawal symptoms.
How to help with krokodil withdrawal?
If you’re suffering from krokodil withdrawal symptoms due to your addiction, a medically-assisted detox progra m can help you overcome your physical dependence and move forward with your life. A krokodil detox program provides medical and clinical care for krokodil withdrawal symptoms so you can feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. It also helps prevent relapse by providing professional support in a clinical environment.
What is krokodil made of?
What is Krokodil (desomorphine) ? Krokodil is an illegal street drug that is made with desomorphine, which is an injectable form of morphine. An opioid drug that was first introduced in Russia in the early 2000s, krokodil is notorious for causing horrific side effects and is named for the discolored scaly skin it causes on users.
What is the base for krokodil?
People typically use codeine as the base for krokodil but they may also use other opioids. The drug is often “cooked” with other chemicals and additives like:
What Is Krokodil?
Krokodil, Russian for “crocodile,” is a type of opioid best known for its severe side effects on the skin, and as a result, is often referred to as the crocodile drug. It was first introduced in Russia in the early 2000s.
How Is Krokodil Used?
Krokodil is typically administered intravenously via injection. According to some reports, krokodil is extremely fast-acting, and injection can result in a high in as little as two to three minutes.
Krokodil Drug Effects
What gives krokodil its infamous street name is its effect on the skin. When used, krokodil can have a serious side effect known as necrosis. Necrosis is a medical condition in which the blood stops flowing to certain parts of the body.
Get Help for Opioid Addiction in Las Vegas, Nevada
Opioid addiction is a serious problem across the United States, including Nevada. In 2018 alone there were more than 350 fatal opioid overdoses. Fortunately, addiction treatment for opioid use can be extremely successful. If you or a loved one is struggling with an addiction to krokodil or other opioids, the time to get help is now.
What Is Krokodil?
Krokodil is the street name for desomorphine, a synthetic opioid that is about ten times more potent than morphine. 1 Krokodil is a common name for this drug due to its toxic effects on the body, which can cause skin to turn green and scaly from chronic injection use. 1,2
Side Effects of Krokodil Abuse
There are many harmful and potentially dangerous effects associated with the abuse of krokodil and other synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. These short-term effects of krokodil abuse can include: 2,4,6,7
Krokodil Withdrawal Symptoms
Krokodil use quickly leads to the development of physical dependence, similar to that of other opioids. 7 This means that when krokodil use is stopped suddenly, or is cut down significantly, withdrawal symptoms emerge.
Detox Complications
In general, detoxing from synthetic opioids is very uncomfortable and distressing, but is not usually life-threatening. 9,10 However, it can be dangerous to detox on your own for several reasons. Some of the risks and complications of detoxing from krokodil or other synthetic opioids include: 1-4,7,9,10
Finding Krokodil Detox Treatment
Professional detox occurs in various types of facilities, including hospitals, inpatient or outpatient facilities, or even your doctor’s office, and it is tailored to meet your needs.
Why Would Anyone Use Krokodil?
The drug costs about a tenth of the price of heroin. And it is incredibly addictive. If a person begins using it and then decides to quit, he (or she) faces a grueling withdrawal period. This means they will be forced back into using the drug unless they can get drug addiction treatment immediately.
How long do heroin addicts live in Russia?
In Russia, where the average life expectancy of a heroin addict is four or more years, the life expectancy of a krokodil addict is only two to three years, at most. One person described a group of addicts she was shooting the drug with.
What is the worst problem with injection sites?
Bone destruction. Complete destruction of muscle and soft tissue. Green, scaly areas of skin (leading to its nickname, krokodil) The worst problems occur around injection sites. This is where the meat of the body simply disintegrates and rots off the body.
Is Krokodil a drug?
Krokodil is normally supplied as a dirty, light orange-colored liquid. If you or anyone you know has been using a drug like this, or if you have noticed physical damage far in excess of what may have been experienced from prior drug use, stop using the drug now and call Narconon to find out how this long-term, comprehensive rehab program can help you. Krokodil recovery is possible if it is started early .
Does Narconon help with sober life?
Once a person is known to be stable physically, the Narconon drug rehabilitation program can help them reclaim the sober life they have lost.
Is it possible to recover from krokodil addiction?
Recovery is challenging, but it has been shown in Russia that recovery from krokodil addiction is possible. Every person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol needs help but a person who finds that he is trapped in krokodil addiction needs to FIND HELP INSTANTLY before the drug can take a terrible toll on his body.
Where did the effects of a sulfate injection start?
The effects of the drug were first seen in Siberia, and then in Russia. Then they were seen in Germany and the UK and now they have been identified in several US states. Doctors are seeing: The worst problems occur around injection sites. This is where the meat of the body simply disintegrates and rots off the body.
What is krokodil (desomorphine)?
Desomorphine, known by the street name krokodil, is an opioid derivative of codeine. Like heroin and other opioids, it has a sedative and analgesic effect and is highly addictive. Those who inject these caustic agents into their veins can develop extreme skin ulcerations, infections, and gangrene -- a discolored (green, grey, black) scale-like skin that resembles a crocodile, hence the street name “krokodil". Krokodil is also called “Russian Magic”, referring to its short duration of opioid intoxication (euphoria).
What are the side effects of krokodil?
The most common complications reported thus far from krokodil injection appears to be serious vein damage, soft tissue infections, necrosis and gangrene.
What is the extent of krokodil use?
Krokodil has been synthesized in Russia for over a decade. About one million people in Russia use krokodil according to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Krokodil goes by the names of “Cheornaya” in Russia and “Himiya” in Ukraine.
Is krokodil in the U.S?
There were few reports of krokodil use in the U.S. until September 2013 when a poison control center in Phoenix, Arizona received inquiries about the product. Additional reports have surfaced from Illinois and Oklahoma. However, as of July 2019, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has stated that they are have not identified any krokodil since 2004 through their samples.
What is the Russian magic pill?
Krokodil is also called “Russian Magic”, referring to its short duration of opioid intoxication (euphoria). Krokodil is reported to contain desomorphine, a synthetic morphine analogue synthesized in the 1930s. Due to illicit, home-based manufacturing it may contain other unknown ingredients.
Why is codeine used instead of heroin?
Codeine is preferred instead of heroin because of lower costs and ease of availability. However, the effects and chemical reactions of the medications also in these codeine products (such as acetaminophen or terpin hydrate) are all unknown when mixed for illegal drug use.
How fast does krokodil work?
Krokodil is typically used by the intravenous (IV) route. According to reports, the drug is fast-acting within 2 to 3 minutes and 10 to 15 times more potent than morphine, and three times as toxic. In fact, when the toxic chemicals are removed, quite often what is left is desomorphine, a compound very similar to heroin.
What is the krokodil drug?
Krokodil is the street name for an opioid drug called desomorphine. It is a cheap heroin alternative that’s an opioid derivative of codeine, similar to morphine. Krokodil also frequently contains other toxic substances like paint thinner and gasoline.
How long does it take for krokodil to work?
Krokodil is typically taken using a needle and syringe to inject the liquid into a vein or under the skin. According to reports, it only takes two to three minutes for the drug to start having an effect. After onset, the euphoric effect is short-lived, usually lasting less than two hours.
What are the effects of krokodil?
Like heroin and other opioids, it has calming and pain-relieving effects , as well as gives users a euphoric high. According to reports, krokodil is 10 times more potent than morphine and is three times more toxic. It’s also highly addictive.
How long does krokodil last?
User injecting krokodil into arm. After onset, the euphoric effect is short-lived, usually lasting less than two hours. Due to the short duration of the high many users will repeatedly and frequently administer the drug to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
How many Krokodil were seized in 2011?
And according to media reports, approximately 65 million doses of krokodil were seized in 2011 in Russia. Although in 2012, in response to the rise in Krokodil use, the Russian government implemented stricter controls on codeine, which is frequently used to make the drug.
Why is Krokodil so popular?
Krokodil became popular because it was easy to make from stuff found in hardware stores and pharmacies, not to mention it was also much cheaper than heroin. Preparing a dose of Krokodil.
Which drug is the hardest to cure?
According to one Russian drug treatment center doctor, krokodil causes the strongest level of addiction and the addiction is the hardest substance addiction to cure.
Where is Krokodil made?
Krokodil is a lethal synthetic drug that was first manufactured in Russia. The drug has migrated to parts of the United States with deadly effects, claiming the lives of many who use it within weeks or even days.
What Happens During Treatment?
Once your physical condition is stabilized, you will likely be moved to an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility where you can receive the intensive psychological care and therapy you need to recover.
Is Krokodil a drug?
Krokodil, like many other street drugs, comes with serious stigma, and it’s hard for those with an addiction to seek help for fear of judgment. Krokodil rehabilitation centers are typically located in medical facilities, so you are guaranteed the same confidentiality and privacy you would be given for any other medical treatment.
Is krokodil treatment inpatient or outpatient?
Outpatient and residential krokodil treatment centers are similar in that they both provide access to medical and psychological treatment. Since krokodil use comes with such deadly physical problems, the first step of any treatment program is inpatient medical care.
Do I Need an Inpatient Krokodil Rehab Facility?
Krokodil is quite possibly one of the most dangerous drugs available on the street, so medical and psychological intervention are absolutely necessary. Even with treatment, you can suffer severe permanent effects from using krokodil.
How is krokodil skin treated?
If caught soon enough the infected skin can be treated with antibiotics. However, if left too long doctors need to cut away the dead skin and treat the exposed area with skin grafts.
How does krokodil affect skin?
The exact mechanism behind how krokodil affects the skin remains unknown but research suggests that the krokodil skin results from the toxic substances that are left after the drug has been cooked.
Why is krokodil called a flesh eating drug?
In the U.S. krokodil drug became known as the “flesh-eating drug” due to the extreme skin peeling associated with its use. Pictures of late-stage krokodil addicts are disturbing.
What is the skin of a krokodil?
Krokodil Skin. One of the defining characteristics of krokodil use is what happens to users’ skin. Krokodil users often get scaly, black, and green skin that resembles crocodile skin. In fact, the crocodile-like skin that shows up on krokodil addicts bodies is thought to be one of the reasons why the drug got its name.
What is the color of gangrene?
In some medical reports, doctors mention users developing gangrene, which is characterized by the scaly, green-black skin discoloration.
Is krokodil a gangrenous drug?
Research notes that krokodil seems to be more associated with gangrenous and necrotic tissue destruction than other intravenously injected illicit substances, including heroin.
Can krokodil cause tissue damage?
If the toxic solvents aren’t fully removed before injection, the strong acids and bases can contribute to tissue damage and infection. Krokodil Skin on Forearm. Also, researchers have observed that depending on the type of toxic additives that were in the krokodil drug, different effects are noticed. For example, if red phosphorous (matchbook ...
