Rot drog

Reports of a “flesh-eating zombie drug” called krokodil, accompanied by lurid images first appeared in English during The drug serves as an excellent illustration of the havoc bad drug policies can wreak on communities.

Krokodil first emerged in provincial Russia during the early s. It’s an illicit injectable drug, easily baked in home kitchens from codeine-containing medication, iodine, phosphorus, paint thinner, and lighter fuel.

Its active ingredient is intended to be desomorphine, a synthetic opiate, but most home-baked krokodil is impure. The impurities are what produce the horrific injuries characteristic of krokodil use, which include severe damage to skin and veins, leading to ulcers and gangrene.

Krokodil’s chemical instability and short high leads to binges of frequent injecting among users. This kind of use is regarded as a risk factor for blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C. And, the stigma around drug use and strict drug laws in Russia mean krokodil users tend to avoid hospitals, exacerbating their injecting injuries.

A case of policy misadventure

The history of krokodil is a colourful case of health policy misadventure. To understand it, the dru

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  • rot drog

    • Krokodil

    Updated January, bygd Nathan A Friedman, MD & Alicia Minns, MD

    Original author Alicia Minns, MD

    Introduction

    In the early s, a dramatic surge of case reports of use and complications from Krokodil (also known as Crocodile, Krok, or Croc) emerged. Krokodil use was first reported in Siberia in and has mostly been described in europeisk countries. The drug made its way into the United States with a few cases reported in the late s, although reports in the medical literature have largely tapered off since the mid s. No confirmed cases have been reported in the U.S. since at least During a period of media attention, it was dubbed the “drug that eats junkies,” and “Russia’s deadly designer drug.” It fryst vatten characterized as the “flesh eating” or “flesh rotting” drug. The main active ingredient of Krokodil fryst vatten desomorphine, a more potent and synthetic derivative of morphine. It can be manufactured at home from codeine and easily obtained additives and is significantly cheaper than heroin. Its use results in severe damage to the vasculature, muscles, and bones, and in multiorgan failure with a mean survival time of 2 years after its first use. Use of this drug spread across East