Fenfluramine

[badrobot114]

This might be a strange question, but did anyone on here get around to taking fenfluramine recreationally? i know it's been abused extensively in the South African rave scene and was curious how it compares to MDMA.

 

[Dresden]

I never tried fenfluramine, but according to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Releasing_agent, it releases zero dopamine and norepinephrine.

 

[MagickalKat777]

You really want to experiment with a drug that caused 32% of its users to have heart valve defects at therapeutic levels? Why?

 

[Folley]

Aren't fluorinated amphetamines significantly more toxic than their parent analogues?

 

[electrodevo]

This might be a strange question, but did anyone on here get around to taking fenfluramine recreationally? i know it's been abused extensively in the South African rave scene and was curious how it compares to MDMA.

Strange how that compound could be abused. It's a serotonin *antagonist*, not a releaser (like MDMA) or an agonist (like most psychedelics, including even MDMA).

Clinically, fenfluramine was typically combined with phentermine, a mild stimulant, to counter the drowsiness that fenfluramine often evoked (rise in serotonin levels can equal drowsy feelings, I guess). Phentermine has abuse potential but I am puzzled how fenfluarmine ever could.

 

[ebola?]

It's a serotonin *antagonist*, not a releaser (like MDMA) or an agonist (like most psychedelics, including even MDMA).

This is not true--it is a serotonergic releaser.

Aren't fluorinated amphetamines significantly more toxic than their parent analogues?

I don't think that we can make this type of generalization across types of activity.

You really want to experiment with a drug that caused 32% of its users to have heart valve defects at therapeutic levels? Why?

I don't think that sporadic high dosage use can easily be compared to chronic use at lower doses.

ebola

 

[MagickalKat777]

I don't think that sporadic high dosage use can easily be compared to chronic use at lower doses.

We don't know that though. Seems far too risky IMO.

 

[Morninggloryseed]

We don't know that though. Seems far too risky IMO.

I remember from my teen years when I would read the PDR for recreation....that fenfluramine was said to be abused for an MDMA-like effect. Obviously this would be an old PDR since the drug hasn't existed for many years.

 

[badrobot114]

Fenfluramine heart valve damage is a result of chronic activation of the 5-HT2b receptors which is known to damage the heart valve. This activation also happens when using MDMA, SSRIs, psychedelic drugs and more... so a one off, or occasional use of fenfluramine won't be more dangerous than tripping or rolling in that regard.

 

[Dresden]

According to wikipedia again, fenfluramine is about as powerful as d-methamphetamine at releasing serotonin, so a fairly high dose will be needed. However, that prospect is kind of scary due to the heart valve issue, even for me.

As for the trifluoromethyl group, fluoxetine (Prozac) has one, and no one seems to mind much.

 

[ebola?]

We don't know that though. Seems far too risky IMO.

That's my point: we don't know.
...
norfenfluramine (a key active metabolite) binds at 5ht2b roughly ten times more strongly than mdma.
(http://pdsp.med.unc.edu/pdsp.php)

ebola

 

[LSD Cruiser]

^ Sounds dangerous long-term. How does binding at 5HT2B compare to the -APBs? Perhaps a correlation can be drawn?