The drug, called Phenazepam, was developed in eastern Europe in the 1970s to treat epilepsy, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, insomnia and anxiety. But because of its depressant effects, Phenazepam – which can be swallowed as a pill, snorted or injected – is also taken by users of party drugs like ecstasy to come down from their high. The drug, one of several known as Benzos or Benzo Fury, is currently only prescribed in the former Soviet Bloc, but it is not controlled in Britain and is freely available on the internet.
In a letter to the British Medical Journal, four leading toxicology experts said it could be used as a substitute for controlled benzodiazepines – taken by heroin users to stave off withdrawal symptoms – or designer drugs such as mephedrone. The researchers, from the University of Dundee's forensic toxicology laboratory, detected traces of Phenazepam in nine post mortem blood samples this year, prompting fears it is being increasingly misused. Seven of the victims, all of whom were aged between 31 and 45 and had a history of drug misuse, had died after taking opiate drugs such as heroin.
Concerns had been raised last year when nine people in Britain were admitted to hospital after taking Phenazepam overdoses, prompting the Scottish government to issue a health warning. Studies in Sweden, Finland and the US have also reported that the drug is being misused. The researchers wrote: "This many cases suggests that the use of phenazepam by drug misusers in the UK is on the rise.
"Phenazepam can be obtained legallyon the internet so it could become more widely uses...doctors should be aware of both the availability and illicit use of phenazepam in the UK."
