Crocodile (Krokodil): A New and Dangerous Drug

A new drug, that appears to have started in Russia, is causing quite a bit of alarm. This new drug, known by the names Crocodile or Krokodil, is an inexpensive substitute for heroin. Crocodile is made from desomorphine, a synthetic opiate that is a derivative of morphine. In the public domain, Crocodile and desomorphine are synonymous, but in reality, Crocodile refers to a home-made and generally dirty form of desomorphine. This is in contrast to the desomorphine that was developed as an opiate medication in the early 1930’s. According to Wikipedia.org, desomorphine is “8-10 times more potent than morphine”.

Russia has historically has a high incidence of heroin use and addiction. In an effort to reduce heroin use and associated crime and health problems, Russia has taken steps to reduce the amount of heroin available and therefore increase its street value. This hass led heroin to become too expensive or difficult to find for many addicts and opened the door for a cheaper, more accessible alternative.

Compared to heroin, Crocodile is inexpensive to manufacture and therefore, cheap to buy on the streets. This makes crocodile attractive to those looking for an inexpensive "high". As with other home-made drugs, there are many variations in the manufacture of Crocodile. However, most batches start with codeine-based medication, which is sold over the counter in Russia, combined with a variety of readily available ingredients that may include gasoline, iodine, hydrochloric acid, paint thinner, and red phosphorous, among others. In most cased, there is no purification of the end product and the user is injecting a substances full of toxins. The process for making Crocodile from codeine tablets is similar to the process of making methamphetamine from pseudoephedrine.

The “high” from Crocodile lasts about ninety minutes. This is notably shorter than the “high” one gets from heroin. Given that Crocodile takes approximately an hour to make, many users are spending all of their waking hours either making or using this drug. And given the discomfort of withdrawal from Crocodile, those addicted to it need to wake up frequently at night to take more of it.

Crocodile received its name due to the effect it has on the skin of its users. Crocodile is generally injected and, as noted above, the drug is loaded with toxic chemicals. Crocodile causes one’s skin to take on a greenish hue and become scaly. This occurs due to the bursting of blood vessels near the injection site and the resultant death of tissue near the site of the injection. If a vein is missed, the chemical is then injected directly into the muscle. The poisonous nature of this drug causes the muscle and surrounding tissue to develop abscesses and literally rot while on the body.

Although this drug began in Russia, it is beginning to make its way around the world. There have been reports that it is being used in the United States, although data about its availability is limited.

Withdrawal from Crocodile is reported to be quite difficult. In comparison to heroin, the physical pain associated with withdrawal from Crocodile are said to be intense for up to a month and sometimes even longer. It has been reported that the physical sensation of pain is so intense during detox from Crocodile that some users lose consciousness. Due to the difficult detox, as well as lack of treatment services in the poorest areas of Russia where this drug is flourishing, the average life expectancy of a person addicted to Crocodile is 2-3 years.

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Desomorphine (krokodile)

Although invented in 1932 in Switzerland desomorphine was apparently invented in the USA in 1923 as a pharmaceutical preparation and was used in Switzerland under the trade name Permonid (strong opiate, fast onset, short duration). However, it doesn’t appear to have taken off as a drug due to its high addiction potential and short duration but it has appeared on the blackmarket, popping up in Siberia in 2002 and rapidly spreading across Russia. Over 7000 people were believed to have died from it only last year, a sharp rise from only a few hundred the years before.
Krokodil, named for the way it makes the skin scale, turn green and die, seems more to pertain to the extremely hazardous way it is made, using ingredients as mentioned in the article below. Extracted from codeine tablets which are bought for around £2 a pack, chemicals such as iodine and other extremely harsh solvents and the red phosperous scraped from match boxes, all get injected . Quickly they conspire to damage the nervous sytem, and rot the bone and skin from the inside, first targetting the softer thinner bones and tissue such as  thejaw and fingers and toes. I will be putting a selection of Krokodil articles on this post, and information on what Russia is doing on the issue. So far Russian officials have only sought to ban pain killers from over the counter sales, (to be available only on prescription), however this will only serve to blur the issue. The black market is alive and well in Russia, and pills and pharmaceutical drugs are rapidly emerging through various ‘other’ channels such as the internet. Russia needs real solutions, that deal with the issue itself, such as peoples dependence on opiates. Maintenence drugs like methadone would go a long way to helping prevent the desperation people feel when in the grip of a drug dependence.
Additionally, reports have Krokodil recently spreadng to Germany. Unless someone makes Russian officials wake up and implement harm reduction such as OST (methadone and buprenorphine), Needle exchange, and legalises effective drugs advice and information etc -we are going to see this death and destruction of lives continue to spread further than Russia.People who use or inject drugs have a right to access health services just like anyone else and be treated humanely and equally. The multiple concerns facing this marginalised and ultimately vulnerable population is creating a human catastrophe. We cannot continue to ignore this situation or these people, drug users are brothers, sisters, mums and dads -they are you, they are us.

Readmore..................

Although invented in 1932 in Switzerland desomorphine was apparently invented in the USA in 1923 as a pharmaceutical preparation and was used in Switzerland under the trade name Permonid (strong opiate, fast onset, short duration). However, it doesn’t appear to have taken off as a drug due to its high addiction potential and short duration but it has appeared on the blackmarket, popping up in Siberia in 2002 and rapidly spreading across Russia. Over 7000 people were believed to have died from it only last year, a sharp rise from only a few hundred the years before.
Krokodil, named for the way it makes the skin scale, turn green and die, seems more to pertain to the extremely hazardous way it is made, using ingredients as mentioned in the article below. Extracted from codeine tablets which are bought for around £2 a pack, chemicals such as iodine and other extremely harsh solvents and the red phosperous scraped from match boxes, all get injected . Quickly they conspire to damage the nervous sytem, and rot the bone and skin from the inside, first targetting the softer thinner bones and tissue such as  thejaw and fingers and toes. I will be putting a selection of Krokodil articles on this post, and information on what Russia is doing on the issue. So far Russian officials have only sought to ban pain killers from over the counter sales, (to be available only on prescription), however this will only serve to blur the issue. The black market is alive and well in Russia, and pills and pharmaceutical drugs are rapidly emerging through various ‘other’ channels such as the internet. Russia needs real solutions, that deal with the issue itself, such as peoples dependence on opiates. Maintenence drugs like methadone would go a long way to helping prevent the desperation people feel when in the grip of a drug dependence.
Additionally, reports have Krokodil recently spreadng to Germany. Unless someone makes Russian officials wake up and implement harm reduction such as OST (methadone and buprenorphine), Needle exchange, and legalises effective drugs advice and information etc -we are going to see this death and destruction of lives continue to spread further than Russia.People who use or inject drugs have a right to access health services just like anyone else and be treated humanely and equally. The multiple concerns facing this marginalised and ultimately vulnerable population is creating a human catastrophe. We cannot continue to ignore this situation or these people, drug users are brothers, sisters, mums and dads -they are you, they are us.

Although invented in 1932 in Switzerland desomorphine was apparently invented in the USA in 1923 as a pharmaceutical preparation and was used in Switzerland under the trade name Permonid (strong opiate, fast onset, short duration). However, it doesn’t appear to have taken off as a drug due to its high addiction potential and short duration but it has appeared on the blackmarket, popping up in Siberia in 2002 and rapidly spreading across Russia. Over 7000 people were believed to have died from it only last year, a sharp rise from only a few hundred the years before.
Krokodil, named for the way it makes the skin scale, turn green and die, seems more to pertain to the extremely hazardous way it is made, using ingredients as mentioned in the article below. Extracted from codeine tablets which are bought for around £2 a pack, chemicals such as iodine and other extremely harsh solvents and the red phosperous scraped from match boxes, all get injected . Quickly they conspire to damage the nervous sytem, and rot the bone and skin from the inside, first targetting the softer thinner bones and tissue such as  thejaw and fingers and toes. I will be putting a selection of Krokodil articles on this post, and information on what Russia is doing on the issue. So far Russian officials have only sought to ban pain killers from over the counter sales, (to be available only on prescription), however this will only serve to blur the issue. The black market is alive and well in Russia, and pills and pharmaceutical drugs are rapidly emerging through various ‘other’ channels such as the internet. Russia needs real solutions, that deal with the issue itself, such as peoples dependence on opiates. Maintenence drugs like methadone would go a long way to helping prevent the desperation people feel when in the grip of a drug dependence.
Additionally, reports have Krokodil recently spreadng to Germany. Unless someone makes Russian officials wake up and implement harm reduction such as OST (methadone and buprenorphine), Needle exchange, and legalises effective drugs advice and information etc -we are going to see this death and destruction of lives continue to spread further than Russia.People who use or inject drugs have a right to access health services just like anyone else and be treated humanely and equally. The multiple concerns facing this marginalised and ultimately vulnerable population is creating a human catastrophe. We cannot continue to ignore this situation or these people, drug users are brothers, sisters, mums and dads -they are you, they are us.
For a link to an Independent article on Krokodil, click here. But please have a look at the videos below, I warn you they are extremely graphic and upsetting. And please, if you are moved to act, join us on Dec 1st at cities around the world, (see protest page above) or comment below to get in touch.

Posted in Embassy Protest, Russian Law | Tagged Addiction, desomorphine, Harm reduction, home made heroin, krokodil, Methadone, Methadone Maintenance | 1 Reply