Persistent psychotic symptoms after long-term heavy use of mephedrone: A two-case series

Abstract

Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) is a synthetic stimulant drug of the cathinone class. Similar effects to those of cocaine and ecstasy are reported by users, with a high addictive potential. Given its increasing rate of consumption in Europe, it is getting more and more attention from the addiction field. In spite of that, little is known about the long-term consequences of prolonged heavy use. The two following cases might depict some of them. Case 1 was a middle-age man who reported three years of intravenous use of mephedrone. He used to binge for several days in a row. Psychotic symptoms appeared after a few months, especially paranoid delusions. Sent to aftercare in a therapeutic community, delusions kept reappearing after prolonged abstinence. A good response to risperidone was observed. Case 2 was a young man who used mephedrone heavily for two years, always snorted. Upon admission to the therapeutic community, the patient reported auditory hallucinations that partially remitted with olanzapine. Both cases showed a good insight and no personality deterioration. Given its similarities to other substances that are known to induce psychotic symptoms, and the increasing consumption of mephedrone around Europe, similar cases are expected in the near future. Conventional antipsychotic treatment seems a reasonable pharmacological approach.