• Adam Winstock, Luke Mitcheson, John Ramsey, Susannah Davies, Malgorzata Puchnarewicz, and John Marsden.
• Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK. adam.winstock@kcl.ac.uk
• Addiction. 2011 Nov 1; 106 (11): 1991-6.

AimsTo assess the patterns of use, subjective effect profile and dependence liability of mephedrone, supported by corroborative urine toxicology.DesignCross-sectional structured telephone interview.SettingUK-based drug users associated with the dance music scene.ParticipantsA total of 100 mephedrone users, recruited through their involvement with the dance music scene.MeasurementsAssessment of pattern of use, acute and after effects, DSM dependence criteria and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry urinalysis.FindingsMephedrone consumption results in typical stimulant-related subjective effects: euphoria, increased concentration, talkativeness, urge to move, empathy, jaw clenching, reduced appetite and insomnia. Thirty per cent of the sample potentially met criteria for DSM-IV dependence and there was evidence of a strong compulsion to use the drug (47% had used the drug for 2 or more consecutive days). Self-reported recent consumption of mephedrone was confirmed by toxicological analysis in all of the 14 participants who submitted a urine sample.ConclusionMephedrone has a high abuse and health risk liability, with increased tolerance, impaired control and a compulsion to use, the predominant reported dependence symptoms.© 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

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