“Chemsex”: what products are used for this practice, mentioned in the Pierre Palmade case?

Screened in the public debate after the accident caused by actor Pierre Palmade on Friday February 10, chemsex, a contraction of English terms chemical products (chemicals) and sexIt is a practice that aims to have sexual relations under the influence of psychoactive substances, in order to multiply the pleasure but also to disinhibit.

Although Pierre Palmade was driving under the influence of cocaine, the substances used by chemsex practitioners are varied, from synthetic drugs to sexual stimulants. Risk prevention associations have spent several years trying to draw up an exhaustive list of these products, in order to better inform users to limit the risks when taking them, but also to warn them of the dangers to which they are exposed.

• Synthetic cathinones

Synthetic cathinones are chemical derivatives of the khat plant, known for its stimulating and euphoric effects. a scientific article appeared in the magazine PNH he points the finger at these drugs that “do not exist in a natural state, and are developed from numerous chemical reactions.”

Among the most common synthetic cathinones among chemsex practitioners, we find 3-MMC, 4-MMC or 4-MEC. The Network for the Prevention of Addictions (RESPADD) indicates in a brochure that “the effects sought are euphoria, disinhibition, empathy, increased sensuality, sexual performance.” Cathinones combine the effects of cocaine and amphetamines: stimulating and euphoric.

They can be taken nasally or ingested, but also intravenously. The latter practice exposes users to abscesses. “Repeated injections lead to abscesses and wounds, bacterial hazards, and vein deterioration that promotes necrosis,” he writes on his Drug Information Service site.

More generally, consumers of synthetic cathinones expose themselves to serious health risks. Drugs Info Service mentions states of great agitation, possible severe psychosis, severe dehydration or muscular risks. Cathinones can also be highly addictive and are known to cause a whim, that is, an uncontrollable desire to use again.

• GHB

Derived from the gamma-hydroxybutyrate molecule, GHB is a drug initially developed in the medical field to serve as an anesthetic and analgesic. It comes in the form of a white powder but it can also be drunk. GBL, a chemical that converts to GHB when ingested, is also used in chemsex.

The effects sought by users aim to enter a state of important, euphoric physical relaxation. On BFMTV in October 2021, when GHB was suspected of circulating at many parties in France, drug addict William Lowenstein had referred to users as “passive zombies”, unable to oppose “orders that can be given.” “.

“The main risk with GHB/GBL/BD is overdose because the margin between the amounts necessary to obtain the desired effects and those that cause adverse effects is very small,” warns RESPADD.

Drugs Info Service states that GHB “dependency” is “not scientifically established and remains the subject of debate.” However, the effects it provides may encourage users to renew their doses.

• Amphetamines and methamphetamines

All these products belong to the family of phenylethylamines. However, methamphetamines, also called “crystal meth,” are 2 to 5 times more potent than amphetamines, from which ecstasy is derived. These products can be inhaled, snorted for “crystal meth,” or injected.

For these substances, the desired effects are euphoria and excitement, but also greater empathy. Methamphetamines, which are more potent than amphetamines, increase self-confidence, increase concentration, and reduce fatigue.

Side effects are numerous and significant. Insomnia, muscle twitching, anxiety, but also a feeling of “lowering” after taking. This period “manifests itself with a great despondency: sad or even depressed mood, with a feeling of an empty head, physical and mental incapacity,” details Drug Info Service.

• Ketamine

Initially developed as an anesthetic, especially for horses, ketamine is often inhaled by users in powdered form. The consumption of ketamine first produces a calming effect, and can lead to sensory and hallucinatory disturbances. Consumers may also feel a floating sensation.

The main risk to which users are exposed is the K-hole, which “is characterized by changes in mood and behavior, loss of identity and contact with reality, terrifying, nightmarish visions that can lead to a state of panic,” explains Drug Info Service. .

Ketamine dependence is rare, but taking it regularly is dangerous, because with each dose you have to increase the amounts needed to get the desired effect.

• Cocaine

Widespread in all sectors of society, cocaine is also present in the world of chemsex. Coming from the leaves of the coca bush, it is like ketamine, which is mostly inhaled. It gives the consumer a feeling of omnipotence and indifference to fatigue.

Cocaine users also experience a comedown phase after taking it, resulting in a depressive state.

“Addiction results in an irresistible urge to use again. This state is favored by the short duration of cocaine’s effects and the depressive state that follows ingestion,” warns the Drug Info Service.

• Sexual stimulants

Finally, people who engage in chemsex may use sexual stimulants, such as viagra, to maintain an erection that drugs can alter.