Update: more pills to be aware of this summer

With the festival season ongoing and many university Orientation events happening next week, KnowYourStuffNZ would like to provide an update of pills currently in circulation that may not be as they seem. This follows on from our notification of high dose MDMA pills prior to New Year. The pills have been identified in our testing this summer season, and are likely to be found around the country.

Four new types of pill have been estimated to contain more than one dose of MDMA, and two contain no MDMA at all, instead containing cathinones (“bath salts”). One of the cathinone pills also contains caffeine.

Cathinone pills

Mephedrone produces similar effects to MDMA, but is described as ‘speedier’ and is active in lower doses. A common dose is 45-80mg. It has been implicated in a small number of deaths overseas.

The main danger with mephedrone is that it has a high redose compulsion which makes you want to take more. This can lead to prolonged insomnia, overdose or dependence.

Methylone, also known as bk-MDMA, has similar effects to MDMA but is less potent in terms of dose. A common dose is 150-200mg. The identified pill also contains caffeine. This increases the risk of harm as combining stimulants can cause heart problems and psychosis.

Cathinones can be dangerous when taken with alcohol, tramadol, or MAOI antidepressants. They can cause insomnia and anxiety, and in high doses, psychosis.

High dose MDMA pills

The pills that we have found contain up to three doses in a single pill. A common dose of MDMA is around 80-120 milligrams, depending upon a user’s body weight. We recommend weighing your doses wherever possible.

Taking too much MDMA can result in a very unpleasant experience, health risks, and sometimes even death.

Because these substances act on the serotonin system, serotonin syndrome is a potentially fatal risk. If you or someone you know has taken any of these pills and experiences the following, seek medical attention immediately.

dizziness
vomiting,
a sharp rise in body temperature,
muscle cramping,
heart palpitations,
seizures,
unconsciousness,.

Please note that the amount of active substance present is an estimate only as our technology cannot directly measure dosage or purity. Our spectrometer provides a rough percentage of psychoactive content in a sample. We use this combined with the weight of the pill to reach these estimates. The estimated dosage should be treated as an indication only and we recommend caution.

Pills to be aware of include:

Description	Image
Green Speckles Dark green, round, speckled, no logo Weight: 371mg Estimated to contain 150-200mg MDMA	Colour and size reference chart (1 square= 1cm2)
Orange One Orange/brown, round pill, has ‘ONE’ stamped on it Weight: 370mg Estimated to contain 200-250mg MDMA
Pink Grenade Pink, shaped like a grenade with grenade markings stamped on it, sometimes mistaken for a pineapple Weight: 338mg Estimated to contain at least 150mg MDMA
Blue Punisher Blue, roughly triangular, Punisher logo Weight: 443mg Estimated to contain 200mg MDMA
Blue Mario Pale blue, round, Mario Brothers face stamped on it Weight: 430mg Estimated to contain ~180mg methylone and 100mg caffeine.
Dark Green square Dark green, square-ish pill, logo can’t be made out Weight: 245mg Estimated to contain 90mg mephedrone