Dr. Abhin Singala was in the emergency room of Presence
Saint JosephMedical Center when he smelled rotting flesh. He instantly knew krokodil had made its way to Illinois. He told CBS News three patients were being treated for the horrific side-effects that come along with krokodil injection.[1]
The three are all women under 25. Two of the women were acquainted and it's believed they all got the drug from the same place. One of them "had the destruction that occurs because of this drug, over 70 percent of her
lower body.”
Here's the really scary part: At least two of the women believed what they had been using was heroin. They weren't told the drug was krokodil. They came to the hospital for help coming off heroin and Dr Singala told them what they had actually been taking.[2] This worries officials in Joliet, near Chicago, IL who say the area is already in the middle of a heroin epidemic. Addicts who are just looking for a fix don't know what they're being sold and the drug's damage begins.
Several articles we came across online referred to reports of the drug in Arizona and Utah in the past two weeks but after a lengthy search we couldn't find anything about Utah. All we found were DEA officials talking about their fears that the drug would make its way from Arizona into Utah. Officials in Illinois believe the drug made it's way there so quickly because of its location as a hub along the country's highway system. The same day that Dr. Singala gave a press release about the cases, Will County Police Lt. Brian
Dupuis said they'd never heard of the drug and weren't aware of anyone being hospitalized for it.[3]
Officials hope word of mouth helps prevent more cases of krokodil use from occurring. Dr. Singala agrees with us that as gruesome as the pictures out there of krokodil effects are, parents should show them to their kids. The pictures will stay with them much longer than you can say to them.
**UPDATE** 11-20-13
Three new cases of krokodil use were reported this week Canada. Critics have spoken out, saying emergency doctors are jumping the gun as test results have not proven krokodil use. A Canadian doctor treating one of the suspected cases told reporters the see heroine and IV drug users regularly with sores and severe infections from using dirty needles, and that is not what they are seeing. While the headlines show the drug moving through North America, a spokesman for the DEA reiterated they haven't yet confirmed a case of krokodil use.
Sorry about the huge text ad, that's Big Brother Google. We don't see a dime.
[1] Flesh-Eating Street Drug ‘Krokodil’ Hits
Chicago Area . October 9, 2013 . CBS Chicago. Mike Parker. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/10/09/flesh-eating-street-drug-krokodil-hits-chicago-area/
After two cases involving the drug Krokodil popped up in
Arizona last week, we decided to revisit what’s often described as the
“flesh-eating drug.” To read our post from a year ago on krokodil, click here.
What is it?
Krokodil is the street name given to homemade version of the
drug desmorphine. It's a
make-it-yourself drug that sprang up from the isolation of Siberia. Russia is home to a horrendously high number
of heroine users. Drug laws passed in
recent years slowed the flow of heroine coming into the country from
Afghanistan, so heroine users have turned to krokodil in desperation. It's infamous for causing the skin of users who inject it to rot away.
What’s in it?
Anything. Everything.
The drug’s main component is codeine tablets, available without a
prescription in Russia. The production
process of distilling and boiling usually includes adding match tips, gas,
paint thinner, and iodine. If made from
the proper chemicals in a proper lab, desmorphine doesn’t include all the toxic
byproducts of making it at home.
Is it really here in the US?
Frank LoVecchio, co-medical director at Banner Good
Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center told a CBS affiliate that they had
seen two instances of krokodil use in the past week, adding that they believed
the cases were related.[1]
Should we be worried?
Officials hope that the drug’s main ingredient, codeine,
being a controlled substance in the United States, will make it too hard to
obtain. That doesn’t mean desperate
addicts won’t tweak the recipe according to what is available to them,
possible making the final product even more dangerous.
In Russia, krokodil use spread the fastest in poor, isolated
regions where the unemployment rate is high and people are in a constant state
of boredom. Does that sound
familiar? 500 more coal miners were
recently laid off from a large local mining company here in eastern Kentucky, joining so many others who
are now out of work. Perpetual boredom
is a way of life in Appalachia. Thanks
to ol’ Purdue Pharma and their targeting of this area when Oxycontin was
released, these mountains have a big bulls eye painted on them.
Does krokodil really eat the flesh of users?
Much research needs to be done on this relatively new drug,
and while differing opinions as to why it happens have been put forth, medical
professionals are in agreement that the drug does horrific, irreversible damage
to the users.
Some say the rotting is a result of the drug being injected
and damaging blood vessels and tissue. Another
possibility put forth is the rotting is a result of necrotizing fasciitis,
commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria. The bacteria could be introduced
through open wounds, or by scratching vigorously and breaking the skin, itching
being a hallmark of codeine’s histamine release.
These wounds just spread, infections get worse, and gangrene
often sets in. Amputations are common among krokodil users who seek medical
help.
Are the Arizona cases the first time krokodil has been seen
in the US?
No. While they
appeared to be isolated incidents, popping up and disappearing just as quickly,
reports of its use were made in Memphis, TN in late 2011[2] and in
West Virginia last year. Officials are hoping the Arizona cases are the result
of an isolated incident as well, but worry that it will eventually settle in,
offering a cheap alternative to hopeless addicts.
What are the signs of krokodil use?
You mean other than gaping holes with rotting flesh hanging
off and exposed bone all over people?
The iodine used in the cooking process leaves a smell that is impossible
to get out. Users continually smell like
burnt iodine.
How addictive is krokodil?
"With heroin withdrawal, the main symptoms last for
five to 10 days. After that there is still a big danger of relapse but the
physical pain will be gone. With krokodil, the pain can last up to a month, and
it's unbearable. They have to be injected with extremely strong tranquilizers
just to keep them from passing out from the pain." [3]
Different reports give different numbers, but commonly
included are assertions like “Krokodil is 8 times as potent as morphine and
three times as addictive as heroin.”
How is krokodil related to bath salts?
Both drugs are synthetics, meaning they mimic the effects of
other drugs. Most of the chemicals being
used to manufacture bath salts and synthetic marijuana are coming from
China. It’s feasible that Chinese
chemists are already developing a chemical that mimics codeine. That would be all these “neo-moonshiners”
would need to start krok production.
Can't you come up with some conspiracy to tie it to? (lol)
Some crazy Unabomber type (who just may be leading some country or terror cell) could catch wind of an idea like this and target a population. Could be a different kind of bio-weapon, slowly rotting your enemies to death...? Isn't that what our government was supposed to have done with the black population and crack? Alright, that may be a little paranoid, but "users may be using it for two or three weeks before becoming aware of the dangerous side-effects and thus realizing that what they were sold was something other than heroin." [4]
In a comment section on an article about the Arizona cases one anonymous reader wrote "Man I'm glad I came across this article. My dealer's all the time throwing stuff at me and sayin 'Here this is new, try it.' I'll think twice now before I do it."
Where does it go from here?
It’s possible that the Arizona cases are isolated
incidents. Time will tell if more
krokodil finds its way here.
There’s always the possibility that some junkie somewhere
will conjure up a cocktail of synthetic drugs like bath salts and krokodil, and make headlines after
shambling all over town with their skin rotting off, eating the faces off those
they encounter. Life imitates
(Romero/Walking Dead-type) art. But that
too would just be an isolated incident….right?
This video was featured in the older blog on krokodil, but
it’s so unbelievable it bears re posting. Pretty graphic, but should be seen:
Following are the token gruesome photos of
krokodil aftermath. As graphic as they are, I think videos like the one above and photos like these should be mandatory viewing for teenagers. Nancy Reagan preaching to "just say no" didn't work.
**Not for the squeamish, you’ve been warned.**
If you want to see more gruesome pics of krokodil effects a quick google search will return all you're eyes can handle.
For more info on krokodil, here's a couple good links:
***UPDATE*** 9-10-13: Three cases of krokodil use have now popped up outside Chicago, at least two of them using the drug thinking they were using heroin. For more details, read the newest blog here.
[1] "Why Isn’t the U.S. Debut of Russian
Flesh-Eating Drug Krokodil Bigger News?" Sept 28 2013 Jordan Burchette [2] "The terrifying, flesh-eating drug krokodil
has reportedly surfaced in the US" Adrianne JeffriesSept 27, 2013 http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/27/4775564/super-addictive-flesh-eating-drug-krokodil-reported-in-the-us
[3] "Krokodil: The Drug That Eats
Junkies," Shaun Walker, independent.co.uk/news June 22 2011
