Party pills, also known as "herbal highs", "pep pills" "dance pills" and "natural power", is a

colloquialism Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...

for a type of

recreational drug Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

whose main ingredient was originally

benzylpiperazine Benzylpiperazine (BZP) is a recreational drug with euphoriant and stimulant properties. The effects produced by BZP are comparable to those produced by amphetamine. Adverse effects have been reported following its use including acute psychosis, ...

(BZP), but has expanded to a wide range of compounds with a variety of effects. BZP is banned in a few countries, including the USA, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, but is available on a more or less restricted basis in many jurisdictions. A range of other piperazine derivatives have also been sold as ingredients in party pills, and many of these branded "proprietary blends" have subsequently been sold in countries around the world. Piperazine derivatives sold in this way include BZP,

TFMPP 3-Trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP) is a recreational drug of the piperazine chemical class. Usually in combination with benzylpiperazine (BZP) and other analogues, it is sold as an alternative to the illicit drug MDMA ("Ecstasy"). Pharma ...

MeOPP ''para''-Methoxyphenylpiperazine (MeOPP, pMPP, 4-MPP; Paraperazine) is a piperazine derivative with stimulant effects which has been sold as an ingredient in " Party pills", initially in New Zealand and subsequently in other countries around the ...

pFPP ''para''-Fluorophenylpiperazine (pFPP, 4-FPP, 4-Fluorophenylpiperazine; Fluoperazine, Flipiperazine) is a piperazine derivative with mildly psychedelic and euphoriant effects. It has been sold as an ingredient in legal recreational drugs known ...

and several others. mCPP has rarely been sold as a party pill ingredient due to its tendency to cause

migraine Migraine (, ) is a common neurological disorder characterized by recurrent headaches. Typically, the associated headache affects one side of the head, is pulsating in nature, may be moderate to severe in intensity, and could last from a few hou ...

headaches. These piperazines are usually mixed with other ingredients such as

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...

5-HTP 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), also known as oxitriptan, is a naturally occurring amino acid and chemical precursor as well as a metabolic intermediate in the biosynthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Uses 5-HTP is sold over the counter i ...

, Oxedrine (which has close effects to ephedrine), Camelia sinensis and a range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and binders to make party pills. In countries such as

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

where BZP and related

piperazine Piperazine () is an organic compound that consists of a six-membered ring containing two nitrogen atoms at opposite positions in the ring. Piperazine exists as small alkaline deliquescent crystals with a saline taste. The piperazines are a broad ...

s have been made illegal, there is now increasing commercial interest in piperazine-free "party pills" which are purported to produce similar effects with ingredients that will circumvent the ban. Common active ingredients (among many others) include

theobromine Theobromine, also known as xantheose, is the principal alkaloid of ''Theobroma cacao'' (cacao plant). Theobromine is slightly water-soluble (330 mg/L) with a bitter taste. In industry, theobromine is used as an additive and precursor to s ...

, other

stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those that increase activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that are pleasurable and inv ...

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...

octopamine Octopamine (molecular formula C8H11NO2; also known as OA, and also norsynephrine, ''para''-octopamine and others) is an organic chemical closely related to norepinephrine, and synthesized biologically by a homologous pathway. Octopamine is ofte ...

, blue lotus extract (''

Nymphaea caerulea ''Nymphaea nouchali'' var. ''caerulea'', is a water lily in the genus ''Nymphaea'', a botanical variety of ''Nymphaea nouchali''. It is an aquatic plant of freshwater lakes, pools and rivers, naturally found throughout most of the eastern half ...

''), natural sources of the

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

precursor and weak

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

agent

lysergic acid amide Ergine, also known as d-lysergic acid amide (LSA) and d-lysergamide, is an ergoline alkaloid that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. The psychedelic properties in the seeds of ololiuhqui, Hawaiia ...

(illegal in many countries),

passionflower ''Passiflora'', known also as the passion flowers or passion vines, is a genus of about 550 species of flowering plants, the type genus of the family Passifloraceae. They are mostly tendril-bearing vines, with some being shrubs or trees. They ...

(

sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...

which contains

monoamine oxidase inhibitors Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are a class of drugs that inhibit the activity of one or both monoamine oxidase enzymes: monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). They are best known as effective antidepressants, espec ...

Citrus aurantium Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross bet ...

(contains small amounts of the stimulant

synephrine Synephrine, or, more specifically, ''p''-synephrine, is an alkaloid, occurring naturally in some plants and animals, and also in approved drugs products as its ''m''-substituted analog known as neo-synephrine. ''p''-Synephrine (or formerly Sympat ...

glaucine Glaucine is an aporphine alkaloid found in several different plant species in the family Papaveraceae such as ''Glaucium flavum'', '' Glaucium oxylobum'' and '' Corydalis yanhusuo'', and in other plants like ''Croton lechleri'' in the family Euph ...

(plant derived compound usually used as

cough medicine Cold medicines are a group of medications taken individually or in combination as a treatment for the symptoms of the common cold and similar conditions of the upper respiratory tract. The term encompasses a broad array of drugs, including a ...

), and

geranamine Methylhexanamine (also known as methylhexamine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, 1,3-DMAA, dimethylamylamine, and DMAA; trade names Forthane and Geranamine) is an indirect sympathomimetic drug invented and developed by Eli Lilly and Company and marketed as ...

(alkylamine compound found in

geranium oil ''Pelargonium graveolens'' is a ''Pelargonium'' species native to the Cape Provinces and the Northern Provinces of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Etymology ''Pelargonium'' comes from the Greek πελαργός ''pelargos'' which means st ...

News and legality

Party pills and their legal status are often in the news.

Matt Bowden Matt "Starboy" Bowden is a rock musician and activist from New Zealand. Previously known as the "Godfather of the legal highs industry", he is credited with creating non-lethal, non-addictive party pills as safer substitutes for methamphetam ...

, one of the original distributors of such pills was interviewed when issues involving party pills arose in the media. A clinical trial by ClubStargate for a pill named Ease was suspended because it contained

methylone Methylone (also known as "3,4-methylenedioxy-''N''-methylcathinone", "MDMC", "βk-MDMA" and by the slang term "M1") is an empathogen and stimulant psychoactive drug. It is a member of the substituted amphetamine, substituted cathinone and ...

, which was claimed by the Ministry of Health to fall under New Zealand controlled drug analogue laws (although this was never proven in court). New Zealand has classified BZP-based party pills as a "Restricted Substance" by the Misuse of Drugs Act and restricted to those over 18 years. For more on the legal issues posed by party pills, see

. In late June 2007, BZP was classed as a Class C drug in New Zealand and its availability was banned by a law passed on 13 March 2008, with a six-month amnesty period. It was not long before BZP-free alternatives appeared. Despite this, the ingredients used in the new products lacked the potency of the BZP based pills. This subsequently led to a decline in the popularity of party pills.

References

{{Reflist Drug culture

News and legality

See also

References