NEW DELHI: It means crazy in Thai. And
trance party-goers are going crazy over this new drug, Yaba, which is giving the
traditional rave pill, Ecstasy, a run for its money because of low price, easy
availability and high potency.
Locally known as Bhul Bhulaiyya, the
drug is often sold illegally to people with the promise of speedy weight loss.
It is easily available in the form of candy flavoured pills of 0.5 to 2mg each.
Some of the users say that it is hard to kick this habit. "I was initially told
that it helps you lose weight and I, being overweight, tried it, but now, it's
become an addiction. My parents took me to a doctor for rehabilitation too, but
after a few days, the urge resurfaced,'' said Mona (name changed).
Dr Sameer Malhotra, head of the psychiatry department at Fortis
Hospital, nods. "Yaba is extremely addictive. Withdrawal symptoms of the drug
include depression, loss in appetite and insomnia. It is also known to cause
tooth decay and a psychotic breakdown or emotional turmoil,'' he
says.
Explaining its chemical composition and ill effects, Dr
Jitendra Nagpal of VIMHANS said: "Yaba is a combination of methamphetamine and
caffeine and it has high toxicity. It was thought to be not very damaging, but
after studying its effects on people, it was evident that its usage leads to
serious neuropsychological complications which adversely affect the cognitive
and effective domain of the brain leading to symptoms resembling dementia and
schizophrenia. It is most popular with people in the age group of 18-34 which
uses it for social mobility. If combined with other substance like ecstasy or
tobacco or alcohol, it is even more damaging.''
Dr Malhotra too says
that it can have a devastating impact on the brain. "It reduces emotional
ability and causes violent mood swings and can have serious effects on the
synthetic nervous system. It also causes loss of appetite and sleep, the reason
why it is being used as a party drug so that people can stay awake for longer,''
he said.
About its treatment utility, Dr Malhotra said that
mephethamine, one component of metamephethamine, was used to treat attention
deficit hyperactive behaviour in children who had problems focussing on one
thing and were extremely hyperactive. "But that is done in regulated quantities,
with a regular growth monitoring. Methamephethamine, on the other hand, has no
known medicinal properties,'' he said.
He added that its addiction
is treatable if detected early. "To treat its addiction, we work in three
phases. First, the user's drug seeking behaviour is treated. Secondly, an
alternate habit should be given so that they get rid of this addiction. Lastly,
withdrawal symptoms, like aggression and lack of sleep and appetite should be
treated with medication after a complete detoxification of the drug from the
system.''
medha.chaturvedi@timesgroup.com