Phenylalkylamine abuse among opiate addicts attending a methadone treatment programme in the Republic of Ireland

Since the early 1990s ring-substituted derivatives of amphetamine have been abused widely in the Republic of ireland. The main ring-substituted amphet amines being abused include methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA) and methylenedioxyethamphetamine (MDEA). A newer ill icit synthetic analogue, which has been seized to a lesser extent by Irish police, is N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine (MBDB). The w ork presented here involved the determination of the type of ring-substitut ed amphetamines being abused by a group of recovering opiate abusers partic ipating in a methadone maintenance programme in a Dublin Drug Rehabilitatio n Centre. Urine samples which tested positive for amphetamines and ring-sub stituted amphetamines via EMIT immunoassay were subjected to further analys is using GC-MS with MBTFA flash derivatization. It was found that the methy lenedioxypropanamines were being abused, as was amphetamine itself. However , no abuse of methylenedioxybutanamines or thioamphetamines was observed.