Diclazepam, clonazolam, flubromazelam are three new designer benzodiazepines drugs that have the five classic benzo properties — they are sedative, hypnotic, anxiolytic, muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant. To translate into normal speak: Benzos will make you chill, take a nap, stop worrying, loosen up, and — if you happen to be seizing — end your seizure.

All of these new drugs were made by clandestine chemists thumbing through old chemistry journals or haphazardly modifying old drugs. Despite being structurally similar to known drugs, none of these have been properly tested for safety or efficacy in humans. No one has tested whether or not the powder or pellets you buy online are what they say they are. Beware all ye who enter the domain of Research Chemical (RC) Benzodiazepines!

Benzos are highly addictive and dangerous downers. They do things like slow down your bodily functions — things like lowering your heart rate, making breathing more shallow — which is why their overdoses usually involve an important bodily function-stopping. Phenazepam, perhaps the first RC benzo, has a body count.

Diclazepam (Ro5-3448) is an analogue of Valium (diazepam) with a chlorine stuck on it. It’s said that this makes it 10 times as powerful as Valium, so starting dose would be just a milligram with typical doses around 2-3mg. Diclazepam’s metabolites, what it breaks down into, are also active in the body, extending the effects. It takes a while to build up, half an hour to an hour before you feel a profound sense of relaxation. Beware the urge to redose. Diclazepam’s the only one of these that have been studied so we know it breaks down into other active benzos. This means that the effects will persist for a loooooooong time, 42-hour half-life, so don’t redose if you don’t feel like sleeping forever.

Clonazolam is Klonopin (clonazepam) with a triazole ring jammed on the top. The idea is that triazoles enhance a benzo’s potency at the cost of its staying power. That’s where it’s danger lies. It doses in the submilligram range, with the average dose being just 500µg or half a milligram. It’s feels like etizolam in the strength of the high. The triazoling certainly gave it more punch over its brother, clonazepam. However tolerance reportedly rises very fast. It’s also very sedating. After the initial euphoria, you’ll pass out and wake up after having some weird dreams.

Flubromazolam not flubromazepam is another very potent new benzo. It is even more potent than diclazepam, with starting doses at 250ug or a quarter of a milligram. It is very sedating, takes sometimes an hour to come up, good at wiping your memory, and seems to last quite a while. Each dose costs the equivalent of a dollar, and feels like 151 smashing into your brain. If you decide to take a whole milligram, say goodbye to your day because you’ll be out for at least 12 hours. This is very likely the next phenazepam-esque benzo disaster.

Christ almighty, these research chemists don’t quit do they? I only have enough so much liver here, people! Meanwhile, they are hurriedly jamming functional groups hither and tither onto other drugs. Or they’re rediscovering an obscure derivative that was documented in some Prussian chemistry journal just before the War. In my literature search, the few things I could find were daring scientists eating the drugs themselves, and then testing their own piss. I need to work at these labs.

Have fun; try not to die.

(Photo: Hans Splinter)

