Even if you know exactly what you’re taking, drug use is never safe — that said, it’s much safer when you do.

Through the work of organisations such as WEDINOS, The Loop, and DanceSafe, we know a little more about the drugs in circulation. The report provided below is a summary of their findings over the last week.* This report is primarily UK-focused and couldn’t possibly cover everything, so if you find something I’ve missed please contact me and we’ll get it updated.

The absence of a product from this list doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be there; you might have something more dangerous than anything listed, but it just hasn’t been reported yet. A vital tool for any drug user is a testkit, which allows you to identify roughly what is actually in your stash. You can find them at https://www.reagent-tests.uk and get additional support from the helpful community at https://www.reddit.com/r/ReagentTesting/ .

Final note: This report does not constitute medical advice. Some harm-reduction tips are offered for those who have already taken the compound, but if in doubt seek medical attention.

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: 2C-B

Sold as: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Buckle up, this is a long one; mislabelling a drug as one in an entirely different family presents unique requirements, particularly when it’s a psychedelic.

As 2C-B itself is commonly used as a recreational psychedelic, any advice offered here needs to be highly contextual. For users who are experienced with psychedelics and comfortable in the setting where they’re taking it, 2C-B might actually be preferable for some. The sample tested contained a relatively low dose (12.5mg), but pill presses such as these are subject to considerable dose variation, so even confident, experienced users should proceed with caution.

For users who are not experienced with psychedelics: 2C-B is widely considered to be a gentle, easy-to-manage drug, but considerations must be taken for the fact that your perceptions and thought patterns will be altered in a way you are not used to. The three major determining factors of a psychedelic experience are (mind)set, setting and substance. If you have already taken this then the last of the three is decided, but you still have a lot of control over the others, and hence over the direction of your experience: remembering this is the first step to controlling mindset. 2C-B is not physically dangerous, and at the dose found in the sample the subjective experience should be a mild one, so you are unlikely to be in harm’s way during this experience. Ideal setting varies from person to person, but for a first time the safe choice would be to be with a small number of people you know well, preferably experienced and sober, in a calm and relaxing environment. More in-depth information is available in the info link below or you can make use of the vital services at tripsit.me, particularly https://chat.tripsit.me/ if you find yourself in this situation.

Source: https://bit.ly/2QUPRD8

2C-B info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/2C-B

Warning: Extremely High Dose: 257.7mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://bit.ly/2RRjvxI

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Promethazine, Cyproheptadine and Amantadine

Sold as: Xanax

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: This appears to be related to a similar “Xanax” press from last month, which we reported on here. Unfortunately, our advice hasn’t developed much since then and is limited to general harm reduction advice: limit your dose and test the sample where possible.

Source: https://bit.ly/2FvSSIU

Cyproheptadine info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyproheptadine

Amantadine info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amantadine

Promethazine info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promethazine

Warning: High Dose — 248.2mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://bit.ly/2Mcgd2I

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning: High Dose — 239.6mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://bit.ly/2FuyoAk

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning: High Dose — 206.7mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://bit.ly/2ROjef8

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning: Extremely High Dose: 279.1mg

Substance: MDMA

Location: Tested in Zurich

Advice: Avoid redosing, stay cool and maintain adequate hydration. Many users will dehydrate through sweat, but sweating also sheds electrolytes and some users have suffered from hyponatremia from drinking only water to replenish themselves. If possible, find a sports drink like Lucozade or, if no other solutions are available, add a pinch of salt to the occasional glass of water.

Source: https://bit.ly/2GpUuW5

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Chlorpheniramine

Sold as: Zolpidem

Location: London

Advice: Chlorpheniramine is an OTC antihistamine, so at least the attendant risk is low at normal doses. If you take what you believe to be Zolpidem and have no effects or unexpected effects after an hour or so, do not attempt to redose and find a way to test any remaining samples as soon as possible.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009188)

Chlorpheniramine info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorphenamine

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Etizolam

Sold as: Xanax

Location: Durham

Advice: As the primary difference between these substances is dose range, most risk comes from the unreliable doses in these low-quality pills. Otherwise, normal benzodiazepine guidelines apply. Avoid alcohol and try not to do anything silly.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009160)

Etizolam info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Etizolam

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Diclazepam

Sold as: Diazepam

Location: Bognor Regis

Advice: As the primary difference between these substances is dose range, most risk comes from the unreliable doses in these low-quality pills. Otherwise, normal benzodiazepine guidelines apply. Avoid alcohol and try not to do anything silly.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009178)

Diclazepam info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Diclazepam

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Etizolam

Sold as: Clonazepam

Location: Milton Keynes

Advice: As the primary difference between these substances is dose range, most risk comes from the unreliable doses in these low-quality pills. Otherwise, normal benzodiazepine guidelines apply. Avoid alcohol and try not to do anything silly.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009176)

Etizolam info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Etizolam

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: Ketamine

Sold as: MDMA

Location: Chester

Advice: The immediate physical risk of this substitution is quite low, as ketamine is very well tolerated, but a normal MDMA dose represents a high ketamine dose so you may encounter issues with equilibrium or panicking due to the unexpected subjective experience. If you are subject to such a substitution, find a trusted friend and a seat as soon as possible before things start getting weird. However, this is likely due to an individual bag mix-up and is unlikely to be a widespread problem.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009234)

Ketamine info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/Ketamine

Warning: Mislabelled Substance

Substance: MDMA

Sold as: Methamphetamine

Location: Cardiff

Advice: Similar to the ketamine above, this is likely just a dealer/user mixing up their bags and is unlikely to be a widespread issue. Quite the opposite of the ketamine though, MDMA doses are higher than those of meth, so taking a meth-sized dose will result in a relatively mild MDMA high. This does not make the substitution entirely safe, and if you find unexpected effects you should still cease use and get the substance tested. After all, NEP also has initial effects mirroring those of a low MDMA dose, and it can create significant issues even at that dose, let alone after redosing.

Source: http://wedinos.org/db/samples/ (W009236)

MDMA info: https://psychonautwiki.org/wiki/MDMA

*Warnings are also released by local police forces, in-house testing at festivals, and by users at https://pillreports.net. These warnings are, however, are unquantified and often unreliable so they are given less weight.