Pseudoephedrine methamphetamine

LeBelle MJ, Savard C, Dawson BA, Black DB, Katyal LK, Zrcek F, By AW. Chiral identification and determination of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, methamphetamine and meteca-thinone by gas chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. Forensic Sci. Int. 1995 71 215-223. 

Methamphetamine is synthesized, or cooked, by a simple chemical reaction from its precursor pseudoephedrine (Figure 2.3), a stimulant commonly found in over-the-counter allergy and cold medications (such as Sudafed ). Because methamphetamine is made relatively easily from pseudoephedrine, many pharmacies and drug stores now restrict the amount of pseudoephedrine-containing medications that individual customers can buy to avoid the possibility of stockpiling pseudoephedrine for the purpose of making methamphetamine. Meth dealers and makers in the United States have also been... 

Heroin and amphetamine-like compounds (amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA or ecstasy, (R,R)(—)-pseudoephedrine (PS-EPH), and (lS,2R)(+)-ephed-rine hydrochloride (EPH-HCl), the last two measured together as total ephedrine) have so far only been detected in airborne particulates in Spain (Tables 5, 6 and 7). Mean heroin concentrations ranged between 10 and 50 pg/m (Table 5), with maximum daily levels reaching 80-90 pg/m. The maximum concentrations were detected in Madrid and A Coruna, and seemed to be independent of population size. As for amphetamine-like compounds, airborne levels were always below 15 pg/m ... 

While the seizures of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are mainly restricted to countries where the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine takes place, the identification of suspicious orders in international trade provides valuable information on the methods and routes used by traffickers to divert the substances they require. Some of the routes uncovered during 2004 are shown in figure III below. 

A positive screening test result for amphetamines may be due to use of amphetamine or methamphetamine-containing prescription or over-the-counter drugs. For example, the drug Selegiline, which is used to treat Parkinson s disease, is metabolized to amphetamine and methamphetamine. The nasal decongestant pseudoephedrine can cross-react in the test and result in a false positive. In the latter case, the confirmatory test is for amphetamine. 

Ephedrine has not been extensively studied in humans despite its long history of use. Its ability to activate 3 receptors probably accounted for its earlier use in asthma. Because it gains access to the central nervous system, it is a mild stimulant. Ingestion of ephedrine alkaloids contained in ma huang has raised important safety concerns. Pseudoephedrine, one of four ephedrine enantiomers, has been available over the counter as a component of many decongestant mixtures. However, the use of pseudoephedrine as a precursor in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine has led to restrictions on its sale. 

Stimulant drugs commonly abused in the USA include methamphetamine ("crank," "crystal"), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy"), and cocaine ("crack") as well as pharmaceuticals such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and ephedrine (as such and in the herbal agent Ma-huang) (see Chapter 32). Caffeine is often added to dietary supplements sold as "metabolic enhancers" or "fat-burners" and is also sometimes combined with pseudoephedrine in underground pills sold as amphetamine substitutes. 

Violence has recently spread to the southeast, where groups have formed in the primary docking locations for shipments entering the country. The size of the organizations is indicated by the seizure of assets and precursors. For example, in March 2007, a police raid in Michoacan resulted in the seizure of US 206 million in cash in a single location. In December 2006, just under 20 mt of pseudoephedrine, a key precursor in methamphetamine manufacture, was seized at Lazaro Cardenas seaport in the same province. 

Although initially available as an injectable solution for the treatment of obesity, D-metham-phetamine hydrochloride is currently available as conventional and prolonged release tablets. Illicit methamphetamine is synthesized from the precursors phenylacetone and iV -methylformamide (dl mixture) or alternatively from ephedrine or pseudoephedrine by red phosphorus/acid reduction. 

The abuse of marketed medications has been at the forefront of public awareness in recent years, mostly due to widespread reports concerning OxyContin and hydrocodone.1 While these are highly regulated, prescription-only medications with recognized potential for abuse, even some over-the-counter (OTC) medications have become problematic, either because of their own effects (e.g., ephedrine) or because they are used in the manufacture of other abused substances (e.g., pseudoephedrine, used to make methamphetamine).2 3... 

Cunningham, J.K. and Liu, L.M., Impacts of federal ephedrine and pseudoephedrine regulations on methamphetamine-related hospital admissions, Addiction, 98, 1229, 2003. 

Since clandestine lab operators use ephedra to make methamphetamine, the DEA monitors supplements containing ephedrine. One kilogram of ephedrine, the equivalent of 48,000 25-mg ephedrine tablets, can be used to produce anywhere from 1.1 to 1.6 lbs (.5 to 0.75 kg) of methamphetamine in a drug lab. Pseudoephedrine can be used for the same purpose. 

Figure 9.1 Chromatogram of chiral separation of (1) norephedrine, (2) ephedrine, (3) cathinone, (4) amphetamine, (5) pseudoephedrine, (6) methcathinone, and (7) methamphetamine on S-folded separation channel (160 mm length) using 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.35) with 10 mM HS-y-cyclodextrin and 5mM SDS at 8 kV/cm potential [18].

However signs do change with the "handedness" of the natural isomer so a higher level of distinction is achieved using CD or polarimetric detection. An enormous advantage is derived from the fact that achiral excipients, such as lidocaine, procaine, and benzocaine, often deliberately added to illicit drug preparations to complicate the chromatographic identifications of amphetamine and methamphetamine, present no interference problem whatsoever to CD detection. ORD detection was developed for the analysis of mixtures of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine [47], which because of the connection between anomalous ORD and CD, should be applicable to CD detection in the UV. 

In 2006, the Australian authorities seized over 90 kg of ephedrine, 160 kg of pseudoephedrine and smaller amounts of norephedrine. Most of the seized ephedrine had originated in China, Malaysia and South Africa, while 60 per cent of the seized pseudoephedrine had originated in Indonesia. Seized cold and flu medications containing pseudoephedrine originated in pharmacies or had been obtained through theft or armed robbery. The situation of precursor trafficking in New Zealand remained similar to 2005 over 200 kg of raw pseudoephedrine from Asia were seized, all in the form of pharmaceutical preparations, intended for use by illicit methamphetamine laboratories in the country. 

Figure 1 Separation of 1,(+/-)-norephedrine 2, (+/-)-ephedrine 3, (+/-)-cathi-none 4, (+/-)-amphetamine 5, (+/-)-pseudoephedrine 6, (+/-)-methcathinone, and 7, (+/-)-methamphetamine. Separation conditions 160-mm separation length 50 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.35 10 mM HS-y-CD, 1.5 mM SDS 8 kV. (Reprinted with permission from Ref. 6.)...

Fig. 26 Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of GITC-derivatized amines. 1 = R,R-pseudoephedrine, 2 = 5,5-pseudoephedrine, 3-R,5-ephedrine, 4 = 5, R-ephed-rine, 5 = 5-methamphetamine, 6 = R-methamphetamine. (From Ref...

Noggle, F.T., Jr. DeRuiter, J. Clark, C.R. Liquid chromatographic determination of the enantiomeric composition of methamphetamine prepared from ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. Anal. Chem. 1986, 58 (8), 1643-1648. 

On October 3, 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Comprehensive Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996 (MCA). The MCA broadens controls on listed chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine, increases penalties for the trafficking and manufacture of methamphetamine and listed chemicals, and expands controls to include the distribution of lawfully marketed drug products which contain the listed chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenyl-propanolamine (PPA). 

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