2010:
There is a new so-called designer drug which has emerged on the club and party scene. It has taken its place as a rising legal high in the UK, following the banning of a chemically similar drug. Now that Mephedrone has been made illegal, another substance has emerged from the shadows. It is called Naphyrone, and it has already built up a following in the nightclubs across the country.

However, not a great deal is known about this new party drug. It is noted for the lack of a wide range of scientific knowledge on the drug. Said to be so new that no safety or toxicity information has been published and there has not been a prolonged study on the subject. There is also currently no data on how many people are currently using Naphyrone, as is common with many new drugs which appear on the market. However, it is possible to determine through internet search activity that there has been a huge increase in interest in the drug, with a greater number of people seeking information and wishing to know more about Naphyrone since mephedrone was made a controlled substance.

Naphyrone, a white crystalline powder often sold under brand names like NRG-1 and Energy1, is a stimulant drug with effects similar to recently controlled drugs like mephedrone. This drug is chemically related to Pyrovalerone which used to be prescribed to treat lethargy and fatigue, but was discontinued because of concerns over potential for misuse. The drug is consumed either by sniffing the powder or swallowing it wrapped in a cigarette paper, a technique known as 'bombing'.

Effects:
Naphyrone has a chemical structure which is closely related to other 'cathinone derivatives'. Therefore it may be assumed that it would share the same effects as other cathinones. Effects of cathinones are euphoria, talkativeness, alertness and feelings of empathy.

What is it?
'NRG' is a term used to describe a number of substances (the most common being NRG-1 and NRG-3) which are mostly derivatives of naphyrone (or naphthylpyrovalerone), a man-made 'designer drug' with stimulant properties. However, it is important to note that many drugs sold as 'NRG' have been found to contain a wide range of chemicals and may have no relation to naphyrone at all. Any information on effects are anecdotal.

October 2012 Effects / Risks:
The drug is more toxic than chemically similar drugs like mephedrone - in other words, a user could overdose on this drug more easily. This appears to be recognised by some sellers who recommend users take far smaller doses than when using say mephedrone or ecstasy.As with all drugs of this sort, the main health risks are associated with the heart and its associated systems. Users also run the risk of amphetamine-like psychosis and dependence. On internet sites where users exchange information on drug effects, there have been warnings about psychosis, the length of time for effects to wear off and the general risks for users in thinking this drug is just like mephadrone when in fact the effects are more acute.

Naphyrone, also known as O-2482, naphthylpyrovalerone, and branded as NRG-1, Energy-1, and Rave, is a novel, extremely potent synthetic stimulant of the cathinone class that produces states of extreme euphoria, disinhibition, and sexual arousal when administered. It was first developed in the early 2000's and later saw larger popularity as a legal alternative to mephedrone when it became illegal in the UK in 2010 and in the US in 2011. Naphyrone is considered extremely dangerous because it has a much higher potency than other drugs in the cathinone class meaning an overdose is more likely to occur when compared to other drugs like mephedrone and MDPV. Tests have shown naphyrone to be 13 times stronger than cocaine and more potent than methamphetamine.

No safety or toxicity data is available on the drug. The drug has been marketed under the name NRG-1, although only a minority of samples of substances sold under this name have been found to actually contain naphyrone. Naphyrone emerged as a new legal high in the United Kingdom only months after the ban of similar drug mephedrone (which was also a cathinone derivative). Until July 2010 the substance was not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and was therefore not illegal for someone to possess. The Medicines Act prevented naphyrone from being sold for human consumption, and therefore it was sometimes sold as 'pond cleaner' or as another substance not normally consumed by humans. A study by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University found that only one out of ten products labelled as "NRG-1" actually contained naphyrone when they were subjected to laboratory analysis.