A lot of the synthetic cannabinoids resemble 5-HT3 antagonists like Granisetron. In fact, it fits well enough that the nomenclature of the cannabinoids could be used: You could call Granisetron GRANMINACA since it’s a GRANataneMethylINdAzoleCArboxamide.

So at least some of the synthetic cannabinoids probably have some 5-HT3 antagonism. Consider the side effects that Ondansetron (a related 5HT-3 antagonist) can cause:

Common side effects include diarrhea, headache, sleepiness, and itchiness. Serious side effects include QT prolongation and severe allergic reaction.

This is speculative and not, as far as I know, backed up by actual research, but it’s suggestive of a link between the two classes of (structurally similar) drugs. Not surprised but i do sympathise got digestive problems myself its no fun and people laugh at constipation. Wait until they are 60 and admitted to Hospital on Morphine. They will not be laughing then. Shitting once every 4 days and shitting stuff that if you threw it at someone would cause a bruise is no fun. in fact i have fear of crapping because if its bad its BAD. Have used THJ-018 for 4 months then ran out no wds no insomnia, nothing but it can make any Indigestion worse. The natural stuff is best, new medical called Darkstar is nice. Mellow and very Indica heavy but just enought THC for buzz. Before mods get to work tried in Holland. Simpleton round corner from me insisted Morroccan’s have stopped producing Hash, must have he said not seen any for years. What can you do with people like that. Said” not seen Horsehead nebula for 20 years must be gone” but wasted as didn’t get it. If You ever need to come to Wigan be ill but get out of it, its the pits, which closed 20 years ago Boom Boom.

as a Harm Reduction Drug Worker I am hearing reports from some users of synthetic cannabinoids that they have experienced chronic diarrhea and also lost control of their bowels at times… I would be interested to hear any others experiences or theories as to why these may be happening.
Cheers , They definitely do bad things to some part of your digestive system, during withdrawal eating anything resulted in vomiting and constant nausea and acid reflux were noted, along with constipation. With resumption of consumption constipation ceased and appetite returned. It’s worse than it sounds.

Well, it’s certainly going to make them less worried about it.

The real problem you have is that this is going to be pretty much your entire client base in one month’s time and there’s probably not enough of you. Is there enough librium for the current approach?

The most recent cannabinoid to show up in blends is 5F-MDMB-PINACA, which is extremely potent. I talk about this in a reply to someone who was using 3g a day. How potent is that? Well, using the most conservative estimates I could, the ratio I ended up with was about 1:350. i.e. 1 gram of the most potent blends currently around is equivalent to at least 350g of high quality cannabis. Yes, that is ridiculous. Even someone using a gram a fortnight is still getting through the equivalent of an eighth per day and suddenly withdrawing from that is going to be unpleasant at best.

Out of interest, what plans do you have in place for when the blanket ban puts everyone who’s been using these substances in this way into withdrawal?

The other common cannabinoids in blends (5F-PB-22, MDMB-CHMICA – sometimes mislabelled as MMB-CHMINACA) aren’t quite as potent. But they’re not too far off. 5F-PB-22 is Wedinos most frequently identified substance so it’s pretty common). The recent ban in China had blend manufacturers scrambling to switch to something that they could source and potency means profit, so a lot seem to have switched to 5F-MDMB-PINACA. 

People posting here don’t tend to have much interest in head-shop blends (there’s a split in the market between head shops and online vendors, with the online side of things being comparatively responsible and demanding things like proper labelling and purity that aren’t priorities for head shop users). And people are probably as likely to make their own blends or liquids for vaping as they are to buy the blends on offer through online vendors. So other than Skyhigh, which is sold via online research chemical suppliers, I don’t know any brand names. It’s probably not a widespread head-shop blend.

Stockpiling is happening – over here it started quite a while back – but we’re very well informed and were following the bill debate by debate as it made its way through parliament, so it’s been a topic of discussion for the last year or so. The benzodiazepines are certainly another big concern. Some people have very large daily consumption of very potent benzos like clonazolam or flubromazepam. Others will have stockpiled and may find the drawer full of chemicals more tempting and not quite as lifelong a supply as they hoped. So there’s likely to be a sustained demand for support and medical treatment from people as they run out, I think. And also people taking advantage by selling at high prices or selling counterfeits (which doubtless applies to the cannabinoids too. I don’t think anyone has any real idea of the scale of the problem – it could be much less of an issue than I think it will be. Or it could be a lot worse.

Thanks for sharing an insight into how things are offline. I think April’s going to be a busy month.