Overdose of deadly drug 'melts' body
A deadly drug responsible for 11 deaths in South Australia a decade ago has again hit the streets, authorities warn.
The discovery of PMA pills in recent seizures has experts warning that those who overdose on the drug virtually cook from the inside out, potentially elading to an agonising death.
It is being sold on the street as ecstasy for between $20 and $40 a pill, but when the user doesn’t get the expected euphoric high, authorities fear they will think it is a dud pill and take another.
That is because PMA takes longer to work and acts like an anti-depressant.
“The body starts to heat up very quickly and that can be with disastrous effects, the liver shuts down, the kidneys shut down, the body starts to melt,” Dr Robert Ali from the Health Department said.
Police said they seized 88 PMA pills from a man in Light Square in March, and another 78 from a woman outside the 2013 Future Music Festival in Adelaide.
Police say they haven’t seen PMA on the streets since 2004, but between 1995 and 2001, a total of 11 people lost their lives in Adelaide, and there were many more overdoses.
“SA was a bit of a hotspot in relation to PMA,” Assistant Commissioner Paul Dickson said.
“We don’t want that to happen again.”
Authorities said characteristic signs of an overdose are overheating, raised pulse and blood pressure, agitation, confusion and convulsions.
