10 Unbelievable Substances You’ve Never Heard Of (And Should Avoid)

Schools often exaggerate the dangers of drugs, painting a picture where even casual use leads to addiction and criminal behavior. However, the substances listed here are far more extreme and alarming than anything you’ve been cautioned about.

10. Zolpidem The Pill That Makes You Sleepwalk

Zolpidem is known for its bizarre side effects, including sleepwalking, sleep-driving, and even sleep-vomiting in rare cases.

Zolpidem, often marketed as Ambien, is a sleep aid designed as a safer alternative to Valium. While it generally works as intended, allowing users to fall asleep and wake up without any issues, it can have bizarre effects on some individuals. There are numerous reports of people engaging in strange activities like sleep-driving or even crashing cars while under its influence. One particularly wild story involves an Australian couple who both took zolpidem. The wife hallucinated floating above the bed before violently vomiting, reminiscent of “that movie with Linda Blair.” Her husband, in a sleep-induced state, attempted to clean up the mess with a tool belt full of spatulas. They initially thought it was a nightmare, but it was all too real.

9. Scopolamine The Substance Criminals Use to Control Victims

Scopolamine’s ability to induce amnesia and suggestibility has made it a tool for criminals in Colombia.

Scopolamine is a substance known for inducing amnesia and heightened suggestibility. What makes it particularly alarming is how effortlessly it can be administered. In Colombia, criminals have been known to blow powdered scopolamine into unsuspecting victims’ faces, leaving them compliant enough to drain their bank accounts or even assist in robbing their own homes. The next day, victims are left with no memory of the events. While rumors have circulated about scopolamine-laced business cards in the US, these claims have been debunked. Fortunately, the drug’s use seems confined to Colombia.

8. Nutmeg The Hidden Hallucinogen in Your Spice Rack

Despite its wholesome image, nutmeg is actually a hallucinogenic substance.

Yes, the same spice likely sitting in your kitchen cabinet is a powerful and unpredictable drug. Consuming large amounts of nutmeg can trigger hallucinations, making it a go-to for those seeking a legal or affordable alternative to traditional hallucinogens. However, these experiences are often unpleasant, resembling a psychotic break rather than a psychedelic journey. Users frequently report intense anxiety, a sense of impending doom, and physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat, dry mouth, nausea, and difficulty urinating. Who knew nutmeg had such a dark side?

7. Human Growth Hormone: The Secret to Becoming a Bond Villain

Using Human Growth Hormone in sports might have an unexpected side effect: transforming you into a Bond villain.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a naturally occurring hormone essential for growth and development. Athletes sometimes inject HGH, believing it aids recovery after intense training, though scientific evidence supporting this is scarce. However, the side effects can be severe, with one of the most extreme being acromegaly. This condition thickens the skin, swells the hands and feet, and enlarges the jaw, creating gaps between teeth. In essence, seeking a competitive edge could leave you resembling a James Bond villain. In fact, the actor who played Jaws suffered from acromegaly. Early HGH use was even riskier, as it was extracted from cadavers, leading to cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a brain disorder akin to mad cow disease.

6. The Terrifying, Three-Day LSD Experience

Bromo-dragonfly can mimic a highly potent form of LSD, with effects lasting as long as 72 hours.

Bromo-dragonfly gets its name from its molecular structure, which resembles a dragonfly. If that’s not unsettling enough, consider its effects. Often misrepresented as LSD due to its potency in small doses, Bromo-dragonfly can induce trips lasting up to three days. The side effects are severe, including seizures, blood vessel spasms, and constriction, sometimes leading to limb amputations in extreme cases. Described as a journey through hell, the experience is far from pleasant.

5. The Anti-Marijuana Drug Linked to Suicidal Thoughts

Rimonabant, the anti-marijuana drug, can suppress appetite but may lead to severe depression.

One of the most recognizable effects of marijuana is the craving for food, commonly known as the munchies. Scientists aimed to counteract this by developing a drug that would reduce hunger. Thus, Rimonabant was created, targeting the same brain receptors as cannabis but producing the opposite results. While effective for weight loss and even improving sperm motility and short-term memory in animals, the drug came with alarming side effects. Unlike marijuana, which often leaves users relaxed and happy, Rimonabant had the reverse effect, causing severe depression and suicidal thoughts. These risks led to its swift removal from the market.

4. Super-Heroin

Etorphine is a staggering 5000 times more potent than heroin, capable of causing a fatal overdose in humans through mere skin contact.

Heroin has been the source of immense suffering and countless public service warnings. Surprisingly, scientists developed a drug 5000 times more potent. Etorphine operates similarly to heroin and morphine but never gained popularity on the streets due to its extreme potency, which can instantly kill humans. Its primary use is sedating large animals, with just 1/100th of a gram capable of immobilizing a 3000 kg (6614 lbs) elephant. Even skin contact can cause a fatal overdose, requiring an assistant with an antidote to be on standby in case of emergencies.

3. Krokodil – The Flesh-Eating Russian Heroin Substitute

Krokodil is a cheaply made drug with effects similar to heroin, but its side effects include literally consuming the user’s flesh.

In Russia, heroin addicts unable to afford their next dose have turned to a far more terrifying alternative. By combining over-the-counter painkillers with readily available chemicals, they produce desomorphine, a drug mimicking heroin’s effects. However, this homemade concoction, known as Krokodil, is far from pure. The resulting brown sludge earns its name from the scaly, reptilian skin it causes as toxic byproducts eat away at the flesh. Heavy use leads to grey, dead tissue, often rotting down to the bone, creating truly horrifying consequences.

2. Ultra-Potent Synthetic Cannabis

Dimethylheptylpyran, a marijuana variant developed by the US military, is so powerful that just 1mg can render soldiers incapacitated for up to three days.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the US military conducted experiments at the Edgewood Arsenal, administering various drugs and chemicals to soldiers to observe their effects. One such substance was dimethylheptylpyran (DMHP), an incredibly potent synthetic marijuana. DMHP produces all the typical effects of cannabis, such as red eyes, hunger, and lethargy, but in minuscule doses. Just 0.0002 grams can leave an average person giggling and staring at their shoes. At 1mg, soldiers were completely incapacitated for up to three days, leading researchers to believe they had discovered the perfect non-lethal weapon. Imagine spraying an enemy base with DMHP and walking in an hour later to find everyone glued to Friends reruns and snacking on Cheetos. By the late 1970s, more effective chemical agents were developed, and the research was discontinued.

1. DNP The Terrifying Weight-Loss Substance

DNP is so effective at burning fat that it raises body temperatures to dangerous levels, essentially cooking users from within.

2,4-Dinitrophenol, or DNP, disrupts the body’s energy production process. Normally, the food you consume is converted into energy to power essential functions like heartbeats and muscle movements. Excess energy is stored as fat for later use. DNP interferes with this process, causing energy to be burned uncontrollably.

DNP was a weight-loss drug popular in the 1930s. It altered the body’s energy metabolism, allowing users to burn calories effortlessly. You could indulge in fried chicken or lounge around playing Xbox while DNP burned through the energy.

While this might sound like a dream come true, DNP has a deadly downside. It was banned in 1938 after users experienced dangerously high body temperatures, rapid heart rates, and excessive sweating, often leading to fatal outcomes. Despite its dangers, DNP is still available through online pharmacies, and people continue to use it, with fatal consequences.