From Pesce and Krock 2023:
“Designer drugs are synthetic compounds developed to mimic the physiologic effects of other abused drugs. Many designer drugs are chemically similar to other abused drugs but are modified to avoid being classified as illegal. Moreover, they are often altered in ways that render them undetectable by conventional drug screening tests. Most designer drugs try to imitate opiates or cocaine, ecstasy, and other stimulants.” 1
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States recognizes seven categories of designer drugs:
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Synthetic cannabinoids: often sold under brands like Spice and K2, these are intended to mimic THC as the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis
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Phenethylamines (PEAs): these are natural organic compounds that act as stimulants for the human central nervous system, but they can be modified to mimic the intoxication of controlled drugs like stimulants, hallucinogens, psychedelics, entactogens, and empathogens.
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Phencyclidines/arylcyclohexamines: Arylcyclohexylamines are dissociative and hallucinogenic with phencyclidine (PCP) being one of the most widely used kinds, originally created for anesthetic purposes until severe psychological effects were observed.
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Tryptamines: Serotonin and melatonin are natural examples of tryptamines, but they can be modified to mimic psychedelics like psilocybin and DMT.
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Piperazines: Prescription variants of piperazine cores include anthelmintics, antihistamines, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety medications like Buspirone. It also has industrial and manufacturing uses for plastic and carbon capture. When modified as designer drugs, they force the brain to flood with the typical monoamine neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
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Pipradols: these were orginally stimulants used to address depression, dementia, chronic fatigue, narcolepsy, ADHD, and obesity. Unlike ampehatemines, which designer variations of pipradols emulate, the prescription variants didn’t raise blood pressure or heart rate.
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N-ring systems: these compounds have a nitrogen atom bound into a cyclic ring structure, hence the name, as the nitrogen atom helps the molecule bind to brain receptors. Technically, arylcyclohexamines, tryptamines, piperazines, and pipradols are N-ring systems as well. Modifications change the way dopamine and serotonin flood the brain.