Bonus Ep. 2 - The Harrowing Tale of Krokodil

In this episode, we're diving
into the haunting realm of

Crocodile, a drug that shattered
lives and sent shock waves

through communities originating
in Russia around 2002.

Crocodile, named after the
Russian word for Crocodile,

isn't just the substance of
addiction.

It's a toxic concoction that
disfigures and destroys those

who fall under its grip.
This homemade opioid injectable,

derived from codeine and easily
accessible materials, has

sparked fear and fascination in
equal measure.

It's spread across Europe,
brought with it disturbing

tales, earning titles like The
Drug That Each Junk Is Alive and

The Russian Zombie Drug.
Reports highlight the harrowing

aftermath of its use, leaving
users with green, black, scaling

skin discoloration, and severe
cutaneous infections that lead

to necrosis and gangrene.
This was actually the first

topic Rocco and I talked about
way back in the very first

episode of the Primitive
Intelligence Podcast.

Here's a clip from that episode.
So before we started recording,

you started telling us about a
story.

Yes, I wanted to.
Actually, I saw this and it was

horrifying.
I heard some sort of report

about Of course it had to be
something about zombies.

I don't know exactly why.
They were talking about a new

drug that was causing zombie
like behavior, which is nothing

new these days.
I was thinking it was going to

be basalt and it was in Russia
and it's called crocodile,

Crocodile.
Crocodile you have to pull.

This I'm I'm going to pull it up
right now.

And apparently this is some sort
of homemade drug, which I guess

they all are, and it's instantly
addictive from what I

understand.
And not only is it instantly

addictive, it strips the flesh
off of your body and whoever is

on it continues to do whatever
they can to, you know, rob

steel, do whatever they can to
get them drug, even though the

skin is literally falling off
their off their body.

So you have to actually take a
look at the pictures because I

saw some of the pictures and
it's horrifying.

I've not heard of it here, but I
heard about it.

It's.
In.

In Russia.
Well, yeah, I just.

I just started typing in Russian
Zombie and it came up.

Russian zombie drug crocodile.
Crocodile Crocodile.

Crocodile Crocodile Crocodile.
Yeah, they call it that because

it does something to the skin to
make it look crocodile like, and

then it starts to fall off.
Oh yeah, well look the the

website that it came up is
called God.

Like productions.
So I I don't know how much this

I'm going to believe, yeah.
Here's all you got to do.

Everybody out there just got to
call it images.

Images.
And you will be horrified.

I saw my first image I saw was a
forearm, but not a forearm, the

bones of a forearm.
And somebody sitting there like

like staring at the camera, like
smiling or something.

Although it would be hard.
Oh yeah.

Oh, dear God, yes.
Yeah.

Oh, come on.
Some of these can't be real.

Look at it.
Take a look.

At this, Yeah, look like, tell
me what you think.

I mean, I just look in real
quick.

That's that's some CGI, no.
It's not.

Make up?
Yeah, that's not.

Come on.
Look at that.

Look at that dude with the
teeth.

That's not.
The dude with the teeth, That's.

Oh no, that's not.
Right.

Yeah, that's exactly that's.
The same that's that's I lost my

audio.
That's awesome.

Oh, I'm unplugging if you hear
something.

For a second, that is, that's
just.

Unfortunately, it looks like the
original article mentioned in

that episode now requires a
membership to access.

And dear Lord, do we sound young
there?

But what's the chemistry behind
this deadly drug?

Researchers delved into the
murky synthesis of crocodile

unraveling a complex web of
substances and reactions

involved analytical techniques
that I have no idea what they

are.
Or these are just letters to me.

But techniques like GCMS and
RPHPLCDAD, no idea what those

are, were employed to detect
desomorphine, the primary

psychoactive compound, and shed
light on the myriad of chemical

components within the crocodile
mixture.

Yet amidst the darkness, there
is a glimmer of hope.

From this chemical complexity,
researchers identified a mixture

of morphinins, compounds with
potential clinical applications

for treating opioid abuse, pain
and various disorders, a silver

lining in a realm rife with
devastation.

But make no mistake, the
consequences of crocodile use

are dire.
It's a drug with a frighteningly

short survival window of just
two years post initial use.

Its production process, a crude
and perilous affair involving

codeine, household solvents, and
other hazardous materials, leads

to immediate and extensive
tissue damage upon injection.

So one of the cases I found I'm
going to I'm going to read you

the case presentation.
A 25 year old woman arrived at

the emergency department after
experiencing a week of

discomfort, inflammation, and
open sores on her right thigh.

While she typically used heroin
on a daily basis, a recent job

loss LED her to seek cheaper
alternatives for heroin via the

Internet.
Over the past few months, she

had been injecting A substance
called Crocodile Purchase from

an online Russian seller.
Initially she noticed blistering

in the affected area, which
later progressed in the painful

ulcers with tissue decay.
During examination, her

temperature measured 101°F.
Her heart rate was 125 beats per

minute and her blood pressure
read 115 / 60.

The the front of her right thigh
appeared swollen with redness

and several significant decaying
ulcerations.

She was admitted to the hospital
and received treatment involving

intravenous antibiotics and
wound care.

However, she decided to leave
the hospital and there was no

follow up after that.
In regions where crocodile use

presists, limited access to
adequate healthcare can worsen

the already severe
complications.

Often medical attention is saw
only in the advanced stages of

tissue damage, sometimes leading
severe consequences like

mutilation, amputation or even
death.

When individuals do seek help,
extensive wound care and

intravenous antibiotics become
necessary.

Sadly, amputation remains the
sole recourse in many cases.

Reports underline the potent
nature of desimorphine,

promoting frequent redosing and
binge patterns that span several

days.
These prolonged binges bring

about sleep deprivation, poor
hygiene, malnutrition,

escalating the risk of further
health complications.

The varying potency of
desomorphine amplifies the

threat of overdose.
Treatment protocols must address

not just the localized tissue
destruction, but also the

potential for widespread organ
damage in cases of respiratory

depression.
Administering naloxone via

intravenous injections becomes
crucial for immediate

intervention.
So when Rocco first brought this

to the show, it was kind of
coined as the zombie drug, and

that's what people were focused
on.

All those zombie ISM stories
were turned out to just be

sensationalized media posts.
And luckily crocodile seems to

have fallen off the map in large
part thanks to codeine being

restricted to prescription only
status in a lot of countries.

We really don't need a zombie
drug.

We also don't need a drug that
makes your skin fall off, and

the fact that it's no longer
really a thing is a blessing.

It really is a silver lining.
Want to thank you for checking

out this second bonus episode of
Primitive Intelligence Podcast.

I hope you guys enjoyed it.
As always, you can contact the

show at
podcast@primitiveintelligence.com

that's going to do it for me
this week.

See ya.