Flephedrone, also known as 4-fluoromethcathinone (4-FMC), is a stimulant

Stimulant

Stimulants are psychoactive drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both. Examples of these kinds of effects may include enhanced alertness, wakefulness, and locomotion, among others...

 drug

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...

 of the cathinone

Substituted cathinone

Substituted cathinones, which include some stimulants and entactogens, are derivatives of cathinone. They feature a phenethylamine core with an alkyl group attached to the alpha carbon, and a ketone group attached to the beta carbon, along with additional substitutions...

 chemical class.

History

Flephedrone started to be sold as a designer drug

Designer drug

Designer drug is a term used to describe drugs that are created to get around existing drug laws, usually by preparing analogs or derivatives of existing drugs by modifying their chemical structure to varying degrees, or less commonly by finding drugs with entirely different chemical structures...

 in 2008, along with its structural isomer 3-fluoromethcathinone

3-Fluoromethcathinone

3-Fluoromethcathinone, also known as 3-FMC, is a member of the phenethylamine, amphetamine, and cathinone chemical classes. It is a stimulant drug which is reported to be contained in some legal highs...

 (3-FMC).

Toxicity

Flephedrone has only a short history of human use and its toxicity is not well established. Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia

Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate...

, convulsion

Convulsion

A convulsion is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly, resulting in an uncontrolled shaking of the body. Because a convulsion is often a symptom of an epileptic seizure, the term convulsion is sometimes used as a synonym for seizure...

s and other typical complications may be expected in overdose. p-Halogenated

Halogenation

Halogenation is a chemical reaction that incorporates a halogen atom into a molecule in substitution of hydrogen atom. Halogenation takes place in the gas phase. There are four types of halogenation: fluorination, chlorination, bromination, and iodination...

 amphetamines are known for their neurotoxicity

Neurotoxicity

Neurotoxicity occurs when the exposure to natural or artificial toxic substances, which are called neurotoxins, alters the normal activity of the nervous system in such a way as to cause damage to nervous tissue. This can eventually disrupt or even kill neurons, key cells that transmit and process...

 excluding 4-Fluoro substituted amphetamines and cathinones.

Legality

Flephedrone has been illegal in Denmark since December 2008.

Flephedrone has been illegal in the UK since April 2010.

Flephedrone has been illegal in Poland since April 2010, but 3-FMC is still legal.

Flephedrone has been classed as a narcotic in Sweden since October 2010.

Flephedrone has been listed since January 2011 as a Schedule I drug in Florida (United States).

Flephedrone (4-Fluoromethcathinone) was classified as a schedule I controlled substance in Georgia (United States) in May.