A new head shop drug called 'whack' has led to dozens of users suffering psychotic reactions.
The substance, which mimics the effects of cocaine, has been responsible for a fresh spate of hospital admissions among users, doctors said.
Medical staff said that people who have taken the drug have suffered increased heart and breathing rates and raised blood pressure.
The National Poisons Information Centre said last night it had received 50 reports of people suffering severe adverse reactions after using 'whack'.
Dr Cathal O'Connor, of the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick, said that since last Thursday 20 patients had been brought to the hospital after taking the substance.
"We have had patients who have become acutely psychotic," he said. "They have developed symptoms that four, five, six, seven days after taking the drug have still not abated."
Source: Conor Feehan, The Evening Herald, 14/06/2010
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