designer drug

designer drug

noun

Definition of DESIGNER DRUG

: a synthetic version of a controlled substance (as heroin) that is produced with a slightly altered molecular structure to avoid having it classified as an illicit drug

Examples of DESIGNER DRUG

1. Ecstasy is a designer drug.

First Known Use of DESIGNER DRUG

1983

Rhymes with DESIGNER DRUG

miracle drug, prescription drug

de·sign·er drug

noun \di-ˌzī-nər-\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of DESIGNER DRUG

1

: a synthetic version of a controlled substance (as heroin) that is produced with a slightly altered molecular structure to avoid classification as an illicit drug

2

: a synthetic drug created (as by genetic engineering) to treat a particular medical condition especially by producing a specific effect on the body's biochemistry

designer drug

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Synthetic version of a controlled narcotic substance. Designer drugs usually are synthesized for the first time in an attempt to create a chemical whose molecular structure differs only slightly from that of some well-known controlled substance but whose effects are essentially the same. Because of the difference in molecular structure, the designer drug, unlike the controlled substance, ordinarily will not be specifically listed as illicit by law-enforcement organizations. Many designer drugs are manufactured in clandestine laboratories, often by amateurs; for this reason they are sometimes more dangerous than the drugs they are intended to replace. One of the best-known is MDMA (3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a variation of methamphetamine, popularly called Ecstasy. Nonnarcotic synthetic chemical compounds designed to interact with specific proteins and enzymes in order to combat disease also have been called designer drugs.