One Direction’s Liam Payne reportedly had drugs in his system at the time of death, including what could be pink cocaine. Substance and addiction experts discussed the drug’s ingredients and risks.
One Direction star Liam Payne’s initial toxicology report was released on Monday, exposing one or more drugs in his system.
The preliminary report “suggested evidence of exposure to cocaine,” an official told the Associated Press, before stating that the initial results were not an accurate reading of the amount that was circulating in his blood at the time of his death.
Last week, a preliminary autopsy report revealed that Payne, 31, died from “polytrauma” and “an internal and external hemorrhage” after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel in Buenos Aires.
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Investigators found narcotics and alcohol inside Payne’s hotel room amid broken objects and furniture, according to the AP.
In a separate report, sources told ABC News that the toxicology results showed multiple substances in Payne’s system, including pink cocaine – a combination of various substances such as ketamine, MDMA, opioids and methamphetamine.
Dr. Chris Tuell, clinical director of addiction services at Ohio’s Lindner Center of HOPE, told Fox News Digital that pink cocaine – often called Tusi or Tuci – usually does not actually contain any cocaine.
The drug is typically a powdery mix that can contain psychoactive substances such as hallucinogens, anti-anxiety medications, stimulants and depressants, he said.
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The street drug with the bright coloring (due to food dye) has been growing in popularity due to its “psychedelic and stimulant properties,” Mell McCracken, executive director of No Matter What Recovery in Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital.
“Users report that the ‘high’ is not too dissimilar to [that of] another ubiquitous street drug, ecstasy (aka Molly or MDMA),” the expert said.
“Both have been reported to cause an increased sense of well-being, warmth and openness toward others and are very popular on the party circuit scene,” he added.
Pink cocaine can have “serious consequences,” the drug counselor warned, and can be fatal if taken in large doses.
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“While the psychedelic properties of pink cocaine can bring about feelings of euphoria, it can also cause anxiety, paranoia and panic attacks,” McCracken warned.
“Because it’s a stimulant, it causes increased heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature — a combination of factors that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.”
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Other side effects can include nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms and tremors, McCracken said, while frequent use can lead to chronic mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks and social phobias.
There has been an uptick of designer drugs that work by boosting dopamine, the “neurochemical that provides reward and pleasure,” Tuell added.
“A pink cocaine user can expect to experience the side effects of confusion, distorted thoughts and hallucinations,” he told Fox News Digital.
Pink cocaine has also been linked to a lawsuit against rapper and music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs – who is currently awaiting trial for sex trafficking and other charges. It was named in the suit as one of his go-to drugs, according to Fox 5 New York and other sources.
Payne’s final toxicology results are still pending and are not expected to be made public for weeks, the AP reported.
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed reporting.
