At the Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Illinois, three patients have been treated this week for flesh rotting from the inside out, reports The Herald-News.  The source of their rotting flesh was a drug known as crocodile, or krokodil.  The drug is a synthetic opiate that is literally destroying flesh from the inside of the body out.  At the hospital, the Director of Addiction Services has cautioned that use of this drug means almost certain death.

According to the National Institutes of Health’s Toxnet, desomorphine is the chemical name for krokodil.  The drug attracted attention in Russia due to its simple production.  It can be made utilizing codeine, iodine, gasoline, paint thinner, hydrochloric acid, lighter fluid, and red phosphorus.  Production is a clandestine manufacturing process that is similar to the production of methamphetamine.  Homemade desomorphine is highly impure and contaminated with various toxic and corrosive byproducts.  Krokodil or crocodile is the street name specifically for homemade Desomorphine, reportedly due to the scale-like appearance of skin of its users.  The drug is used as a cheaper alternative to heroin, as codeine tablets are available without a prescription in Russia.

While the drug has been in Russia for at least a decade, krokodil is only now making its way to the states, reports the Huffington Post.  The first reported instances of the intravaneous drug cropped up in Arizona roughly two weeks ago.  There have also been cases in Utah and Illinois.  The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating the issues.  Alarmingly, however, the Chicago Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad stated earlier this week that it is unaware of crocodile.

In Illinois, the patients came from Will County, which is known for an epidemic of heroin use.  The Director of Addiction Services has stated that it is possible that, in seeking cheaper and faster highs, these addicts purchased crocodile.  While they were able to save their lives, the three patients, all women, have had their arms and legs significantly maimed from gangrene. In fact, one of the patients will likely face years of surgeries to be able to recover her ability to walk.

However, it is not desomorphine itself that is responsible for the flesh-eating effects of krokodil.  Desomorphine itself is a drug that was patented in the 1930s and marketed in Switzerland under the brand name Permonid.  The deadly effects come from the illicit version of the painkiller.  Amateur chemists that make the drug at home do not properly remove all substances.  The dangerous effects can first be seen with redness and blackness around the needle mark.