NRG3 is a recreational drug which is becoming increasing popular. It is widely sold on the internet as a legal substance for recreational use, under the guise of ‘plant food’ or ‘research chemicals’.

There is currently little research surrounding the effects of NRG3 in human consumption, which is marketed as a stimulant on many ‘legal highs’ websites. There is particularly little available with regards to its potential to cause psychosis.

We considered a case study of a gentleman presenting with acute psychosis, with a distinctly temporal correlation between using NRG3 and the onset and maintenance of psychotic symptoms, such as restlessness, agitation, excess activity, hearing voices, loss of appetite and inability to sleep for seventy-two hours. He presented in the exact same way on three occasions, after having purchased NRG3 on the internet. Within four days of admission, without the aid of anti-psychotics, and with much needed sleep, he returned to his normal state of being, without what appears to be in the short term, any lasting side effects.

NRG3 has been described as being a ‘GHB-type substance’, turning into GHB (Gamma Hydroxy butyric acid) in the body. These substances are known to cause euphoria and increased talkativeness in smaller doses, but can induce sleep, coma and respiratory distress in larger doses. As it is not deemed illegal to possess analogues of GHB, more varieties continue to emerge on the internet.