Deferiprone is an opiate designed to be used as a replacement for heroin and other prescription painkillers. However, many users have begun substituting this for other drugs like marijuana and opium, as it can produce similar effects to those opiates. This drug acts as a heroin substitute through the destruction of dopamine in the brain. In addition to the destruction of dopamine, this drug also destroys norepinephrine, epinephrine, and serotonin as well. Although it does this to an extent, it still does not come close to the high that heroin provides, although some claim much of the positive effects are exaggerated. The truth is that the effects of Deferiprone are more like a mild stimulant than an opiate, and they are not strong enough to produce any sort of physical addiction.
Some argue that the effects of Deferiprone on drug addiction are too great to be worth it in the long run. While this argument may be true in some regards, it is not necessarily so in all ways. Also, it has been shown that the drug shows signs of effectiveness in less than 10% of cases where it is used in conjunction with other substances.