This makes treatment in the case of overdose or adverse effects very difficult. Bath salts are a category of synthetic drugs with stimulant-like effects. The term “bath salts” doesn’t apply to just one specific drug, but rather to a number of substances that are chemically similar. The drugs became popular among teens and club-goers after 2010, yet recent surveys show less than 1% of teens today tried them in the past year. “And they can be deadly for people with underlying cardiovascular disease.” Cases of myocardial infarction, stroke, cerebral edema, coma, cardiovascular collapse, and death have been reported in people using bath salts. The effects of the drugs also vary based on the route of administration; they can be swallowed, snorted, injected, or inserted into the rectum or vagina.
Health Risks, Effects of Bath Salts
Clinicians can help prevent the lethal consequences of the next generation of illicit drugs by reporting any cases of drug toxicity to poison centers, advises Ryan. Real-time information from every poison center in the country “allows us to identify outbreaks and quickly learn the symptoms and how to manage” a new designer drug, he says. Bath salts belong to the category of drugs known as stimulants, as well as a group of drugs termed the “new psychoactive substances” (NPS). Because bath salts encompass multiple types of chemical combinations, little research has been done about their range of physical and mental effects. They do, however, share chemical similarities with cocaine, amphetamines, and MDMA. One study showed bath salts can be at least 10 times more powerful than cocaine.
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It’s important to note that suicidal feelings brought on by bath salts can last for several days after the person has taken the drug. Additionally, users of bath salts have reported cravings much like that experienced by methamphetamine users. While it’s hard to exactly know the long-term effects of this dangerous drug, it is known that users are at high risk for developing substance use disorder. The negative short-term effects of bath salts can range from agitation to panic attacks, to hallucinations. Severe reactions may include aggression, violent behavior, adverse mental health symptoms, and psychosis.
- Others, such as the ones found in bath salts, are illegal in the U.S.
- In some 45 locations, Narconon enables people to achieve drug-free lives.
- A different survey involving 100 mephedrone users indicated that about 22 percent of the participants developedstrong cravings for the substance.
- Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
- Bath salts are a category of synthetic drugs with stimulant-like effects.
Overdose with bath salts
It gained popularity because it was legal to purchase for about 18 months after it was first released. Chemical structures of bath salts cathinones and related compounds. The length of withdrawal from bath salts varies depending on numerous factors including how long they were used, when the last dose was taken, how much was taken, and more. Data shows that bath salts are most used by teenagers and young adults.
Street names for bath salts
Excessive sodium can be harmful, especially for those with cardiovascular or renal health concerns. It’s also important to watch out for signs of dehydration, such as dark yellow or amber-colored urine, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and dizziness. Before incorporating salt water into your routine, do a quick check-in with your healthcare provider.
These drugs contain one or more chemicals related to cathinone, a natural stimulant found in the khat plant. The most worrisome effects are the extreme neurological and psychiatric changes—paranoia, terrifying hallucinations, psychosis, self-destructive and violent behavior—that occur in users of bath salts. “They say, ‘This is the worst high I’ve ever had in my life, but the cravings are so bad I keep going back and taking it,’” said Ryan. Cathinone comes from a plant called khat, found in East Africa and southern Arabia.
Bath salts or monkey dust come in a powdered or crystallised form which can be swallowed, smoked, injected or snorted. Subjective effects are similar to MDMA or cocaine[14] but with a duration of 5–6 hours. Both substances cause a rapid onset of action in the central nervous system,[15] and stimulant toxicity.
If a person experiences any of these effects after taking bath salts or is with someone who does, they should seek immediate medical attention. A person experiencing bath salt toxicity may also show psychological signs, such as aggression, psychosis, or violence. When in this state, a person may be at risk of harming themselves or other people. This is very important because of the dehydration bath salts cause. You can get intense withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking them, which make it hard not to use again. Bath salts (synthetic cathinones) look and feel a lot like Epsom salts.
But someindividuals have symptoms that linger for two to three days. The active ingredient in bath salts is invariably a cathinone, which are relatively simple to make (chemically speaking, anyway.) Structurally, it’s similar to amphetamine. However, it remained relatively unknown until the beginning of this century. Chemists had discovered this class of compounds in 1910, and given the habits of chemists at the time, they probably consumed a little of it. It may also be due to Operation Log Jam, which was initiated by the government in 2012. In total, 109 cities were raided, 91 people were arrested, and 167,000 bags of bath salts were seized.
In the short-term, Bath Salts can make your heart beat very fast, make you feel overly friendly, very angry and violent, make you see things that aren’t real, and cause panic attacks. These are not the fizzy products like epsom salt that people use while bathing. They are similar to the Khat plant that grows in Africa, but the human-made version is much stronger and can be very dangerous.
If the drug user can’t stop using the drug on his own, then he must be gotten into an addiction treatment program at the first possible moment. The first danger of bath salts involve 5 natural ways to overcome erectile dysfunction the chemicals that are used to create the end product. Professional lab-produced drugs are safer because there are stringent safety procedures to eliminate all harmful byproducts.
For workouts lasting over an hour, consider using an electrolyte powder to effectively replenish electrolytes. Social media is great for kicking off “trends” in the health space. The latest one that everyone is talking about is adding a pinch of salt to your water to boost hydration.
Many opt for sea salt or Kosher salt due to their preferred taste, and natural sourcing with each brand differing in sodium content. For example, marathon runners often consume sodium-containing products such as electrolyte gels and drinks to maintain their sodium levels. Sodium is essential to health and is necessary for blood pressure regulation, muscle contraction, maintenance of fluid balance, and more. Bath salts are sold as a white or off-white powder, mostly in small plastic or foil packages. They also can be swallowed, smoked, or mixed with a liquid and injected with a syringe. These substances can produce short-term side effects that do not seriously damage a person’s health.
Treatment for bath salts addiction is much like treatment for other types of substance use disorders. Evidence-based programming such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational enhancement therapy, and behavioral therapies have shown to be helpful in treating alcohol withdrawal numerous substance abuse issues including bath salts. The effects of bath salts are similar to those of amphetamines and include headache, a rapid heart rate (tachycardia), palpitations, hallucinations, agitation, and an increased endurance and tolerance for pain.
Read on to learn more about bath salts, how they affect a person’s body and mind, and where to get support for substance misuse. You can have what is called “excited delirium.” If you have this, you will get dehydrated, your muscle tissue will begin to break down, and your kidneys may stop working. Consistently drink plain water throughout the day and keep a reusable water bottle handy for hydration while on the move. Incorporate water-rich foods like cucumbers, strawberries and watermelon into meals and snacks to boost daily fluid intake. Enjoy herbal teas and fruit-infused water as flavorful alternatives without added sugars.
Research also shows that people with long-term high salt intake may be 29% more likely to develop impaired kidney function than people with lower salt intake. Sodium is also needed for cellular homeostasis, which is the maintenance of a stable cellular environment. When sodium levels get too high or too low, cells can’t function properly, and systems will malfunction. Sodium is an essential nutrient, meaning you can’t survive without it. It’s required for life-sustaining processes such as fluid balance and muscle and nerve function.
In purest form, the drug is a light brown or white crystallized powder. It usually comes in plastic bags or foil labeled as bath salts, glass cleaner, or even plant food. Therefore, if you use a lot of salt when cooking or add salt to your food before eating, you’re more likely to exceed daily sodium intake recommendations. Though most people assume that table salt added to food is the largest contributor to are psychedelics addictive sodium intake, most of the sodium in the average American diet comes from salt in processed foods and restaurant food. Because bath salts are so potent, high doses of sedatives may be necessary to prevent users from harming themselves and others. “MDPV produces psychoactive effects with as little as 3 to 5 mg, but packages of bath salts promote alarmingly high doses of 50 mg and above,” says Goldberger.