You see, the basic compound isn’t actually that stimulating compared to amphetamine. It’s found naturally in khat, a plant that’s often grown in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa (Somalia and Kenya,) https://sober-home.org/ and its use predates coffee. Feeling very let down for several hours to days thereafter tends to follow those symptoms. You’ll need at least one person who will stay drug-free during the session.
- As with many other drugs of abuse, the detox process from bath salts is likely the most difficult aspect of coping with the physical symptoms of addiction and tends to last for days.
- These chemicals are sprayed onto dried leaves to look like marijuana, or are sold as liquids.
- Emotional complications of bath salts abuse can include panic attacks and violence against oneself (suicidal thoughts or actions, or self-mutilation, as in cutting or burning oneself).
- Toxic doses for the newer synthetic cathinones such as bath salts have not yet been determined9, and doses can be variable due to the illegal nature of the drug.
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“The clinical picture will be different for each.” Immunoassay screens routinely used for drugs of abuse in emergency departments don’t detect MDPV and other components of bath salts, adding to clinical confusion. Bath salts contain different types of synthetic cathinones. These drugs may cause a person to feel euphoria and alertness when ingested. However, they can also cause serious side effects, such as psychosis or death. A visually appealing booklet for students that explains how synthetic drugs, such as K2/spice and bath salts, change the way the communication centers in the brain work and ultimately cause their effects. This booklet is part of the Mind Matters series focused on easy-to-understand scientific facts.
Bath Salts Addiction Treatment
These compounds smell bad and have the potential to cause serious burns. Amines are not the nicest of substances (that’s why we are generally repulsed by the smell of amines—they have a strong fishy odor,) and these impurities can even induce severe allergic reactions. If you or someone you know has suicidal thoughts while using bath salts, call or text 988 (the national suicide hotline). Risks from using them include liver failure, mental illness, and even death. Users can also develop what is called “excited delirium.” When this happens, people get dehydrated, their muscle tissue breaks down, and they can go into kidney failure and die. You may have seen K2 and Spice in stores in bright packages that say they are a natural product.
What Does Bath Salts Addiction Look Like? Know the Signs
Multiple types of regulated treatment are available to aid them in their journey. Taking bath salts has many risks, but stopping can be even more difficult. Dependence on the substance can lead to tolerance and addiction. Using bath salts can trigger intense cravings and lead to drug binges, making cessation challenging. Regular use increases tolerance, necessitating larger doses to achieve the same effects. In addition, users of bath salts may be taking other drugs simultaneously.
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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. Despite these effects, some users continue how do you wean yourself off clonazepam to use the drugs. “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. The synthetic cathinones people use to make bath salts are not legal in the U.S.
In 2020, the maximum prison sentence for a person found guilty of trafficking Schedule I substances was between 20–30 years. The drug doesn’t contain any ingredients from bathwater products. Drug effects can include a short-term increase in energy and mood and acting strangely friendly to others. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. These are not the fizzy products like epsom salt that people use while bathing.
Research from 2020 states that low doses of bath salts can cause a person to feel euphoria and alertness. It can induce severe psychosis, mainly due to severe sleep deprivation. In one case in Miami, which was widely reported, a man ended up eating the face off a homeless man, and this attack was blamed on bath salts. 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.
Synthetic cathinones are similar to certain substances found in the khat plant. Khat is used in East Africa and southern Arabia for its stimulant properties. 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.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. In short, bath salts can be fatal thanks to the fact they cause serious sleep withdrawal. This leads to hallucinations and irrational behavior, so much so that those taking central nervous system cns depression such drugs can end up in serious trouble. In many ways, it’s similar to the PCP epidemic of the early ’80s, and the overall effects are quite similar. The treatment of bath salts intoxication involves providing intensive medical monitoring and attention to address the specific symptoms of the individual.
