Research shows bath salts are highly addictive. Frequent use might cause tolerance a person needs to take more of the drug to feel the same effects , dependence, and strong withdrawal symptoms when not taking the drug.
Withdrawal symptoms might include:. If a friend is using drugs, you might have to step away from the friendship for a while. It is important to protect your own mental health and not put yourself in situations where drugs are being used. This lesson, provides scientific information about teen brain development and the effect of drugs and alcohol use on the brain. These community activities are designed to help students in grades 6 through 12 learn about the effects of drug use Content on this site is available for your use and may be reproduced in its entirety without permission from NIDA.
Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Bath Salts. Expand All What happens to your brain when you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"?
What happens to your body when you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? Can you overdose or die if you use synthetic cathinones "bath salts"? What are the other risks of using synthetic cathinones "bath salts"?
Are synthetic cathinones "bath salts" addictive? Withdrawal symptoms might include: depression anxiety tremors problems sleeping paranoia. Moreover, the effects are long lasting. Clin Toxicol.
The enduring high and extreme behavior may stem in part from the insidious combination of the compounds in bath salts. While mephedrone acts like methamphetamines in increasing dopamine concentrations, MDPV mimics the way in which cocaine inhibits the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in the brain staying flooded with dopamine, according to research by Louis De Felice, PhD, professor of physiology and biophysics at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond.
The long-term neurological effects of bath salts are likely to be as damaging as those of methamphetamines and cocaine—or worse. In July, President Obama signed legislation that adds MDPV and mephedrone, along with 29 other compounds used to produce synthetic marijuana and hallucinogens, to the controlled substances listed as Schedule I drugs. And although several states had acted earlier to make the components of bath salts illegal, the drug was easily obtained at gas stations, adult bookstores, convenience stores, smoke shops, head shops, and truck stops.
Two weeks after the federal ban went into effect, Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized packets of synthetic cathinones and 4. The hour raid in July involved US cities and resulted in 91 arrests. But bath salts continue to be sold on the Internet and in retail stores, camouflaged under names such as stain remover, research chemicals, plant food, and insect repellent.
In addition, drug makers can easily skirt the ban on MDPV and mephedrone by turning to other cathinone derivatives, of which there are many. Unlike drugs of abuse such as ecstasy, which is consistently made of the synthetic compound MDMA 3,4-methylenedioxy- N -methylamphetamine , the composition and dose of bath salts can vary tremendously, making diagnosis challenging and leading to greater risks of overdose and adverse reactions.
The patient's condition is also not a reliable guide. Am J Med. Because bath salts are so potent, high doses of sedatives may be necessary to prevent users from harming themselves and others. In addition, users of bath salts may be taking other drugs simultaneously. Should bath salts wane in popularity, authorities say they have no doubt new psychoactive designer drugs will take their place. 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.
Synthetic cathinones are marketed as cheap substitutes for other stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine. Much is still unknown about how synthetic cathinones affect the human brain. Researchers do know that synthetic cathinones are chemically similar to drugs like amphetamines, cocaine, and MDMA.
A study found that 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone MDPV , a common synthetic cathinone, affects the brain in a manner similar to cocaine, but is at least 10 times more powerful. MDPV is the most common synthetic cathinone found in the blood and urine of patients admitted to emergency departments after taking bath salts. Molly—slang for molecular—refers to drugs that are supposed to be the pure crystal powder form of MDMA. Usually purchased in capsules, Molly has become more popular in the past few years.
Some people use Molly to avoid additives such as caffeine, methamphetamine, and other harmful drugs commonly found in MDMA pills sold as Ecstasy. But those who take what they think is pure Molly may be exposing themselves to the same risks. Law enforcement sources have reported that Molly capsules contain harmful substances including synthetic cathinones. For example, hundreds of Molly capsules tested in two South Florida crime labs in contained methylone, a dangerous synthetic cathinone.
Raised heart rate, blood pressure, and chest pain are some other health effects of synthetic cathinones. People who experience delirium often suffer from dehydration, breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, and kidney failure.
The worst outcomes are associated with snorting or needle injection. Intoxication from synthetic cathinones has resulted in death.
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