Bath salts are no longer just for the bathtub. While bath salts are not new, they have become more widely used. In the past decade, bath salts have become an extremely dangerous hallucinogenic drug. It has even caused some users to have violent reactions and attack people. In one case a man high on bath salts attacked another man by eating his face.
What are bath salts
Bath salts are a designer synthetic drug that gives similar stimulant effects like cocaine and others. Unfortunately, people do not understand how highly addictive this synthetic Hallucinogen is. Part of what made them so popular was that they could be bought in gas stations and quick marts at a relatively low cost. It gave the user a cheap high.
One problem with bath salts is that they are not regulated and therefore the dosage and ingredients differ from batch to batch. The really dangerous problem with bath salts is what it does to your body and mind.
Short and long term effects
The effects of bath salts are very apparent; when a person is high on bath salts psychoactive effects include:
- Paranoia
- Extreme anxiety
- Tension or violent actions toward oneself or others
- Magnified affability
- Intensified libido
- Hallucinations
At first, the person may undergo pleasure or euphoria since synthetic cathinones release dopamine; however, for most people, this encounter rapidly declines, as the drug leads to intense anxiety.
Dopamine is responsible for hallucinations and the amount of dopamine discharged by the brain is 10 times greater than the amount released by cocaine.
Physical side effects vary but often include:
- Raised body temperature
- Fast heartbeat and breathing
- Higher blood pressure
- Dilated pupils
- Sweating, with an unusual body odor
- Upset stomach
- Dehydration
- Nosebleeds
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Shivering and twitching muscles
Long term effects of bath salts include:
- Sleep disturbance such as insomnia
- Muscle spasms or tremors
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Ongoing paranoia
- Muscle injury
- Infections
- Skin rashes
- Debilitation from accidental self-harm
- Kidney failure
- Damage to the teeth and jaw from grinding
- Damage to the cardiovascular system
The longer abuse of bath salts continues the more damage is done to the body and brain. The worst danger is an overdose that could be fatal.
Treatment for bath salt overdose is unusually high doses of medications such as sedatives and Anti-psychotic drugs. Restrains are also used to reduce the person’s ability to harm themselves or caregivers; they are used when the person is:
- Combativeness
- Paranoia
- Psychosis
- Physical agitation
In recent years the use of bath salts has gone down but many young people still try it and discover how addictive it is.
If you are ready to stop the harm bath salts are doing to your body and mind call 449 Recovery to find out more about our detox program. 449 Recovery believes that you deserve an environment that encourages your recovery so we provide a caring and structured atmosphere. Our goal is to execute practices that will leave a lifelong impact on the recipients. Procrastination is the enemy of success, so please give us a call at (855) 435-7449 to gain more insight about our all-inclusive alcohol and drug addiction treatment program today!