Mind Matters: The Bodys Response to Bath Salts National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA

Watch for signs of dehydration, such as dark urine, dry mouth, headache, fatigue, and dizziness, and use urine color as a simple gauge — aim for pale yellow to clear urine for optimal hydration. Braddock highlights that while personalized electrolyte replacement plans are drinking levels defined national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa common in sports to optimize performance based on individual needs, for most people, daily dietary sodium intake is typically already adequate. Certain drugs may increase the risk of hyponatremia or low sodium levels by increasing sodium excretion through the urine.

Signs and Symptoms of Bath Salt Withdrawal

Typical treatments, which include IV sedatives and fluids and supportive care, are usually adequate. In addition, users of bath salts may be taking other drugs simultaneously. In a recent study of drivers in Finland apprehended for suspicion of drug bruises: symptoms causes diagnosis treatment remedies prevention use, 80% of those with MDPV in their blood also tested positive for amphetamine, and 67% had combined benzodiazepines with bath salts. However, bath salts can also have serious adverse effects, including psychosis, violent behavior, and death.

Subjective effects

Osmolality, which refers to the concentration of particles in a fluid, affects how well a beverage hydrates explains Braddock. Although certain people may require extra sodium, most healthy individuals have no issue maintaining optimal sodium levels and don’t require additional sodium in their diets or in supplemental form. If you or someone you know is fighting drug addiction, recovery is possible. Talk to your health care provider or check your state or local health department websites. Bath salts can cause users to have an out-of-body experience, elated mood, or feel delirious.

More on Substance Abuse and Addiction

The synthetic cathinones people use to make bath salts are not legal in the U.S. Certain synthetic cathinones are used in medications to treat specific conditions. Others, such as the ones found in bath salts, are illegal in the U.S. It’s required for vital processes such as blood pressure regulation and nerve function.

Everything You Need To Know about Sodium

The drug effect is a high or “rush” that is similar to methamphetamine (speed). They are often sold on the street as cheap substitutes for other stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine. Different types of salt, such as Kosher and sea salt, often have larger crystals than table salt, which can result in slightly lower sodium content per volume. However, the sodium content can vary depending on the brand and processing methods. Sea salt may also contain trace minerals, but these typically do not significantly impact health according to Braddock.

Let me say, sodium is a vital electrolyte for hydration, working with potassium to regulate fluid balance and maintain proper pH levels in the body. This balance is crucial for maintaining blood volume, blood pressure and cellular health. These synthetic substances are abused for their desired effects, such as euphoria and alertness. Other effects include psychological effects such as confusion, acute psychosis, agitation, combativeness, aggression, violent and self-destructive behavior paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions. Long-term abuse of bath salts may cause people to have hallucinations, hear voices, feel paranoid, and develop a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, MDPV is at least 10 times more powerful than cocaine. The high potency of bath salts can lead to a number of distressingeffects on the body and mind. In many cases in the United States and the United Kingdom, the signs of bath salts abuse included acts of violence that ended in the death of multiple people or suicide attempts. In short, bath salts can be fatal thanks to the fact they cause serious sleep withdrawal.

Individuals experiencing psychotic episodes can quickly become violent. Immediately call 911 if someone behaves violently or has breathing problems or seizures after using bath salts. And in one of the most tragic incidents involving bath salts, a young mother and father died after a high-speed chase in Washington. After they crashed, the father shot his wife and then himself and their young child was later found dead in the home. While the DEA banned khat in 1993 by banning cathinone, it didn’t ban all chemicals based on this drug.

Black market laboratories typically don’t take as much care, so impurities like pyrrolidine or various bromine compounds might remain. Use of these drugs does result in a response by the brain’s dopamine reward system, which is responsible for the development of addiction over time. Teens and young adults may be more likely to abuse and become addicted to synthetic cathinones after repeated use. Bath salts are also commonly referred to as synthetic cathinones because of their similarity to natural cathinone, derived from the khat plant. The khat plant is a shrub native to East Africa and southern parts of the Middle East; chewing its leaves produces feelings of euphoria and mild amphetamine-like effects. 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.

Bath salts are a lab-made recreational drug used by people to temporarily produce intense feelings of joy. Cathinones are -like stimulants derived from the plant Catha edulis (khat). The khat plant is a shrub grown in East Africa and on the Arabian peninsula.

Some of the most commonly found synthetic cathinone in bath salts are 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone, and methylone. In 2012, President how to find a faith-based rehab near you Obama deemed the active ingredients in bath salts as Schedule 1 drugs. This means that bath salts are an illicit drug and cannot be prescribed or sold.

In 2020, the maximum prison sentence for a person found guilty of trafficking Schedule I substances was between 20–30 years. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. The drug may be eaten, snorted, injected, or vaporized in e-cigarettes. Valerie Agyeman (she/her) is a women’s health dietitian and the host of the Flourish Heights podcast, where she produces science-driven content covering overlooked nutrition, wellness and women’s health topics. She has over 10 years of nutrition communications, corporate wellness and clinical nutrition experience.

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. People sometimes refer to bath salts by numerous street names, such as bliss or meow meow.

The people who manufacture bath salts intentionally mislabel them in an attempt to avoid legal restrictions. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. For these reasons, it’s highly recommended that anyone who is addicted to bath salts and wants to stop seek professional help to do so.
4. Mephedrone (0.24 mg/infusion) is readily self-administered by rats, but reinforcing effects of other synthetic cathinones are largely unexplored.

Other names, including brand names, for bath salts include White Lightning, Cloud Nine, Red Dove, Cotton Cloud, Bloom, Vanilla Sky, Lunar Wave, White Snow, Ivory Wave, and Scarface. They’re sold online and in head shops, convenience stores, gas stations, under categories such as jewelry cleaner, phone-screen cleaner, or plant food. Synthetic stimulants often referred to as “bath salts” are from the synthetic cathinone class of drugs. Synthetic cathinones are central nervous stimulants and are designed to mimic effects similar to those produced by cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (ecstasy). Despite the widespread use of bath salts, there is a paucity of information about their pharmacology. Mephedrone is about two-times more potent than methylone as a transporter substrate.

Khat is used in East Africa and southern Arabia for its stimulant properties. If you use bath salts for a long time, you can become suspicious (paranoid) of others. They give you a “high” that affects how you see others and the world around you. Their effects are similar to the effects of amphetamine and ecstasy (MDMA).

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, behavioral treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational enhancement therapy have shown effectiveness in treating bath salt addiction. They act as strong stimulants and may be sought by a person who normally uses cocaine or methamphetamine. Even a person who sees that they are experiencing harm from abuse of these drugs may not be able to stop himself.