Bath Salts Addiction Treatment Centers

Bath Salts

Artificially made versions of illegal drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, marijuana and LSD are called “new psychoactive substances” (NPS), commonly known as synthetic or designer drugs. “Bath salts” refers to a broad category of newly emerging drugs known as synthetic cathinones, which are designed to mimic stimulants.

Synthetic cathinones are sold as off-white, white, yellow or brown crystalline powder, or in tablets, capsules or a liquid form. Despite the dangers associated with ingesting, smoking, snorting or injecting products that contain synthetic cathinones, people across the country continue to engage in bath salts drug abuse.

People typically purchase synthetic cathinones sold under some of the following brand names:

What Are Synthetic Cathinones?

Most commonly referred to as “bath salts” or “flakka,” synthetic cathinones are a broad category of drugs that have similar chemical structures to cathinone, a natural stimulant found in the khat plant (Catha edulis). This shrub grows in southern Arabia and East Africa, where people chew the leaves for its mild stimulant effects, reported the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Synthetic cathinones work by increasing the activity of monoamine neurotransmitters, including dopamine, a brain chemical associated with addiction, pleasure and reward.

Bath Salts Side Effects

There are numerous dangers associated with ingesting, smoking, snorting, or injecting products that contain synthetic cathinones. As synthetic cathinones were created to mimic stimulant drugs, many of the short-term effects produce similar side effects as cocaine and other amphetamines, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased energy and agitation.

The Foundation for a Drug Free World reported that patients have experienced a number of side effects due to the use of bath salts, some of which pose significant risks to health. Some of the common bath salts symptoms include: