Bath Salts and New Difficulties

This article is from the Betty Ford Center and gives their views as well as a large majority of the chemical dependency counseling communities view. This addiction physiology article goes over Bath Salts and more of the difficulties they are bringing to addiction recovery. 

"A legal high with an innocuous name is the latest drug bringing young people into addiction treatment.

 “Even though they may be labeled ‘not for human consumption’, bath salts can be obtained without prescription or legal oversight,” said Dr. Peter Przekop, DO, Ph.D. of the Betty Ford Center.   “The people marketing the drug are gearing their appeal to youths – especial young male adults with a previous history of substance abuse.”

 The drug first appeared in Europe in 2006 and showed up in the United States three years later.  Bath salts are often synthesized in India and China and can take many forms:  white, odorless, fine-powder;   tan, brown powdery substance; colorless oil or clear gelatin capsules.  The effect is similar to that brought about by Ecstasy, methamphetamine or cocaine.   Common names for the drug include:  Blue silk, charge+, ivory wave, ocean burst, pure ivory, purple wave, snow leopard, stardust, vanilla sky, white dove, white knight, white lightening and blizzard. 

 Adverse cardiac effects include chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath and heart attack.  Psychiatric effects include anger, anxiety visual and auditory hallucinations, depression, fatigue, panic, paranoia concentration and memory problems.  Neurologically, the user may experience aggressiveness, dizziness, headache, tremor and seizure.

Bath salts have been banned in many European nations, and – as of September 15 2011 – 37 states have followed suit.  On October 21 2011, the chemicals mephedrone, methylone, and MDPV were deemed a potential hazard, and the drug is considered a Schedule 1 substance.  This means there is a high potential for abuse; there is no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.  It cannot be distributed, manufactured, possessed, imported or exported without special licensure.

In 2010, there were 303 calls to the poison control center for bath salts.  That number escalated to 2,371 calls on record by May of 2011.

“The emergent of this drug has been recent, and it’s grown quickly in popularity,” said Dr. Przekop.  “There is widespread availability, and in 2009-2010, online searches surpassed those for cocaine and MDMA.

“Drug addiction treatment can become imperative once an addictive level of abuse is reached with bath salts.  It is critically important for family members as well as treatment professionals to educate themselves about this new threat.”"

Source: http://www.bettyfordcenter.org/recovery/featured-home/bath-salts-presents-new...

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