Signs of "Bath Salts" Addiction

The Drug Enforcement Administration recognizes "bath salts" as a relatively new yet serious threat with high potential for abuse.  Intentionally sold as "bath salts" or sometimes plant food or other household products with names such as Red Dove, Ivory Wave, Hurricane Charlie, Aura, Bliss, Loco-Motion, White Lightning, and Vanilla Sky to circumvent regulations, many state governments are attempting to quickly pass legislation to ban these addictive chemicals while the federal government reviews the data. As of the date of this article, at least 28 states had banned the sale of these drugs.  Although the exact chemical composition can vary, most have methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and mephedrone, two synthetic stimulants derived from cathione, which is an African plant that is regulated. However, because the products are sold with labels that indicate “not for human consumption,” these chemical packets, which can cost as little as $20, have been able to bypass regulations in many places.

Below are some of the signs that a person has an addiction to bath salts.

• Intense cravings – Reports suggest that, despite the psychological rollercoaster associated with using bath salts, users feel such strong cravings that they are compelled to binge repeatedly.
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure – If the person complains that his or her heart is racing, bath salt use may be suspected in combination with other symptoms.  In a number of cases, high doses of sedatives administered by physicians in emergency rooms have been insufficient to calm bath salts users and the doctors have resorted to general anesthesia.
• Suicidal thoughts or actions – Some users of bath salts have jumped into traffic, shot and/or cut themselves, or engaged in other behaviors in an attempt to end their lives while under the influence of the drugs.
• Delirium, insomnia, and paranoia – After use, the person may appear disoriented and mentally disturbed; they may have difficulty sleeping for days, weeks, or months if addicted. A person who is addicted to bath salts may be suspicious of the intentions and behaviors of even those whom they know and love that may persist for many months after the last use.
• Violence or aggression – Bath salt use makes people who may otherwise be very different begin to behave with hostility. 
• Hallucinations and psychosis – People who have recently consumed bath salts are likely to be disconnected from reality.  They may hear voices that tell them to harm themselves or others or to engage in risky, dangerous behaviors; they may also have visual (e.g., they may see things that are not real or perceive others as threatening or imagine them to be something they are not like a demon) or tactile (e.g., a feeling of something under one’s skin) hallucinations.
• Fever – Some users have had temperatures as high as 107.
• Weight loss – In one case, a 35-year-old woman who abused bath salts for nearly a year went from a size 16 to a size 6.
• Physical signs of use and administration – Bath salts can be snorted, smoked, or injected; a bath salts addict may have related paraphernalia, signs of administration (like damage to nose or track marks), and empty packets in the trash.