If you or someone you love are struggling with bath salt misuse or addiction, reach out to our drug rehab in New Jersey right now. Call us at to speak to one of our admissions navigators who can answer all of your questions, including those about paying for rehab and insurance options. Once a person enters a cycle of taking bath salts repeatedly, they can begin to hallucinate or experience an overdose.
Bath Salts Overdose Symptoms
If you or someone you care about uses bath salts, this page can help you learn more about their effects, their potential for addiction, and how to find bath salts addiction treatment. “We tested one package of bath salts obtained from New York City and found it contained a synthetic cannabinoid and caffeine and another one from Venice Beach, California, that contained 100% lidocaine,” says Ryan. “The clinical picture will be different for each.” Immunoassay screens routinely used for drugs of abuse in emergency departments don’t detect MDPV and other components of bath salts, adding to clinical confusion.
Health benefits
“Poison centers get called a lot when a drug is new.” As clinicians see more cases and learn how to respond, the calls drop off, he says. The effects of the drugs also vary based on the route of administration; they can be swallowed, snorted, injected, or inserted into the rectum or vagina. Psychoactive designer street drugs called “bath salts” have many potentially dangerous adverse effects, including extreme neurological and psychiatric changes, some long lasting. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Finding support for substance misuse
An Epsom salt bath may improve symptoms of psoriasis, eczema, or other conditions that cause itching. They’re not the same as Dead Sea salts, a blend of minerals found only in the Dead Sea in the Middle East. The water and light there supposedly help with skin diseases, arthritis, motivational enhancement therapy: uses benefits techniques and other health problems. Epsom salts have been used for hundreds of years to ease all kinds of aches, pains, and skin troubles. Synthetic cathinones are still relatively new to the drug market so the long-term effects on humans have yet to be thoroughly investigated.
A person misusing bath salts may overheat and tear off their clothing trying to cool down. Paranoia may drive an individual to aggressive, uncontrolled attacks on others, or self-destruction. They are often unresponsive to any commands to stop their actions.
Luxury vs Traditional Addiction Treatment
In 2020, the maximum prison sentence for a person found guilty of trafficking Schedule I substances was between 20–30 years. The U.S. government passed 5 types of alcoholics characteristics of each alcoholic type the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act (SDAPA) in July 2012. This act listed mephedrone, methylone, and MDPV as Schedule I controlled substances.
If you don’t use it correctly, it can cause serious diarrhea and dehydration. One small study of people with lupus suggested soaking in Epsom salts might improve fatigue. Another study found that Epsom salt soaks helped reduce swelling in feet during pregnancy.
These effects may develop due to taking high levels of bath salts or using them chronically. Containers of bath salts will also have warnings, such as “not suitable for human consumption.” Manufacturers do this in an attempt to avoid legal restrictions. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced emergency scheduling in 2011 to control MDPV, mephedrone and methylone, all chemicals found in bath salts.
“The ban might make people who thought bath salts were legal stay away, but it isn’t going to stop people who really want access to them,” says Nelson. The enduring high and extreme behavior may stem in part from the insidious combination of the compounds in bath salts. “But it’s worse than that,” says De Felice, who is beginning to study bath salts’ dopaminergic action in rats. The most worrisome effects are the extreme neurological and psychiatric changes—paranoia, terrifying hallucinations, psychosis, self-destructive and violent behavior—that occur in users of bath salts. Despite these effects, some users continue to use the drugs.
It can be dangerous for people with kidney issues and other conditions. For instance, soaking a dog’s irritated paw in is it okay to mix antacids and alcohol Epsom salts dissolved in water may provide some relief. Veterinarians sometimes inject Epsom salts to treat animals.
If you feel sick or like something is wrong, get immediate medical help. Call 911 if you have any loss of muscle control, chest pain, or difficulty breathing, or if you or someone you know overdoses. The drug doesn’t contain any ingredients from bathwater products.
- Snorting them makes the effects come on faster and more powerfully.
- Try mixing in a teaspoon to your bath salts before adding them to your bath or making them into a scrub.
- Instead of water alone or adding mineral salts, many people choose to add just a bit of baking soda to prepare their sitz bath.
- Whatever your preference, you’ll want to ensure these ingredients—whether Epsom salt or Dead Sea salt—are listed at the top of a product list, says Dr. Garshick.
You can also add almond oil, oatmeal, or powdered milk to bath salts to soothe and moisturize the skin. Tea tree oil has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiseptic properties that may make it effective for treating eczema and minor skin infections. Essential oils should be diluted before use, but tea tree oil does come in many strengths, some already diluted. Adding 3 or 4 drops to your salt bath can provide additional relief of inflammation and irritation. If a person is misusing bath salts or other substances, many groups and institutions can help them find support. Research from 2020 states that low doses of bath salts can cause a person to feel euphoria and alertness.
