The Effects of Bath Salts on the Brain

Drugs of any kind, even those sold over the counter can have dangerous consequences to a person’s health. With both long-term and short-term side effects, misusing and abusing drugs is a dangerous game. With bath salts specifically, the effects on the brain are still not widely known.

What Are Bath Salts?

Bath salts are another name for synthetic cathinone. Their exact chemical makeup can vary and is often unknown. These substances are recreational designer drugs that are often abused. Typically, the substances look like white powder and can have effects similar to amphetamines or possess hallucinogenic qualities. Because bath salts can also be dangerous to a person’s health, if your loved one is abusing these drugs, try to get them into our Pennsylvania bath salts addiction treatment immediately.

How Bath Salts Affect the Brain

While these substances can have various effects on the human body, the effects of bath salts on the brain are an area of concern for researchers. Although bath salts may be sold legally in stores or readily found on the internet, these substances are anything but safe.

Euphoria & Sleep Deprivation

Bath salts create a sense of euphoria with a variety of other short-term side effects. Because they are stimulants, they also alert the central nervous system including the brain and many people struggle to sleep while on this drug. The use of sedatives is often not enough to help. For regular users, the result is sleep deprivation, which can have more negative effects on the brain including the impairment of brain function, poor memory, the presence of hallucinations, brain shrinkage, and the death of brain cells.¹

Dependence & Addiction

Like many other drugs that people abuse, bath salts are addictive. One study found that MDPV, a common bath salt chemical, produces effects similar to the effects of cocaine on the brain but is ten times more powerful and presumably more addictive.² With time, bath salts can alter the chemistry of the brain and make it harder to quit. The result is your body becoming dependent on the drug and the onset of withdrawal symptoms when you are not on them. These withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous, so a medically monitored detox is recommended for those looking to stop.

Overdose

The effects of bath salts on the brain are most concerning when someone takes too much of them. Cerebral edema or brain swelling can occur. Even with immediate and prompt medical attention, this can lead to brain death and is often fatal.³

Whether your loved one is abusing these drugs, or you have dabbled with them yourself, it is time to take action. Our Pennsylvania drug abuse rehab helps people overcome their dependence on various substances and learn how to live their lives without them. If you are looking for more information for yourself or a loved one, you can reach out to us at 570-536-9621.

Sources:

1. NCBI – Neural Consequences of Chronic Short Sleep: Reversible or Lasting?
2. NCBI – Powerful cocaine-like actions of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), a principal constituent of psychoactive ‘bath salts’ products.
3. NCBI – The Toxicology of Bath Salts: A Review of Synthetic Cathinones