'Bath Salts' Have Effects Similar to Meth, Ecstasy
"Bath salts" is slang for a group of designer drugs that contain MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) or Mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone). Emergency department (ED) visits and calls to poison control centers in 2011 have skyrocketed due to ingestion of "bath salts."
With names including "Ivory Wave," "White Lightning," and "Vanilla Sky," these designer drugs can be bought by consumers of any age in many states. They are often sold at tobacco stores, gas stations, and head shops (i.e., specialty shops that sell drug paraphernalia and "legal high" products) and are widely available on the Internet.
These chemicals cannot be detected by routine drug screening, making the substances attractive for misuse.
Both MDPV and mephedrone are stimulants, with some similarities to MDMA (Ecstasy) and Methamphetamines.
- Like meth, mephedrone increases brain levels of dopamine.
- Like ecstasy, mephedrone increases brain levels of serotonin.
- Like ecstasy, repeat doses of mephedrone damages the brain's ability to respond to serotonin (although human users of bath salts frequently binge, while ecstasy users usually don't).
- Like both ecstasy and meth, mephedrone causes the body to overheat.
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