BATH SALTS!!!!!!!!

            While we’ve been here in Italy, we’ve all been trying to keep up with the news at home.  One of the topics that has foddered the most hilarity (although it’s really not funny when you think about it), is the spree of bath salts induced zombies that have been wreaking havoc in the States.  We have all really been trying to puzzle out what compound could possible induce someone to eat another person’s face.  Trevor and I decided to recreate the scenario (left), and just couldn’t figure out why it would ever be appealing (and we were both starving).  In light of this, and due to the actual, serious nature of these new, legal, designer drugs, I decided to do my blog post on what bath salts actually are.

            Bath salts are a legal stimulant, classified under the class of drugs called synthetic cathinones, which have a combination of psychoactive effects on the user similar to those induced by cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines.  To me, this sounds like an absolutely terrible combination, but apparently many people have though it would be a great idea to buy bath salts from gas stations (yes, gas stations), and try them out.

            The active ingredients in bath salts are 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and/or mephedrone, which usually come from manufacturers in China in extremely pure forms of brown or white powder.  These highly addictive compounds induce hallucinations, paranoia, panic, extreme insomnia, agitation, psychosis, and aggressive/combative behavior in addition to other, less severe effects.  People overdosing on MDPV (bath salts) have been known to attack people nearby, and even commit suicide.  MDPV acts as a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, which means that norepinephrine and dopamine are left outside cells to overstimulate adrenergic (adrenaline) and dopaminergic (dopamine) neurotransmission in the body.  This over transmission leads to the euphoric effect also associated with bath salts.  Bath salts can be injected, snorted, or swallowed to produce these, and other, cognitive effects.

3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone

            Although the effects that bath salts induce are often laughable (i.e. face eating zombies), the reality is that this drug and others like it are extremely dangerous drugs designed to give the maximum high, regardless of the consequences.  Despite the fact that the government is working to illegalize bath salts, drug designers are working faster to come up with new drugs and marketing schemes to replace bath salts and other, similar drugs that are being outlawed.  With this in mind, we all have to wonder, is this new zombie population with cannibalistic tendencies here to stay?

http://drugway.com/drug-related/bath-salt-drug-symptoms-physical-and-psychological/

http://www.hdap.org/mdpv.html

http://www.whatyoudomatters.org/Substance_Abuse/Bath_Salts_Composition.aspx

http://bathsaltsdrug.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norepinephrine-dopamine_reuptake_inhibitor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylenedioxypyrovalerone

http://www.neurosoup.com/mdpv_bathsalts.htm