Bath Salts

Recently saw my first patient using Bath Salts to get high. Been reading about this for some time, but Hadn't had a pt admit to using them. These synthetic amphetamines are marketed as bath salts and sold at 75 dollars a gram (who would pay that to bath in something? ). These designer amphetamines are commonly called synthetic cocaine, or meth. In reality, most are more akin to the african plant, Kat (or Qat) and contain Mephedrone. They produce more than the hyperactivity and euphoria of Cocaine and meth. They have much more affect on psyche, and cause hallucinations. Recent Case reports have included a man in Tampa who tore a radar out of a cop car with his teeth and required several officers to subdue, a woman who attacked her mother with a machete, and another who attempted to extract his own liver with a mechanical pencil (case reports come from EP Monthly article by Timothy Erickson) Wow! More on these substances and on the case i saw in my next post.