Designer drugs are drugs that are made to mimic the effects of other drugs that are illegal. They are made with ingredients that are sometimes similar to their street counterpart but different by one molecule so technically it is not the same chemical and therefore not illegal. Other times the ingredients are not in any way chemically similar, but the way that the drugs make a person feel are. The reason that people are turning to designer drugs is, because of how they are marketed and sold, they are not illegal. Also, because many of these drugs have not been out for all that long, in addition to the fact that they are not illegal, there has been no drug test that has been made that test for them. The only way to know for a fact that person is using them is for the person to admit it.
This can be very dangerous, especially when people show up at the hospital because they used too much of these designer drugs. If the person is at the point where they are unconscious, the doctor may have no idea what is wrong with the person or how to treat them. Blood work at this point would do nothing for the attending physician in the search to figure out what is wrong with the person. Again the only way that even a doctor would know that the person used a designer drug and is having negative side effects from it is if the person tells the doctor.
Bath Salts or Reformulated Powders
Recently there has been a problem with a new drug that is being sold as bath salts. In the states where the term for the drug “bath salts” has become illegal, they are calling the drug reformulated powders. In most states however, it is still known as bath salts. These drugs are not the usual bath salts that people put in the bath like Epsom salt. Most of the bath salts(the drug) that are sold these days are stimulants. There are quite a few different formulas, and each one has a different effect. Bath salts are usually snorted, however there have been people who have been known to eat them, mix them into drinks, smoke them and even shoot them up. The effects that bath salts have on a person are similar to that of cocaine and methamphetamine. When a person snorts this drug, the initial effect is one that is similar to that of cocaine and then it fades into and amped up feeling like that of methamphetamine. When a person snorts this drug the effects can last for up to two days. When they smoke it, the effect usually last for a few hours before the person is able to go to sleep.
This new line of drugs is very addictive and there have been many people who have suffered from ill effects from using it. It has been known to cause the following effects:
- · Paranoia
- · Lack of desire for sleep
- · Increased energy
- · Increased sex drive
- · Delusions
- · Lack of desire for food
- · Hallucinations
- · Suicidal thoughts
- · Altered vision
- · Changes in personality
- · Increased or rapid heart beat
- · Heart palpitations
- · Possible kidney failure
- · Death
One of the main problems with this drug is that when someone uses it, it causes them to stay awake for up to days at a time. It also diminishes hunger at the same time so the person does not feel the need to perform two very vital actions for survival; eating and sleeping. When a person goes for a long time without food or sleep for any reason it is bound to cause physical and mental implications. There have been quite a few people who have become delusional from using these drugs and there also have been people who have committed suicide after taking bath salts. Apparently suicidal thoughts that a person may suffer from as a result of using these bath salts do not necessarily go away right after the person comes off of the drug. The same goes for delusional thinking. There was one man who came off of bath salts who was suffering from paranoid delusions who continued to do so for up to three months after he had come off of the drug. These delusions eventually went away after the man finished the Narconon New Life Detoxification program. He did the entire Narconon program and is doing quite well now, but it took a lot of time and effort for him to get to the point where he was able to think rationally again after coming off a long binge of bath salts.
Bath salts are very addictive and the nature of the addiction is very scary. It is possible to buy these products in most head shops, in some gas stations, and even online stores sell them. Because there is no legal recourse for possession of these drugs, and no way to test if a person took them, there is nothing that law enforcement can do to stop someone from using them. The only thing that is possible and some officers have done with people who were under the influence of this drug, was to commit them to a mental hospital because they were obviously a danger to themselves and others while they were on this drug. Because the effects of the drug can last for such a very long time, people that have become addicted to them and suffered delusions as a result can continue to be a threat to themselves and others for a very long time.
What Can Be Done?
There is not a whole lot that the government can do right now to stop the use of these drugs. A few efforts have been made to outlaw some of the key ingredients in some of the particular brands, but the only thing that has to be done to get around those laws is for chemist to change the formulation of the product by one or two ingredients, and they don’t have to change them by much for the new ingredients to be considered a different chemical. The slight alteration of these chemicals does not change the effects of the drug all that much. In this way it is very easy for manufacturers to stay one step ahead of the game thus far as far as keeping these drugs legal.
Increasing public awareness about the dangers of these drugs is the best solution for the moment. The only other thing that can be done is for the federal government to make an all-encompassing law that makes the use of these drugs completely illegal in all states. Until that happens, anyone that knows of the dangers of these drugs needs to tell as many people as they can.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to bath salts or any other designer drug, please call Narconon of Georgia today. Narconon, including Narconon Arrowhead, is one of the most effective treatment centers for this type of addiction. Kind and compassionate counselors are always available to answer any questions you may have.
