Bath Salts
Samantha Palmer
Emery House
Jillian Emerson
NO!
Chemical Makeup
 Manufactured Different
 Stimulant hallucinogenic
around the world
 Derivative of cathinone
“khat”
 Usually include one or
more of the following:
 Produces similar effects to
 mephedrone
 Methylone
 MDPV
 flephedrone
amphetamine or cocaine
 Increases production and
limits reuptake of
neurotransmitters
Appearance
Crystals
Powder
Capsules
Bath Salts
aka…
 bliss
 blue silk
 white horse
 energizing aromatherapy
 ivory wave
 kamikaze
 red dove
 purple wave
 cloud nine
 zoom
 plant food
Routes
Injected
Ingested
Smoked
Snorted
How is it being sold?
 Legal vs. non legal
 Schedule I controlled substance
 “not for human consumption”
 Where?
 Convenience stores
 Head shops
 Gas stations
 Internet
 Price- $25-50 per 50mg packet
Clinical Manifestations & Adverse
Effects
 tachycardia
 hallucinations
 hypertension
 anxiety
 diaphoresis
 paranoia
 chest pain
 psychosis
 hyperthermia
 erratic behavior
 foaming at the mouth
 “super human strength”
 limb twitching
 delirium
 suicidal/homicidal
thoughts
 delusional paracitosis
Treatment
Directed at signs
and symptoms
No
antidote
Sedatives (ex:
benzodiazepines)
1st and 2nd generation
antipsychotics (ex:
haloperidol)
Nursing Considerations
 ABC
 Patient safety
 Staff safety
 Temperature
 VS
 Neurological system
 Physical restraints often needed
 Does not show up on standard drug screens
Evidence Based Practice
 The most common clinical findings of toxicity that have been
found are agitation, tachycardia, and delusions/hallucination,
consistent with intoxication of other stimulants.
 Low to moderate doses of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam
have proven adequate to control signs and symptoms of
toxicity.
 The use of antipsychotics as a second agent has been
beneficial in many cases when benzodiazepine sedation was
ineffective.
 No relationships have been found between the exposure
route and the severity of illness.
Five Must Knows
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Not actually salts for your bath
Shumer Law
Signs and symptoms can last for several days
Does not show up on standard drug tests
No antidote
Works Cited

Penders, T. (2012). How to recognize a patient who's high on "bath salts". Journal Of Family Practice, 61(4), 210-212.

Centers for disease control and prevention.(2011). Emergency department visits after use of a drug sold as "bath salts“. MMWR: Morbidity
& Mortality Weekly Report, 60(19), 624-627.

Oz, M. (2011, April 25). Evil Lurking atYour Corner Store. Time, 177(16). Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.cayugacc.edu:2068/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA255021483&v=2.1&u=cayugacc&it=r&p=PPNU&sw=w

Daniel J. DeNoon. (2011).‘Bath Salts” Have Effects Similar to Meth, Ecstasy. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mentalhealth/news/20110816/bath-salts-like-unlike-meth-ecstasy

Senator Charles E. Schumer United States Senator for New York. (2012, July 9). Shumer Legislation Banning Bath Salts and 29 Other
Deadly Synthetic Substances Signed Into Law Today By President Obama. Retrieved From
http://www.schumer.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=337207

McGraw, M. M. (2012). Is your patient high on "bath salts"?. Nursing, 42(1), 26-33.
doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000408493.33519.d0
Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
detailpage&v=bXo-0iFj8Ys