Designer Drugs are synthetic compounds man-made in a lab. Designer drugs were first created as a means to find safer alternatives to present narcotics but changed to a more deviant objective – selling dangerous drugs legally. Even the slightest chemical compound change produces an entirely new substance, therefore, evading legal constraints and drug test detection. Many designer drugs can be purchased at gas stations and are also sold prevalently across the internet.
Designer drugs are primarily derivatives of the chemical compound known as Cathinone, a stimulant found in the Khat plant of East Africa. These types of designer drugs are commonly referred to as bath salts because of their similar appearance. They are generally produced in Asia as a cheaper (and legal) alternative to drugs like crack, heroin, and methamphetamines. These substances are highly addictive and due to their synthetic nature, ingesting these chemicals can produce severe health consequences. These designer drugs come in a variety of different chemical makeups, making it difficult for the DEA to ban them. The combination of being both cheap and legal mixes a deadly combination. This primarily leaves the underprivileged vulnerable to the serious and harmful effects of these substances.
INGESTION
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Swallow
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Smoke
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Snort
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Inject
SYMPTOMS
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Bizarre Behavior
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Agitation
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Paranoia
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Delusions of Superhuman Strength
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Excited Delirium
Observed effects of synthetic drugs like Flakka are incredibly odd. The combination of fear and a false sense of reality have unknown consequences. Varied accounts of individuals running through traffic naked, breaking into police stations, and other incredibly bizarre violent acts portray the efects these drugs can have on the brain.
SIDE EFFECTS
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Extreme Agitation
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High Body Temperature
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Jerking Muscle Movements
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Delirious Thoughts
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Often Profound Paranoia
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Depression
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Anxiety
Many of the dangerous side effects can arise when the user is agitated and harms themselves or others. From a medical standpoint, bath salts can cause permanent damage to brain cells because they attach to brain neurons and impair them. Apart from brain damage, these drugs are widely known and popular for causing chilling behaviors known as “excited delirium.” In this state, the user of the drug is highly out-of-control. Often restrained, they flail, scream, and can have seizures. This overactivity causes muscle tissue to break down releasing proteins and other cellular products into the bloodstream, in a process called. Rhabdomyolysis can lead to a combination of defects including hyperthermia, dehydration, and renal failure sometimes leading to death.
Medical Treatment
Benzodiazepines, especially lorazepam (Ativan, Pfizer), commonly treat the agitation and seizures associated with the use of bath salts. Doctors or responders use restraints if they cannot control the patient’s agitation with these drugs. Detox and addiction treatment is usually the next step after the patient’s symptoms have suppressed.
Addiction Treatment
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Contingency management, or motivational incentives—providing rewards to patients who remain substance free
- Motivational enhancement therapy
- No medications currently to treat synthetic addictions — due to their extensive range
