Designer Street Drugs
(i.e. spice, bath salts, ivory wave)
Designer street drugs are legally sold products that are illegally boosted chemically for their psychoactive (mind altering) effects.
The clandestine production of new street drugs avoids federal regulation and therefore federal control. This often results in the emergence of unknown substances, with wide-ranging degrees of purity, which have the potential to cause dangerous toxicity and serious health consequences for the unwitting drug user. The most publicized case regarding the tragic consequences associated with the manufacture and use of designer drugs on the street involves MPTP (1-methyl, 4-phenyl, 1, 2, 3, 6-tetra-hydropyridine), a substance that was later found to cause a Parkinsonian syndrome in humans.
Spice is marketed to people who are interested in herbal alternatives to marijuana and regular users can become addicted and experience withdrawal symptoms. Spice can produce a variety of mood and perceptual effects. Spice abusers who have been taken to the hospital report symptoms of rapid heartbeat, vomiting, agitation, confusion and hallucinations.
Bath Salts are a synthetic powder that is sold online and in stores under names like Ivory Wave, Purple Wave and many other names. These drugs are taken orally, by inhalation, or by injection and have been reported to trigger intense craving and can be as addictive as methamphetamine. Ingesting or snorting Bath Salts can cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, agitation, hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and delusions.
The illicit manufacture and use of designer drugs with unknown chronic toxicity can result in millions of people experimenting with these drug cocktails before the toxic effect s are recognized; this could potentially produce an epidemic of addictions, neurodegenerative disorders, and unexpected fatalities.
Q: Since designer street drugs are made from legal products, are they still addictive?
A: These products contain various amphetamine-like chemicals. These chemicals act like a stimulant in the brain and are known to be a substitute for cocaine.
Q: How dangerous are designer drugs?
A: Because the chemical composition of the various products are unknown, it is likely that some varieties have substances that will produce stronger effects than desired by the user. Death by chemical interaction or overdose can result.
At Caron Texas, we use the latest research to treat and understand the addicted patient and their needs. In the case of addiction to designer drugs, inpatient detox is initiated. Following detox, we use individual, group and family therapies to start the process of recovery from drug abuse. We also can medically supervise the detoxification process which ensures the addicts safety and success in recovery.