Bath Salts Ingestion: Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance-Induced Disorders

A new synthetic drug of abuse is appearing in the United States known as bath salts. This street drug is used for its stimulant properties, which come from its primary chemical cathinone, methylenedioxypyrovalerone. Bath salts are highly addictive, associated with substance-induced disorders, and can have serious long-term consequences, including extreme paranoia, agitation, and psychosis. This article explains the psychopharmacology, comprehensive assessments, differential diagnoses, and nurse practitioners’ role in acute treatment of patients under the influence of bath salts and includes a case study.