Month: January 2021

Categories
ADHD Substance Abuse

Teen Amphetamine Abuse Risks and Ripple Effects

Drug addiction distinguishes itself from behavioral addiction by how addictive substances affect the brain, both in the short- and long-term. Among many recreational substances, amphetamines are some of the most dangerous and addictive, especially for teens and young adults. While certain rewarding behavior can engender repetition, even in the face of dire consequences, drugs are hazardous to most people because they neurologically change how the brain interprets them with every use.

Research shows that certain substances develop sensitivity in the brain, wherein receptors react more strongly to a drug the first few times. This dependence is deepened by other physical, neurological, and psychological symptoms of addiction, creating a vicious cycle. While amphetamine abuse is treatable, the prognosis for addiction largely depends on a long list of internal and external factors. For amphetamines, breaking the habit does not mean this sensitivity is reversible.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), research has shown that even the infrequent use of amphetamines can have serious, if not lifelong or life-threatening, consequences for teens – even after years of abstinence. Here’s what you need to know about the risks of early-onset use and the rippling effects of teen amphetamine abuse.

What Are Amphetamines?

Amphetamines are a type of synthetic stimulant drug with a long history of medical use, first as a nasal decongestant and aphrodisiac, and later as a prescription drug for:

    • Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    • Obesity
    • Narcolepsy
    • Off-label uses for both depression and pain
    • Performance-enhancing uses in both sports and combat duty

A controlled substance since 1970, amphetamines can be very addictive and are typically more dangerous for teens without ADHD or narcolepsy than teens because of the neurological mechanisms behind these illnesses. Ironically, while a dangerous drug when used recreationally, prescribed amphetamine reduces the risk of substance use disorder (SUD) for teens with ADHD.

When used recreationally, however, the drug has a myriad of short-term and long-term effects, as well as adverse effects on the heart and brain. Notable dangerous side effects of amphetamine use include an increased risk of hypertension and tachycardia, anxiety, and insomnia. The most commonly abused name-brand amphetamines include:

Ritalin, which is also an ADHD drug, contains methylphenidate instead of amphetamine. Methylphenidate is also a highly addictive stimulant drug. Amphetamine produced and sold illegally is sometimes also known as “speed,” “uppers,” or “bennies.” Methamphetamine (meth) is a different stimulant drug based on the chemical structure of amphetamine. While it does have a brand prescription name, it is very rarely prescribed and is mainly produced and sold illegally as a dangerous recreational drug. MDMA (Ecstasy) is also amphetamine derived.

Signs & Symptoms of Teen Amphetamine Abuse

Amphetamines can produce a remarkable boost in energy and sociability and may affect both physical and cognitive performance. The amphetamines themselves do not give you any energy. Instead, they interact with receptors in the brain, releasing a powerful mixture of neurotransmitters and hormones such as dopamine and epinephrine. This can boost confidence and self-esteem to the point of grandeur, but it comes with a steep physical and psychological price, especially in the long-term or with repeated use. Some signs of teen amphetamine abuse include:

    • Irritability
    • Rapid mood swings
    • Hallucinations (rare)
    • Restlessness and insomnia
    • Frequent gastric problems
    • Delusions or paranoid behavior
    • Sudden weight loss and change in appetite

Amphetamine can be swallowed, injected, smoked, or snorted. There are no drug paraphernalia specifically associated with amphetamine, but missing pills or an unprescribed medication bottle may be common indicators.

Even Occasional Substance Use Has Consequences for Teens

Drug use during adolescence can dangerously lead to a higher risk of teen substance abuse. Studies have shown that unnecessary or recreational amphetamine use early on in life can increase the drug’s sensitivity later in adulthood. This means teens who abuse drugs like Adderall or other sources of amphetamine for recreational or academic purposes and then quit are more sensitive to the drug when they are older and have a higher risk of developing an addiction if they reencounter it.

Part of the reason these drugs are dangerous to teens is because of how they imprint themselves on the brain and because of adolescent neurology. Teen brains are still in development long after the rest of the body has finished maturing. The human brain is generally still “growing” until about 25, which is why teens have a harder time with long-term planning and risk assessment. This makes them more vulnerable to repeated drug use despite warnings and adverse effects, and it makes them more likely to ignore others’ experiences or fail to recognize the risk.

This is because, as research has shown, teens are much more likely to rely on the reward-based portion of their forebrain than the underdeveloped amygdala-cortex, which focuses on assessing risk when making decisions and thinking. It also means that drug use experiences become enmeshed in the brain at an earlier age, causing a much higher likelihood of addiction than if a person had encountered the same drug years later, late into their twenties.

Long-Term Effects of Amphetamines

Some of the long-term effects of teen amphetamine abuse include (but is not limited to):

    • Psychosis
    • Convulsions
    • Severe anxiety
    • Heart palpitations
    • Erectile dysfunction
    • Increased risk of stroke
    • Changes in blood pressure
    • Hypertension or hypotension
    • Worsened respiratory issues (in people with pre-existing respiratory illnesses)

Adverse effects, neurotoxicity, and the risk of dependence are all varied from person to person, and both genetic and external factors play a role in this. Polydrug use or using amphetamine produced illegally can further complicate long-term effects, as these street-level products are often mixed with other drugs.

Tackling Teen Amphetamine Abuse

There is no pharmacological solution for treating the abuse of amphetamines. Still, psychotherapy-based treatments have proven effective in helping teens recover from amphetamine addiction through a long-term recovery plan, often with the help of friends and relatives in the form of a strong support system. Inpatient and outpatient treatment programs can offer different perspectives and an array of effective coping mechanisms to teens with a history of substance use disorder.

Categories
Mental Health Mood Disorders

What Are Teen Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders?

Disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders are a group of conditions diagnosed in children and teens, characterized by long-lasting and consistent destructive behavior across multiple situations and a disregard for others and the law. These conditions are understood to be like anxiety and depression.

Still, instead of directing these negative thoughts and destructive forces inward, those diagnosed with a disruptive behavior disorder or impulse control disorder direct them outward. Common conditions that fall under the umbrella of impulse control disorder and disruptive behavior disorders include:

While kleptomania and pyromania are among the rarer ones, affecting under one percent of children, the other disorders are more common. About 6 percent of children are estimated to have an oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder, and nearly 3 percent have an intermittent explosive disorder.

More than just another name for unruly behavior, these disorders are only diagnosed in children who display symptoms of severe aggression, destruction of property, constant rule-breaking despite certain consequences, and highly impulsive behavior, among other characteristics.

Teen Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

Teen intermittent explosive disorder is characterized by repeated and sudden physical and verbal violence and extreme anger. While children and even teens are not particularly known for being in control of their emotions, there is a point at which the constant lack of control can cause concern.

IED can be identified by these severe and recurring temper explosions more than just a simple anger management problem. If your teen is likely to throw temper tantrums and lose their temper at the slightest push, repeatedly flying off the handle with little to no warning regardless of the setting or circumstances, then they might be struggling with IED.

They may be separated by weeks of nonaggression, but if they have been an issue for a year or longer and often happen with no discernable reason, they may be a sign that your teen needs treatment. These episodes can manifest in different ways and usually consist of either:

    • Fights
    • Tirades
    • Temper tantrums
    • Property damage
    • Extreme threats against people and/or animals

Teens with the intermittent explosive disorder usually feel relaxed or relieved after an episode has ended. They may regularly express regret or remorse yet fail to control their temper.

Teen Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

Oppositional behavior is yet another trademark of the average teen. Children and teens may intentionally defy orders and go against the wishes of those around them. The trope of the rebelling teenager is universally understood because, for many of us, a big part of becoming independent is figuring out what we do not like and want.

But normal oppositional behavior has its limits, and teens either know where to draw the line or learn it quickly. When a child or teen repeatedly shows anger, disdain, and even abject hatred towards any authority figure (including their family), they may have oppositional defiant disorder.

ODD is characterized by oppositional behavior that is consistently impairing a teen’s social life and relationships at home and school, rarely developing late into puberty, and the first signs are usually seen in preschool. Its latest onset is during the early teen years. Some common signs of ODD include (but is not limited to):

    • Consistently irritable mood.
    • Argues often with authority figures.
    • Blames others for their mistakes and failures.
    • Refuses to follow or deliberately ignores requests and rules.

The causes behind oppositional defiant disorder can differ from teen to teen, though both temperament and parenting play significant roles. When the bridge between a teen and their parents has been burnt, professional help might be the best next answer.

Teen Conduct Disorder (CD)

Where violent episodes characterize the IED, and ODD is usually directed solely at authority figures, a CD is characterized by behavior that is generally callous and inconsiderate, to the point of completely ignoring others’ needs and rights and causing direct and indirect harm to other people. Conduct disorders can include theft and property destruction, hurting or abusing animals, and cruelty. Other common behaviors include (but is not limited to):

    • Relentless bullying.
    • Physical abuse towards a friend or partner.
    • Lying to no real benefit (for the fun of lying).
    • Stealing items of no value (for the fun of stealing).
    • Deliberately causing harm or annoyance for self-gratification.
    • Coercing people with threats of violence or even death, including wielding a weapon.

Another important characteristic is that conduct disorders are not learned behavior, i.e., they are not something a teen picked up from others and decided was normal. Teens who grew up in abusive households may be more likely to develop a conduct disorder. Still, an important distinction to make is that a teen with a conduct disorder understands that they are hurting others or doing harm but takes pleasure in it. Children and teens with conduct disorders may develop and be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.

Kleptomania and Pyromania

Kleptomania (stealing things) and pyromania (arson) are two classic examples of an impulse control disorder and are sometimes associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These conditions are like behavioral addictions, characterized by consistent dangerous behaviors that a teen cannot fully control or refrain from. While some teens steal and other teens fuel fires, the inability to stop oneself from dangerous impulses to cope with anxieties and struggles may hint at an impulse control disorder.

Co-Occurring Conditions

These conditions are often related to or can co-occur alongside other teen mental health issues, including:

When to Seek Professional Help

The main difference between disordered behavior and unwanted or unsavory behavior is the inability to change without intervention, the severity of the behavior, and how it affects others. It is entirely normal for teens to misbehave and push boundaries. Sometimes, they go too far and make mistakes they learn from. Some teens take longer to learn certain lessons than others.

But when a teen repeatedly and remorselessly hurts others, or shows remorse yet fails to control themselves, or otherwise becomes a danger to themselves or those around them, it is time to seek professional advice. Disruptive, impulse control and conduct disorders can be severe and damaging to teens and their loved ones. If you suspect that your teen might not be able to improve their behavior on their own, it may be time to get help.

Categories
Treatment

How to Choose the Right Teen Treatment Program

Choosing the right teen treatment program for your child can be very difficult. We are often torn between doing the right thing and wanting the easiest and most comfortable path for our teens. Still, sometimes, specialized or intensive care is the only appropriate measure for ensuring that your child gets the treatment they need. Furthermore, mental disorders come in all shapes and sizes, with a dramatically vast array of associated problems and symptoms. The offer for teen treatment programs is beginning to mirror the complexity with which mental health issues can manifest. It would help if you were as informed as possible when making this choice.

Different Teen Treatment Program Types

Teen treatment programs are focused on providing a flexible treatment plan to match your teen’s needs. To that end, most treatment facilities offer multiple programs depending on:

  • The severity of the disorder.
  • The level of danger a teen might pose for themselves or others.
  • And the appropriate level of care that their specific condition calls for.

Some cases are best treated without much upheaval from everyday life through an outpatient program that focuses on remote monitoring and support, for example. Other issues require a much more rigorous intervention and can involve housing a teen in a residential treatment facility for several weeks or months. It is always best to consult a professional and get a firsthand recommendation for what kind of treatment your teen might need, depending on their diagnosis and symptoms. We will go over some of the most common and basic teen treatment program types you are likely to encounter.

Inpatient vs. Outpatient Treatment

Mental health treatment programs are most often differentiated by being either an inpatient or outpatient program:

  1. Inpatient or residential treatment programs require a teen to live inside the facility throughout the treatment process, always caring for professionals and living alongside other teens.
  2. Outpatient programs are less intensive and focus on providing greater flexibility, allowing a teen to live at home and go to school or work while visiting the outpatient center on a scheduled basis, usually once or twice a week. Outpatient programs are also typically more affordable.

The pros and cons of both serve to skew inpatient programs as more favorable for teens with conditions that require long-term professional care and oversight, especially if their parents are typically at work throughout the week. In contrast, outpatient programs are often more appropriate for teens with moderate symptoms who do not need a more structured residential program. Inpatient programs are typically set in either a clinical or residential property, where teens are given individualized routines to address symptoms and group-based activities to promote healthy social relationships.

Sometimes, inpatient programs serve to take a teen out of a stressful or troubling environment, such as in addiction or trauma cases, where specific triggers could lead to relapses and should be avoided in the early months of treatment. In other cases, a professional might decide that a teen’s family dynamic could be antithetic to their treatment process. In this case, situating them in an inpatient program while addressing family strife through therapy would be far better for the teen’s recovery than an outpatient program that doesn’t serve to address the stressors at home.

Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP)

When teens need a treatment program that transitions them from an inpatient setting into outpatient treatment or need a step up from outpatient treatment before requiring 24-hour care, some professionals might recommend a partial hospitalization program (PHP). This is often a short-term program aimed at providing care for teens who have a hard time at school or work because of their condition but are not a danger to themselves or others. Partial hospitalization is also usually specialized towards teens with co-occurring disorders. Teens are expected to visit the facility during a partial hospitalization program, much like an outpatient program, but for multiple hours a day, often three to five days a week.

Extended Care Treatment

Mental health and addiction treatment programs are usually designed to be the first significant step in a teen’s path towards a better life quality. They are not the A-to-Z of recovery – instead, teens are expected to take what they have learned and experienced and, with the help of their friends and family, leverage this knowledge to cope with future problems, seek help during stressful times, and adhere to a long-term treatment plan that works for them.

But in some cases, the first steps of a teen’s treatment last longer than a few weeks, and extended care is needed. Some facilities provide comprehensive care programs that last several months, helping teens ease out of a residential setting, preparing them for the challenges they will have to overcome in addition to their symptoms and personal difficulties.

Extended care programs usually coordinate with a teen’s school, community, friends, and family to ensure a transition into a healthy and informed support system while helping the teen find their role in life and take on greater responsibilities. Teens will continue to take classes and study on the same level as their classmates while in an extended inpatient care program. These programs often coordinate with educators to adapt the teen’s curriculum into their daily schedule.

Specialty Clinics

Certain mental disorders require specialized care due to the nature of the illness. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma disorders, and eating disorders may require specific or additional features to accommodate better teens with a dangerous or complicated condition that is more likely to lead to self-harm or might otherwise not be fully addressed in an environment that isn’t necessarily equipped with the staff and tools to help these teens.

For example, eating disorders carry the highest risk of death among all mental illnesses. They require a program tailored to a teen’s mental and physical needs, including access to emergency care, nutritional expertise, and physical therapy. Specialty clinics can address such disorders and help teens who might otherwise not get the help they need.

Teens with Mental Disorders Require Professional Help

The treatment process for any teen differs significantly depending on their circumstances and conditions. When choosing a treatment provider, it is essential to consider professional advice and choose based on your teen’s individual needs above all else. There are many different options out there, but often just a handful that is right for your child.

Categories
Substance Abuse

Cocaine Addiction in Teens and How to Help

While cocaine use has dropped significantly in the last decade, it remains a problem for those exposed to the drug at a young age. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant, no matter what form it takes or how it is consumed. Teens who use cocaine experience a mighty dopamine dump and are liable to use it again, mostly because their brains are more susceptible to both the drug’s short-term and long-term effects.

Continued use can lead to dependence and addiction. Like other stimulants, cocaine’s effects on the heart and brain can lead to a drastically shortened lifespan, especially in those addicted to it. The mental health effects of cocaine addiction in teens should not be understated either. Despite triggering euphoria, cocaine use can drastically worsen existing symptoms of anxiety and trigger panic attacks.

Cocaine dependence and addiction can worsen depression, and teens already struggling with mental health conditions are more likely to get hooked on addictive drugs like cocaine. Swift professional treatment, access to helpful physical and mental health resources, and a long-term support system are critical in helping teens with cocaine addiction.

Do Teens Still Use Cocaine?

Although cocaine use has dropped off since the mid-80s, with a dramatic drop occurring around 2009 onwards, nearly a million Americans (913,000) met the diagnostic criteria for cocaine addiction in 2014. The heaviest users now and at the time were young college-aged students, between ages 18-25 (specifically 18-20), who also experienced the most significant drop in user numbers since.

Factors for why cocaine has become less popular include its price and the fact that most teens across all three surveyed school grades (8th, 10th, and 12th grades) overwhelmingly disapprove of cocaine use. That being said, the perceived risk of the drug has gone down somewhat.

Cocaine overdoses and deaths in popular media are no longer relatively as fresh on the mind of today’s youth than it was for the previous generation. While teens still crack cocaine as one of the most dangerous illegal drugs available, they are less disapproving of single-time cocaine use than before.

Cocaine and the Opioid Crisis

Despite the lower perceived risk, cocaine has also become much more dangerous. While cocaine itself is a powerful stimulant, rising death rates point to a dangerous trend of mixing the illegal drug with a powerful synthetic opioid called fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a hundred times stronger than morphine and is usually used in extraordinarily controlled and low doses to address terminal and intractable pain. When mixed into cocaine to cut costs and increase potency, it can lead to a much higher risk of overdose and death.

This new trend is directly related to the opioid crisis, which has led the charge in drug-related deaths after over-prescription of painkillers and unscrupulous marketing tactics in the 1990s eventually led to an increase in illegal opioid use, a resurgence of heroin, and opioid-related overdoses.

While fentanyl is one of the most potent and dangerous additives found in cocaine, it is far from the only one. Because of its cost, cocaine is often cut with other at-times toxic substances, many of which might not elicit a short-term reaction but can lead to significant long-term brain and organ damage.

Signs of Cocaine Addiction in Teens

Cocaine addiction can have a severe physical and mental impact on teens. Symptoms differ depending on the drug’s purity, the filler substances used (if any), and whether a teen is currently coming down from a high, experiencing withdrawal, or presently high. Some common signs of cocaine use and cocaine addiction in teens include:

While using:

  • Manic behavior
  • Low or no appetite
  • Excessive energy and talkativeness (compared to their usual demeanor)
  • Feelings of invincibility and grandeur (more so than other teens)
  • Extreme irritability
  • Excessive sleep
  • Erratic mood

While coming down:

  • Nightmares
  • Signs of depression (long-term low mood and low self-esteem)
  • Signs of anxiety (nervousness, long-term dread or panic, constant worry)
  • Suicidal ideation

Physical signs of frequent use:

  • Twitching or occasional “shakes”
  • Runny nose and no other cold symptoms
  • Loss of sense of smell
  • Unexplained nosebleeds
  • Needle marks (cocaine may be injected instead)
  • Drug paraphernalia (glass pipe for crack cocaine)

Long-Term Effects of Teen Cocaine Addiction

The long-term effects of cocaine depend on the severity of use, frequency of use, the additives found in the drug, and the consumption method. For example, injecting the drug carries a much higher risk of HIV or hepatitis, especially when sharing needles. Some of the long-term effects of cocaine addiction in teens include:

Neurological Effects of Cocaine Addiction

In its pure form, the powerful stimulant effects of cocaine can be addictive, particularly for a developing brain. A modern understanding of addiction defines it as a brain disease or neurological condition. Regular drug use leads to a physical and mental dependence on the drug and the associated phenomenon of withdrawal, growing drug tolerance, and overdose risk.

Teen brains are underdeveloped and more likely to get addicted and be addicted for longer, as most severe addictions correlate with early drug use. While the immediate effects of cocaine on the brain are felt as “positive” (boundless energy, increased motivation, and a manic feeling), the long-term effects are severely adverse. They include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Suicidal ideation
  • Chronic headaches
  • Loss of motivation
  • Feeling excessively tired
  • Feeling unable to function without the drug
  • Feelings of paranoia

Physical Effects of Cocaine Addiction

Aside from the physical risk of overdose, cocaine’s long-term toxicity is felt the most in the heart, liver, and brain, where the drug can cause severe damage and induce a stroke, heart attack, or liver failure. Most heavy cocaine users also displayed abnormal liver function and were at a much higher risk of heart-related illnesses and sudden death. Cocaine use can also lead to other physical dangers due to being high, sharing needles, or reaching a near-toxic dose.

How to Help and When to Seek Treatment

While fewer teens use cocaine than before, it’s still a problem for many teens, and nearly a third of surveyed teens reported that finding and buying cocaine today would be relatively easy. Treating cocaine addiction can be difficult because of how addiction affects the teen brain. However, a dedicated and individualized treatment plan and long-term support can significantly reduce the chance of a relapse and help teens learn to cope with cravings and develop the toolset to combat their addiction: the earlier treatment starts, the better.

Categories
Synthetic Drugs

What Are Synthetic Drugs?

Drug use can often be deadly, but some substances are much more dangerous than others – especially for teens. While there is no such thing as a safe recreational drug, synthetic drugs can be incredibly confusing in safety and legality. These substances are difficult to track and classify, and manufacturers often utilize legal loopholes to alter existing formulas minimally and evade the law’s iron fist. However, their dubious legality does not speak towards their safety.

These drugs are poorly if ever tested, are often mixed with unknown substances, and come with a long list of dangerous and, at times, lethal side effects. Teens, who are still growing and thus less physically developed than their adult counterparts, are often more susceptible to these dangerous side effects and may be more likely to meet these drugs through dealers who specifically target partygoers and young clients unaware of how dangerous these untested “legal” highs can be.

The Legal Dangers of Synthetic Drugs

While drugs like alcohol and marijuana have their fair share of dangerous effects and health concerns, particularly for underaged teens, they are more heavily regulated in most states than these synthetic drugs. The long-term and short-term effects of these drugs are well understood and studied compared to something as fresh and dangerous as a synthetic amphetamine or cannabinoid.

Synthetic drugs are human-made analogs to existing substances in nature, such as cathinone and cannabidiol, manufactured in laboratories worldwide and shipped into countries with existing or growing markets. To avoid heavy scrutiny, the legal and base ingredients for these drugs are often imported and declared for industrial or scientific use and used to create recreational synthetic medicines in domestic labs.

These drugs are structurally like existing substances heavily regulated, but different enough that these laws may not necessarily apply to them. On a biological level, these substances continue to affect the same receptors as herbal drugs like marijuana and khat – but because of their synthetic nature, the side effects and other psychological impacts can vary wildly from substance to substance, lab to lab, and person to person.

As such, they have until recently been available in gas station convenience shops in the form of aromatic products, potpourri, and other products not explicitly marketed for human consumption yet sold exclusively as a drug among those in-the-know. While regulatory bodies like the DEA continue to work hard to create and enforce legal boundaries on so-called novel psychoactive substances (synthetic drugs), slight modifications in these substances’ production can still be used to evade regulations, at least for a time.

Thankfully, the regulation of entire classifications of drugs (such as synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, amphetamine-like substances, and other designer drugs) has dramatically reduced the sale and use of synthetic drugs the US over the last few years. But that does not mean the danger has been eliminated, and manufacturers are continuing to come up with new formulas and look for new ways to exploit legal loopholes and sell their “legal highs.”

Main Types of Synthetic Drugs

Enough research and ingenuity can lead to developing any number of synthetic drugs or designer drugs, usually explicitly designed to mimic an existing substance or elicit several effects. However, most synthetic drugs can be divided into three popular categories: artificial stimulants (traditionally based on amphetamines), synthetic cathinones, and synthetic cannabinoids.

Synthetic Stimulants (Amphetamine-Like Drugs)

Synthetic stimulants are often designed to affect the same receptors as amphetamines, but with many common side effects past the stimulant effect. These include:

  • Hallucinations and drug-induced psychosis
  • Nightmares
  • Nausea and stomach issues
  • Headaches
  • Brain damage
  • Kidney damage
  • Liver damage

Synthetic Cannabinoids

While there have not been any overdoses caused by cannabis, cannabinoids are multiple times more potent than their natural analog – and may cause death. They have grown popular on the dark web. Some teens may underestimate the potency and lethality of synthetic cannabis because they’ve heard that the real stuff isn’t as dangerous as other drugs – but synthetic cannabinoids only share their target receptors and are otherwise very different substances. Other side effects include:

  • Intense nausea
  • Paranoia
  • Delusions
  • Intense heartbeat
  • Suicidal ideation

Synthetic Cathinones

Sometimes known as “bath salts,” these designer drugs are analogous to the psychoactive substance found in khat, an Ethiopian flowering plant used locally for its stimulant effects. However, like synthetic cannabis, synthetic cathinones are much more potent than the real thing and subsequently much more dangerous. Common side effects include:

  • Lowered inhibition towards strangers
  • Paranoia
  • Delusions and hallucinations
  • Increased agitation (to an extreme degree)
  • Heightened libido
  • Panic attacks

Recognizing Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic drugs will be marketed as legal highs, often in various household products not meant for human consumption (to evade regulations through the FDA). Examples of different household products usually sold as legal highs include:

  • Jewelry cleaners
  • Phone screen cleaners
  • VCR head cleaners
  • Potpourri
  • Scent makers
  • Plant food/fertilizer
  • Bath salts
  • And more

Brand names, on the other hand, are near-infinite in their variations and potential meanings. Common ones include Spice, Bliss, Vanilla Sky, Cloud Nine, and countless different versions thereof. The chances are that if you see a no-brand or unknown cleaning product sold as a whitish or brown crystalline powder, with a name that has little to do with its efficacy as a detergent or stain remover, it is probably best to stay away or do some additional research. These synthetic drugs are usually sold in crystal or powder form to be dissolved, injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested. When sold as potpourri, they may be sprayed onto thin strips of colored paper.

Talking to Your Teen About Synthetic Drugs

The dangers in synthetic drugs lie not only in their completely untested nature and a long list of lethal side effects, but also in the fact that no regulatory bodies are controlling the design, manufacture, and packaging of these drugs, meaning:

  • Some batches will be much stronger than others.
  • Some paper strips will be more deeply saturated than the next.
  • Any given dose (due to these dangerous inconsistencies) could contain a lethal level of the drug.

These drugs are inherently more hazardous than others. Teens are wont to experiment. But these drugs are far too dangerous to experiment with. Be sure your teen knows and understands the moneymaking scheme behind these so-called “legal highs” and their inherent random lethality.

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