Cathinones (bath salts) addiction

Cathinone is the active ingredient in the ‘khat’ plant, which people have chewed for its effects for hundreds of years. Synthetic cathinone drugs are lab-made versions designed to act in a similar way.

When they first appeared, many synthetic cathinones were sold legally, since drug laws hadn’t caught up. That’s part of why they became known as legal highs, even though most are now controlled substances. 

Common types include mephedrone, MDPV, and monkey dust.

Cathinones usually come as a powder, tablet, capsule, or crystal, and can be swallowed, snorted, or injected. Because early versions resembled the crystals used in bath salts, that name stuck, alongside others like drone and meow meow for specific cathinones.

Cathinones work on the brain’s reward system, like other stimulants.

Normally, your brain clears away certain chemicals once they’ve done their job, using other substances that act like a drain.

Research on how cathinones affect the brain shows that cathinones interfere with that process in one of two ways:

• Some block the drain directly, so those chemicals build up in the brain instead of being cleared away. 
• Others force the brain to release even more of these chemicals than usual. Some cathinones do both at once.

Either way, the result is a flood of chemicals your brain doesn’t normally produce in that amount. That explains why the high feels so intense, and why the urge to use again, and again, can set in so quickly.

In the short term, bath salts drug effects can include:

• A rush of euphoria
• Extra energy
• Confidence
• Heightened alertness
• Rising heart rate and blood pressure rise
• Sweating
• Grinding teeth
• Tremors.

When cathinones are taken in a hot environment, like a club, the effects can be dangerous. Overheating and dehydration are risks, and if you drink too much water too quickly to cool down, it can throw off the salt balance in your body. 

Some cathinones, monkey dust in particular, have been linked to aggressive or unpredictable behaviour. FRANK’s guidance on cathinone risks warns that higher doses raise the risk of seizures, a racing heart, confusion, and, in some cases, psychosis. 

Anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure, epilepsy, or asthma is at particular risk from these effects.

Injecting cathinones carries extra risks too, including bloodborne infections and damage to the veins.

Cathinone dependence can be physical, psychological, or both. 

• Physical dependence means your body has adjusted to the drug being there. 
• Psychological dependence means you’ve come to rely on cathinones to feel able to cope, even when part of you knows it isn’t helping.

Cathinones can be difficult to stop once you’ve started, sometimes even within a single session. Some users find it almost impossible to put the drug down until their entire supply is gone.

This isn’t a lack of willpower – they act directly on the brain’s reward system, and repeated use can quickly build a pattern of compulsive, drug-seeking behaviour. 

Recognising cathinone addiction in yourself, or in someone you know, isn’t always straightforward, especially with a drug this unfamiliar to most people.

A few patterns are common.

• Needing more cathinones to get the same effect
• Using the drugs in larger amounts, or for longer, than planned
• Spending a lot of time getting, using, or recovering from cathinones
• Struggling to cut down, even when you want to
• Letting cathinones interfere with work, relationships, or responsibilities
• Continuing to use despite the problems it’s causing

None of these on their own confirm addiction. But together, especially if they’re building, they add up to a pattern that deserves attention.

Stopping cathinones after regular use can bring on withdrawal symptoms. Research on cathinone withdrawal symptoms found common reactions cold include:

• Tiredness
• Insomnia
• Blocked nose
• Difficulty concentrating

These symptoms are a recognised physical response to the brain adjusting after a period of intense stimulation. Stopping without support can feel especially hard because of this. A medically supervised drug detox can help manage this process safely.

Cathinone use carries a real risk of psychosis, including hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and agitation. A review of cathinone-related psychosis found that around 38% of people using synthetic cathinones in the studies analysed went on to develop psychotic symptoms.

Existing anxiety, depression, or other mental health difficulties can make cathinone use more likely in the first place, and using cathinones can then make those same difficulties worse. 

If you are experiencing both, the intersection of addiction and mental health difficulties is something treatment can address together.