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Updated: May 10, 2026

Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones
Published on: February 5, 2018
Intranasal substituted cathinone "bath salts" psychosis potentially exacerbated by diphenhydramine
Erik W Gunderson1, Matthew G Kirkpatrick, Laura M Willing
1University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA. erikgunderson@virginia.edu
Abstract:
In this report, we describe a case of intranasal "bath salts"-associated psychosis. Symptoms developed during a 3-week binge and were potentially exacerbated by oral diphenhydramine taken for insomnia. The clinical case conference includes expert discussion from 3 disciplines: emergency medicine toxicology, behavioral pharmacology, and addiction medicine. It is hoped that the discussion will provide insight into the clinical aspects and challenges of addressing acute substituted cathinone toxicity, including acute psychosis, a major adverse effect of bath salts consumption.
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