Course Summary

Expiration Date: 07/28/2028

Synthetic cathinones, commonly referred to as “bath salts,” are potent psychoactive substances associated with severe cardiovascular, neurologic, and psychiatric complications. Structurally related to amphetamines, these designer stimulants increase synaptic dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Acute intoxication may result in agitation, psychosis, seizures, hyperthermia, and fatal arrhythmias. This course reviews the pharmacology, clinical presentation, and management of synthetic cathinone toxicity, illustrated through case studies involving NSTEMI and cardiac arrest. Given the lack of an antidote, treatment is supportive, emphasizing early recognition and symptom-targeted care.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

  • Introduction
  • Pharmacology and Mechanism of Action
  • Clinical Manifestations and Pathophysiology
  • Diagnostic Approach
  • Treatment and Supportive Care
  • JOURNAL CLUB: CARDIOVASCULAR COMPLICATIONS FROM SYNTHETIC CATHINONES: TWO ILLUSTRATIVE CASES
    • Introduction
    • Case 1: 28-Year-Old Man with NSTEMI Induced by 4-MMC and 3-MMC
    • Case 2: 49-Year-Old Man with Cardiac Arrest Following 4-MMC Use
  • Summary

Authors

Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS

Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.

Elisabeth Gordon, BScPharm, RPh

Elisabeth Gordon earned her BSc(Pharm) from the University of British Columbia in 2004. After graduation, she worked in community retail pharmacies on Vancouver Island, before returning to her rural hometown of Salmon Arm. In 2016 and 2017, Elisabeth trained with Pallium Canada and Victoria Hospice to enhance her knowledge of end-of-life-care and palliative services. She is a volunteer medical supervisor for T1DOutreach, a peer support platform for adults living with type 1 diabetes, and a member of a Canadian peer support group for adults living with Birdshot Uveitis. Elisabeth enjoys working in a small, fast-paced rural pharmacy where she brings compassion and empathy to her everyday practice.