Using the latest party drug called “bath salts” could cost you an arm and a leg, literally!

That’s the gist of a new warning from the American Association of Poison Control, who received more than 6,000 calls last year related to bath salts. As we’ve talked about before, that’s the slang term for a white, powdery drug called mephedrone, that can be swallowed, snorted or injected. And while it’s legal to sell, bath salts are incredibly dangerous!

In fact, because the drug targets neurotransmitters in the brain, it can cause intense cravings, hallucinations, and rapid heart rates that have been linked to seizures, coma and deaths. However, the latest danger with bath salts is their link to a fast-moving, flesh-eating infection that can kill within 24 hours.

That’s what almost happened to a woman we read about in New Orleans, who admitted herself to the hospital shortly after injecting herself with bath salts at a party. At first, doctors noticed a “smelly drainage” coming from the tissue around the injection site, but within hours, they discovered an infection moving so fast, they could see it destroying healthy tissue in its path!  So, to save the woman’s life, doctors were forced to remove her arm and shoulder, and perform a mastectomy.

The good news is that at least 16 states have enacted emergency bans on bath salts.  However, experts worry that as bath salts become more popular, this kind of infection could grow more common.  That’s one more reason why you should avoid bath salts, even if you hear they’re safe, because as this report makes clear, your life and limbs may depend on it!