Flakka causes intense delusions, which are key to its allure yet also cause for concern. This controlled substance may be deadly, especially when combined with vaping (smoking it with a vaporizing e-cigarette). Evidence suggests the illegal drug has only recently come on the scene. Flakka drugs brains and behavior is a powerful drug that can cause adverse health effects. Let Resurgence Behavioral Health help you put drugs and alcohol in your past with our high-quality recovery programs. Heather most recently served as the Clinical Director of a gender-specific treatment center in Huntington Beach.
Why is Flakka addictive?
While the attention given to the flakka and its effects on the brain here nationally, the drug–as well as all synthetic drugs–are seen around the world. Most of these synthetic drugs–which were banned worldwide in 2006–start off in New Zealand, then spread to Eastern and Western Europe, then to the United States. According to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System, Florida had 672 recorded cases of flakka in 2014, compared to the 2,720 nationally.
Why Do Drug Addicts Frequently Yawn?
Usage of this drug can change an individual’s consciousness, memory, and attention span. People who use Flakka have also been reported to show unpredictable and violent behaviors that stem out of their paranoia, hallucinations, and the feeling that they have superhuman strength. For this reason, the production, sale, and use of Flakka are illegal.
Forms and Routes of Administration
Law enforcement and medical professionals certainly consider the drug to be highly dangerous, as do our drug rehab addiction specialists. Flakka is similarly dangerous to bath salts, which may also be addictive. Flakka symptoms of addiction are similar to other synthetic cathinones. People who exhibit an addiction to bath salts may act similarly to those addicted to flakka.
What Are the Symptoms of Synthetic Marijuana Withdrawal?
At high doses, Flakka can affect the body’s temperature; it will reach high temperatures and sometimes this extreme change can lead to muscle breakdown and subsequent kidney damage. One of the top habits that can do all of these is exercise, which is known to increase sleep quality, decrease symptoms of sleep disorders, antagonist definition and usage examples and improve overall health and well-being. Exercise also helps us get good quality sleep, which has an impact on our brain health. A healthy brain can protect us from the neurodegenerative diseases of aging like Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, both of which impact older individuals most commonly.
Related Treatments
After multiple days of symptomatic treatment with benzodiazepines and antipsychotics, the patient became coherent enough to give a history of a “friend” putting Flakka in her food at school as a joke. Although she continues to have residual symptoms including psychomotor agitation and slowing of cognition, she was alert, oriented, and able to be discharged home with proper follow-up. Currently, drug abuse is a significant issue in the area of public health and, more importantly, among recreational users of the so-called “designer drugs”, “legal proceeds”, or “research chemicals”. There have been about 540 various drugs categorized as novel psychoactive substances since 2014 [1].
On the other hand, most users prefer designer drugs because they are often more potent, have fewer side effects, and sometimes, even cheaper. Flakka is the street name of a relatively new synthetic psychoactive drug. Its technical name is alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone or alpha-PVP. Since that is a mouthful and nearly impossible to remember, it is more popularly known as flakka, flocka or gravel. Flakka is coined from the Spanish slang “la flaca” which is often used to describe a pretty skinny girl, especially in the context of clubbing.
This drug has the combined effects of methamphetamine and cocaine without the price tag. Flakka is the most recent synthetic compound that has alarmed the public health sector. This new designer drug called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP) is a tweaked version of bath salts. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), Flakka drug use is surging in Florida. Like cocaine and methamphetamine, Flakka stimulates the release of feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine and norepinephrine, Hall said.
In the case of flakka, the new chemical is called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone or alpha-PVP. Drug users take flakka to get a feeling of euphoria, a heightened sense of awareness, stimulation, and energy. It is also known as « gravel » due to its white, crystal-like appearance. Flakka is a highly potent drug that can be snorted, injected, eaten, smoked, or vaporized in e-cigarettes. When heated up, it gives off a foul-smelling smoke characterized as smelling like dirty socks.
The result of the cellular products and proteins released during rhabdomyolysis and dehydration can impair the filtering function of the kidneys, leading to renal failure and death. In addition, such agitation may trigger Taser use or other methods that have the potential to harm the individual when law enforcement personnel have to intervene. In South Florida, there has been a highly addictive new synthetic drug flooding the streets for people looking for a cheap high. Although people use Flakka for its amphetamine addiction potential euphoric high, symptoms are known to easily escalate into frightening delusions, paranoid psychosis, extreme agitation, and a multitude of other altered mental states. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Florida appears to be the nation’s hot spot for reports of Flakka. In this case report, a 17-year-old female with no prior psychiatric diagnosis presents to the hospital under a 72-hour involuntary placement for altered mental status with agitation and psychotic behaviors.
The growing number of seizures, intoxications, and deaths connected with α-PVP exploitation, and the lack of a relevant antidote for cathinone exposure, requires further investigation among toxicologists. In addition, national governments should take relevant measures in order to control the use of this novel dangerous drug. Future research should focus on the development of analytical methods for rapid identification in both live and dead specimens. There is increasing evidence that α-PVP has a cocaine-like stimulating effect. In fact, it is more effective than common psychostimulants such as cocaine and amphetamine [48,49].
These can minimize the chance of persistent mood disorders, pain, and restlessness. The Texas Poison Center Network experienced an influx of calls due to flakka. On their site, they warn that hyperthermia is a long-term flakka effect. This is because this type of drug causes muscles to break down over time. The kidney especially takes a toll; it can fail because of extensive flakka use.
- A brief review of the previously reported human α-PVP poisoning cases is summarized in Table 1.
- It’s impossible to treat flakka safely without medical intervention.
- Her story is a cautionary tale that could have ended much worse.
The country has become a significant producer of synthetic drugs and bath salts in recent years. The other reason Flakka appeals to young adults is that it produces a strong sense of euphoria. However, as a Flakka user consumes more of the drug, their body builds up a tolerance and a higher dose is needed each time to feel the same high. Because of how new the drug is, it is impossible to predict the long-term effects. However, both are still considered dangerous drugs with a high potential for abuse.
China’s position on flakka means that it is acceptable in certain medical situations when the doctor deems it necessary. Flakka has a similar classification in Australia, where it may only be used for medical or scientific research. Many other nations including the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, and Sweden forbid the use of flakka in any way. As a synthetic substance, flakka is chemically known as alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (α-PVP). Others may even call it as « gravel » because it is in a crystal form, similar to the small stones at the bottom of fish tanks. Other names of flakka include prolintane and desmethyl pyrovalerone.
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