Flakka Drug: What It Is, Effects, and Nicknames

The TPCN explains that the active chemical can cause “excited delirium”, which results in hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that can lead to “violent aggression”. Given the availability and widespread distribution of the drug, however, if it turned users into cannibals, there would be more reports of such instances publicly available. People who become addicted to flakka may be recommended behavioral treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or a full drug addiction rehab program. As a relatively new drug, the long-term effects of Flakka haven’t been widely studied but all psychoactive drugs are known to cause cardiovascular problems, respiratory difficulties, kidney and liver damage. If you are struggling with Flakka addiction, it is important to get help from a medical professional who can facilitate a full drug rehab programme.

Legal status

Little information is known about flakka outside what is reported from users. When someone is addicted to flakka, they can experience withdrawal symptoms without it. Flakka has been linked to several deaths by suicide, as well as heart attacks. The drug can also raise body temperature dangerously high, leading to kidney damage or failure.

Flakka Addiction Treatment

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. Flakka is an addictive street drug similar to khat and bath salts.

Effects of Flakka

Among them, α-pyrrolidopentadione (α-PVP), or “Flakka” (street name), is one of the most famous cathinone-designed drugs. Similar to other synthetic cathinone drugs, α-PVP can effectively inhibit norepinephrine and dopamine transmitters. The adverse reactions of α-PVP mainly include mania, tachycardia, and hallucinations. An increasing number of people are being admitted to emergency wards due to the consequences of their use.

Crack is a crystal form of the drug that’s smoked and absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs. These designer drugs came on the the general formula for alcohol is scene fairly recently and became popular fast. That may be because they were easy to get and used to be hard to detect in drug tests.

1. In the course of the last four years, Flakka (α-PVP) has penetrated markets all over the world, especially the US, European states, Australia, and Japan.
2. A synthetic drug known on the streets as “Flakka” (α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, α-PVP) has become popular in the United States.
3. It is common to hear reports that it takes multiple people to restrain and sedate these patients.
4. Marijuana contains the chemical THC, which acts on different parts of the brain to create the “high” that users experience, such as changes in sensations, mood, body movements, thinking, and memory.
5. Synthetic cathinone abuse mainly leads to sympathomimetic toxicity, which is mostly manifested as mania, tachycardia, high blood pressure, and occasionally hallucinations, hyponatremia, chest pain, and nausea.
6. The active ingredient is psilocybin, which is a hallucinogen found in certain types of mushrooms.

It is also possible for Flakka to be put into an e-cigarette and vaped. The effects of the drug can last as little as just a few hours, but they can also continue for several days. After symptoms of flakka have subsided, the patient is discharged.

These two drugs share a lot in common but are easy to differentiate. They are both synthetic drugs belonging to a class known as cathinones. They also have a relatively similar effect on the individuals who use them, though with some differences. As a psychostimulant, flakka drug use tends to make the user feel symptoms related to increased activity of the central nervous system. However, unlike other stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamines, there is a psychoactive component to α-PVP. Unlike most drugs in this class which simply have an excitatory effect on the central nervous system, this one also has psychoactive effects, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the zombie drug.

In some of the documented delusions, individuals’ experiences are of a typical paranoia, where the drug users feel they are being chased by a large group of people trying to kill them. These patients are a threat to themselves, the people around them, and the first responders (police, EMS) who are there to help them. It is common to hear reports that it takes multiple people to restrain and sedate these patients. Rescue alcohol and rage what you need to know crews and emergency department staff need to give sedatives to these patients to calm them and make them safe. Various instances of “Man on Flakka” have been captured in videos on news channels and social media platforms such as YouTube. These instances highlight the profound and often alarming effects that flakka can have on behavior and mental state, emphasizing its dangers to both users and the community at large.

Flakka reduces the reuptake of dopamine which produces a state of euphoria and elation, as well as increased alertness and often aggressive behaviour. If substance abuse is a problem for you, waiting will only make things worse. Instead, explore your choices in medical detox and addiction treatment. No older adults national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism niaaa matter what the drug of choice is, there are a number of treatment services available that can help people in overcoming substance abuse. Legal or not, the dangers of continued drug and alcohol abuse are many – and with a drug like Flakka, deadly health problems can begin sooner rather than later.

Though cravings may occur, physical dependence isn’t usually present with hallucinogens. Users inject it into the bloodstream, and it has a rapid and brief effect. It’s a combination of several harmful chemicals including codeine, iodine, gasoline, paint thinner, lighter fluid and others. “The main issue with this whole category is that the user just doesn’t know what they’re taking or the strength of what they’re taking, and literally they are the guinea pigs,” he said. “We’re referring to these as the guinea pig drugs. Often the dealer might not even know what they’re selling.”