Back in 2010, not a single case of the drug had been reported in the US. Tia is the managing editor and was previously a senior writer for Live Science. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Wired.com and other outlets. Tia was part of a team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that published the Empty Cradles series on preterm births, which won multiple awards, including the 2012 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. About 22 percent of the drug seizures that tested positive for alpha-PVP came from South Florida, according to the data. Always conduct independent research (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo, PubMed) to ensure that a combination of two or more substances is safe to consume.

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It has the molecular formula of C15H21NO, a cathione that is structurally related to methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and pyrovalerone. Both chemicals have been known to affect the body’s dopamine and norepinephrine level. It follows that the risks in taking Flakka is considerably more so for people with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental and physical illnesses. Last year, flakka drug wikipedia police in Florida, where flakka has a stronghold, busted a 22-year-old woman for importing the drug from China, the Broward Palm Beach New Times reported. The year before, a 22-year-old student at Hunter College in New York City was arrested for trafficking more than a pound of alpha-PVP from Shanghai into the U.S., according to the New York Post. For those unfamiliar with flakka, here’s what you should know about the designer drug, its make-up and what it can do to a person.

The year 2015 saw hundreds of deaths related to the drug Flakka—most often resulting from overdose, heart attack, and suicide. Emergency visits linking back to Flakka abuse increased tenfold in the last year. Because Flakka is a synthetic, lab-made drug, its effects are unpredictable. On one side of the spectrum, use of the drug can lead to euphoria, dancing, and spastic movements. On the other end, users will experience delusions, hallucinations, seizures, muscle cramps and spasms.

One single dose—costing under five dollars—can give a user an intense, fleeting high. One single dose can also lead a user into severe paranoia, aggression, and hyper-stimulation. The high from Flakka can last up to several hours, much longer than that of cocaine. When a user is experiencing these effects, it can lead to paranoia and violent aggression or even cause a psychotic episode. In some cases, it can cause acute liver and renal failure, hypertension, narrowing of the blood vessels, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm and death.

Flakka also doesn’t carry the stigma cocaine does – at least that’s what some of Cidambi’s college-aged patients told her. Some young addicts believe flakka is just “not as bad as cocaine,” she said. At high doses, flakka may also cause the body to reach high temperatures (bath salts have been linked with the same symptom). This excessive temperature can lead to severe physical complications like kidney damage and muscle breakdown. Despite its street-level reputation as a “zombie drug,” it’s primarily a chemical cousin of other stimulants like amphetamines and “bath salts,” with a high risk of severe side effects.

A person with Flakka addiction may exhibit physical symptoms like increased heart rate, loss of muscle fiber, uncontrolled muscle spasms and other physical problems. Psychological symptoms include paranoia, delusions, poor judgement, disorientation and more. Flakka is a synthetic cathinone drug chemically similar to bath salts, whose effects mirror that of the stimulant cocaine. It most commonly takes the form of white or pink, foul-smelling crystals that can be eaten, snorted, injected, smoked, or vaporized.

• Flakka, though not as widespread as often portrayed in sensationalized media reports, poses real dangers to users and communities.
• Flakka was banned by the Drug Enforcement Administration in early 2014.
• There is not much research uet on the effects of combining overdose and flakka, but it is always dangerous to mix drugs and there have been reports of the mixtures leading to overdose and death.
• Long-term use of flakka often leaves irreparable damage to the body and mind.
• Using flakka can elicit highly unusual episodes of profound mental illness.
• It is strongly recommended that one use harm reduction practices when using this substance.

Subjective effects

The potential for addiction and abuse is very high with both substances, but flakka tends to be more potent. Flakka is cheap and highly addictive, two factors that predominantly led to its recent surge. According to one study, users need ten times less the amount of Flakka as they do cocaine in order to get addicted to the drug. Flakka blocks a user’s dopamine and norepinephrine transporter proteins from functioning properly in the brain. This leads to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and dopamine production, making the brain demand more and more of the drug to register reward.

These outcomes can depend on the amount of the drug taken and the user’s individual metabolic balance. Phenethylamines are hallucinogenic stimulants, such as amphetamines and ecstasy, or MDMA. Flakka and other synthetic cathinones are phenethylamines that are more commonly available for illegal purchase than MDMA and amphetamines. They are synthetic forms of khat, a substance derived from the leaves of a flowering plant native to Africa and the Middle East. It has been used for centuries as a recreational drug in African and Middle Eastern countries, where people chew the leaves for a stimulant effect. However, the drug is highly regulated and deemed illegal by most governments around the world because it has such harmful long-term effects.

Recovery Programs

Law enforcement and community activists were instrumental in limiting the damage done by the drug’s dangerous effects. Most reports of flakka after 2016 turned out to be other similar chemicals in the bath salt family. There are no specific treatment medications that address flakka withdrawal directly, but many benzodiazepines can help keep a person stable if administered under professional supervision.

Flakka was added to the Schedule I list in 2014 by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This was part of an effort to curb the abuse of synthetic drugs, which were becoming increasingly popular and causing significant health issues. If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health or substance abuse, we can help.

Flakka is a synthetic substance that has earned sensational nicknames like the “zombie drug.” However, there’s a lot more to it regarding its chemistry, effects, and impact on the community. Individuals with flakka overdose were isolated to a few geographic regions of the country. The epicenter of the flakka epidemic was Broward County, Florida, which includes the city of Fort Lauderdale.

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Serotonin syndrome requires immediate medical attention and can be fatal if left untreated. Because of this affordability, the drug is appealing to economically vulnerable groups, contributing to pockets of higher usage despite overall modest national prevalence. Because flakka’s potency can spark life-threatening complications (high fever, heart issues), using this drug can lead to emergency room overcrowding. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor. Manufacturers frequently mix α-PVP with cheap fillers such as caffeine or sugar to alter appearance and maximize profit. These additives rarely affect the psychoactive strength of the drug but can further complicate health risks.

Serotonin syndrome risk

Α-PVP’s structure consists of a cathinone core with a propyl group substituted at the alpha carbon, and a pyrrolidine ring at the amino group. From medically assisted interventions to harm reduction policies, a multi-layered approach can help individuals and communities manage and prevent this dangerous drug. However, dopamine depletion or receptor damage can lead to crashes, depression, or psychosis over time. Effective treatment typically includes a combination of medical detoxification, behavioral therapies, and ongoing support to manage cravings and prevent relapse. Researchers have not thoroughly clinically studied the long-term effects of flakka, but renal failure can occur that is irreversible.

Who is at Risk of Using Flakka?

Α-PVP produces cross-tolerance with all dopaminergic stimulants, meaning that after the consumption of α-PVP all stimulants will have a reduced effect. Flakka is a dangerous drug, and seeking help is crucial if you suspect someone is using it. If you or someone you know needs assistance, consider reaching out to a professional or a helpline.

Flakka vs. bath salts

Here’s what you need to know about the latest controversial designer drug. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Austin Harrouff, a 19-year-old Florida State University student, stabbed a married couple to death in their Jupiter, Florida home, and then gnawed at the male victim’s face. The FSU fraternity brother grunted like an animal as police tried to subdue him during the Monday night attack, officials said.

Flakka is a dangerous drug that has many bad side effects, mostly including changes in behavior or mood. Despite the DEA’s efforts to ban flakka, the drug is still being manufactured and sold illegally, often through online vendors. The core chemical compound used to make flakka, alpha-PVP, is still legal in many parts of the world.

Learn to spot the warning signs of abusing common prescription drugs and learn about treatment options for pill addiction. Evidence suggests the illegal drug has only recently come on the scene. Anecdotal reports suggest that there do not seem to be any negative health effects attributed to simply trying this substance at low to moderate doses by itself and using it sparingly (but nothing can be guaranteed).

Reports from flakka victims show that they are often in a trance-like state, can hardly control themselves and in some cases even become dangerous to other people. This uncontrollable aggression and lack of sensitivity to pain make dealing with those affected extremely risky. Using flakka can elicit highly unusual episodes of profound mental illness.