Flakka drugs are man-made, typically from a manufactured version of an Amphetamine-like Stimulant in the Cathinone class called Alpha-PVP. Similar chemically to MDVP, more commonly known as bath salts, Flakka is currently classified as a Schedule I drug. The DEA defines the Schedule I status as drugs with no medical value and a high potential for abuse.
Methamphetamines
But like “bath salts,” a group of related synthetic drugs that were banned in 2012, flakka has the potential to be much more dangerous than cocaine. In 2012, the Drug Enforcement Administration banned two chemicals used to make the synthetic street drug bath salts. In response, illegal drug manufacturers tweaked their formula. Flakka has gained fame due to its ability to cause erratic and dangerous behavior in users. Like cocaine and methamphetamine, Flakka stimulates the release of feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine and norepinephrine, Hall said.
What are the side effects of Flakka?
In such instances, it’s imperative to seek medical help right away, as these symptoms indicate a critical situation that could escalate rapidly. Flakka’s potency and the unpredictability of its effects add to its danger. Reported to be over ten times stronger than Cocaine, Flakka’s composition may vary, sometimes including elements that induce dissociative states similar to those experienced with Ketamine or sedatives like Benzodiazepines. According to court documents, a Fla. man recently began hallucinating while under the influence of Flakka and thought someone was going to kill him. As a result of his paranoia, he attacked an 86-year-old woman and killed her. President-elect Donald Trump, spoke ahead of a January trial to determine which assets he must surrender to Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss.
The immediate and long-term effects of cathinones can rival some of the strongest crystal meth and cocaine. Flakka is most typically made from the chemical alpha-PVP, which is a synthetic version of the amphetamine-like stimulant cathinone. Cathinones are chemicals derived from the khat plant grown in the Middle East and Somalia, where the leaves are frequently chewed for a euphoric buzz. Although a typical flakka high can last one to several hours, it is possible that the neurological effects can be permanent.
- Bath salts is a colloquial term used to refer to a variety of synthetic cathinones.
- Currently in New Mexico, Delaware, Oklahoma, and Virginia alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (Flakka) is a Schedule I drug.
- In fact, it can be downright bizarre – including this case in Florida, where a man apparently using the drug offered a ride to the woman whose car he stole.
- This can lead to kidney failure and result in a user needing permanent dialysis.
Cocaine
The practice of jump-starting a cycle of Flakka used to counter negative come downs will eventually lead to tolerance to the drug. This will eventually require the user to increase the dosage of the drug to experience the same “high”, thereby exposing the user to overdose, dangerous effects, drug dependence and even death. However, since Flakka mimics methamphetamine and cocaine, its long term effects may rival the two mentioned illicit drugs. Flakka is a very powerful psychoactive stimulant that is similar to MDPV and pyrovalerone. It is abused mostly for its euphoric effect, alertness, excitement, improved productivity, strength and endurance. This compound has been available online as recreational designer drug.
Researchers have not thoroughly clinically studied the long-term effects of flakka, what does flakka smell like but renal failure can occur that is irreversible. Since flakka is so new, researchers aren’t sure exactly how it affects the brain, or how addictive it is. “When we first heard the word we thought it was referring to the fact that it’s a strong stimulant, almost all stimulants have an appetite depressant quality to them, an almost anorexic quality.” “Flakka largely emerged as a replacement to MDVP in ‘bath salts’,” said Lucas Watterson, a postdoctoral researcher at Temple University School of Medicine Center for Substance Abuse Research.
There are five schedules of controlled substances labeled from 1-V, with the classification based on the pertaining drug’s medical applications, safety, and abuse potential. The drug takes on the form of a pink or white, nasty-smelling crystal that can be snorted, eaten, injected or even vaporized in an e-cigarette. When vaporized, overdosing on the drug may happen as the drug quickly enters into the bloodstream. Flakka is dose-specific that even a minute amount will give the user his desired effect.
These designer drugs came on the 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. Alpha-PVP is made in China and contains synthetic chemicals that block the molecules that keep dopamine and serotonin – neurotransmitters which help determine mood – balanced in the brain. Flakka allows those neurotransmitters to flood the brain producing a high.
