Thanks to their specific properties, these drugs create inimitable experiences for intoxicated people. Synthetic cathinones are the most common compounds in these new drugs. Among them, α-pyrrolidopentadione (α-PVP), or “Flakka” (street name), is one of the most famous cathinone-designed drugs.
Flakka (Zombie Drug) vs. Bath Salts
Withdrawal symptoms like tremors, anxiety, sleeping issues, and depression are seen with synthetic cathinones. Natural cathinone (monoamine alkaloid) is found in shrubs like khat. Cathinone has stimulant effects similar to Amphetamines, Ephedrine, Methcathinone, and Cathine. Alpha – Pyrrolidinopentiophenone https://rehabliving.net/alcohol-use-weighing-risks-and-benefits/ (alpha-PVP) is the active chemical ingredient in Flakka. It causes excessive synaptic activation and a condition known as agitated delirium. In this state, an altered mental status will result in anxiety, bizarre behavior, confusion, agitation, violent outbursts, and seizures.
- Many of the metabolites can form sulfates or, more frequently, glucuronides, or other conjugates as Phase II metabolites.
- As tolerance to the drug develops, the user will require more and more Flakka to feel high, risking dangerous effects, overdose, and even death.
- Flakka is also dangerous due to effects such as hyperthermia (high body temperature), rapid heart rate, bizarre behavior, renal failure, and psychosis that can result from high doses.
- Given the quick and widespread popularity of bath salts a few years ago, many fear it is only a matter of time before flakka use spreads nationwide.
- Although the government and its agencies can react quickly by placing a temporary ban on the drug, manufacturers have a simple work-around this.
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She claims that a group of her “friends” were pressuring her to try Flakka with them. Although she refused, she believes that they put some on the food she was eating because she claimed it tasted funny and felt weird ever since. She also denies any recent major stressors or traumatic events that could have led to her behaviors.
What Is Flakka And Why Is It So Dangerous?
Given that Flakka is a recent drug, it is less popular than other artificial stimulants. Even the lightest dose of Flakka can wreak havoc on the health of an individual and put them in the emergency room of a hospital. The major challenges facing the clinicians managing a person with cathinone intoxication are control of agitation and other signs of sympathetic excess and acute decompensation can occur if immediate measures are not taken.
New structures have new properties and thus create unique behavioral characteristics during intoxication. It can be assumed that the tendency towards the use of new drugs will grow and that there will be an increasing number of cases in clinical practice. Doctors have to take this into consideration in order to provide appropriate treatments and minimize undesirable damage. 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]. Bath salts are usually white or brown crystal-like powder, available for sale in small plastic bags marked “Not for Human Consumption”.
Our addiction specialists have expert knowledge on the latest medications and advanced therapeutic practices to make your transition into recovery as comfortable as possible. Every guest has their own ensuite room and dedicated team of medical professionals to support them every step of the way. We will start with a medically assisted drug detox and continue with a range of supportive measures to guide you on the right path. If you, or someone you know, is abusing Flakka, it’s important you get help. The clinical team at Delamere can support you through a safe clinical drug detox and have a range of holistic rehab programmes to help you through and out of addiction. Synthetic cathinones are also labeled as ‘not for human consumption.’ These labels help hide the real reason for the product’s existence, so the drugs distribute easily.
Because of this, there has been an increase in ERs visits from 2009 to 2012 due to Flakka and other synthetic cathinones, as reported by the American Association of Poison Control Centers. The drug, which has the street name of Flakka, is a synthetic stimulant that is chemically similar to bath salts. Flakka is fast developing a reputation for what seem to be its nasty side effects, including a tendency to give people enormous rage and strength, along with intense hallucinations. There is an ancient tradition of chewing fresh khat leaves in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen where there are khat cafes or mafrishes. Khat is considered a mild stimulant and is used by students before exams, by employees in the morning before work, or at social gatherings.
By the fifth hospital day, the patient was taking Olanzapine 10 mg twice a day routinely with Lorazepam every four hours as needed for agitation. Finally, on day six, the patient became coherent, alert and oriented to person, place, time, and situation, and capable of completing her activities of daily living. She remained somewhat constricted and at times required redirection and instructions to complete tasks. When asked about her symptoms for the past week, she described an incident that happened at school the day before being admitted to the hospital.
To find another treatment program, browse the top-rated addiction treatment facilities in each state by visiting our homepage, or by viewing the SAMHSA Treatment Services Locator. Call our free and confidential helpline now to find flakka detox options https://sober-home.org/psilocybin-magic-mushrooms-uses-effects-hazards/ for yourself or a loved one living with addiction. Millions of people in the United States struggle with drug addiction and seek help for addiction each year. Detoxing from flakka is a process that can take place in a few different settings.
Although the exact mechanism of action is unclear, why it has been causing this alteration in a person’s functions, it is known that Flakka is designed to cause the brain to become flooded with dopamine. This influx in dopamine causes an intense feeling of euphoria but also leads a person to the possibility of agitated delirium and thus psychiatric hospitalizations [4]. Bath salt is a name that has been created for a group of drugs that possesses one or more synthetic chemicals related to cathinone, a stimulant similar to amphetamines that is found in the plant khat (Catha edulis). Chemically, bath salts are derivatives of β-phenyl-ethylamine (PEA), including methamphetamine (N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine) and MDMA (3,4-methylendioxy-N-methylamfetamin, Ecstasy, or Molly). The range of chemical structures of these compounds is very broad and constantly changing. This is what makes people feel intense heat, heart palpitations, and high blood pressure.
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. The drug Flakka is a synthetic substance that works by manipulating and overstimulating the https://soberhome.net/a-beginners-guide-to-doing-drugs-for-the-first/ neurotransmitters of the brain. Flakka also compromises the brain’s hormones linked with mood, alertness, and judgment. People who use Flakka find it difficult to quit this substance because of the euphoric feeling and a sense of heightened pleasure that Flakka gives.