Overview:
Flakka Drug is a risky stimulant that can cause hyperstimulation, enhanced strength, and even paranoia. In certain instances, it can cause users to go into an overly excited state and suffer violent episodes.
In this article, we discuss the various dangers, warnings, and treatment options of Flakka Drug Addiction.
What Is Flakka Drug?
Flakka drug is a synthetic substance that is typically derived from the production of an Amphetamine like stimulant from the Cathinone class known as Alpha-PVP.
Synthetic Cathinones are stimulants that are chemically similar to the chemical Cathinone that is found inside the Khat plant.
The plant is cultivated throughout Arabia as well as East Africa, and some people chew leaves for mild stimulant effects. Flakka can be compared to Street drugs Bath Salts.
It is typically taken in snorts, injected, eaten or smoked, or vaporized by e-cigarettes. The most popular street term for Flakka (itself an expression used on the streets that refers to the Alpha-PVP) is “Gravel,” because of its appearance.
The Flakka drug is usually present in crystal form and can be found either pink or white. Individuals suffering from Flakka dependency are at a high risk of being injured and dying.
Synthetic Cathinones, such as Flakka make up the group of substances referred to by the name of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).
The first time they appeared on the market for illicit drugs in the mid-2000s was designed to mimic other illegal drugs like Cocaine, Ecstasy, and LSD.
There are a variety of Cathinones like Mephedrone, Methylone, Methcathinone, Bupropion, and Buphedrone.
The Alpha-PVP compound was first identified in 1963. It was first registered in the year 1967 as a Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant.
These stimulants are commonly utilized to treat patients suffering from ADHD, also known as attention deficit disorder (ADHD) or Narcolepsy.
The drug was first made available as a tablet by 2014, it was becoming popular under the name Flakka. It quickly earned Schedule I status, meaning that it does not have any medical significance and has a significant risk of misuse.
The sudden rise of the Flakka drug was a cause for concern among communities due to the violent actions that its users were accused of.
Flakka is believed to have first gained traction throughout South Florida, and the drug made headlines after an 18-year-old student from college stabbed two people to death, then began to gnaw on the face of the victim.
The police believe that the attacker is high off Flakka. The first results of taking the Flakka drug include feelings of happiness, concentration on the task, stimulation, an increase in sexual desire, and social ability to socialize.
But, once the effects of the drug wear off the user will have to increase their consumption of the drug.
This could result in negative side consequences. Flakka drug is extremely risky and has led users to commit suicide.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse declares that Flakka triggers a condition known as “excited delirium” which involves hallucinations, hyperstimulation, and paranoia. It can also cause strength and anxiety.
These symptoms can cause self-injury, violent aggression, or trigger an episode of psychosis.
Flakka is also a body-wide affliction and can raise body temperature up to the temperature of 104 degrees (hyperthermia). Patients might also suffer from renal and liver insufficiency, hypertension, narrowing of blood vessels, irregular heartbeats stroke, heart attack, aneurysms, and even death.
No matter the method used in using Flakka it is still an increased risk of overdose. One of the most effective ways to get overdosed on Flakka is to vape because people who smoke Flakka are not able to determine how much they’re consuming.
In these situations, the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream at a rapid rate and overwhelms the body’s system. The signs of a Flakka overdose are heart issues as well as agitation, aggression, and psychosis.
Flakka Drug Addiction And Abuse
What’s The Difference Between Flakka And Bath Salts?
Flakka as well as Bath Salts are chemically very alike and exhibit nearly identical impacts on users.
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is the active ingredient in Bath Salts. The distinction between Flakka and Bath Salts is that Flakka isn’t a part of a cluster known as the 3,4-methylenedioxy motif.
In a research study published in the journal Scripps Research, researchers found that the possibility of addiction to Flakka as well as Bath Salts was almost equal.
Bath Salts can cause similar effects to Flakka with the same effects, including more sex-driven and panic attacks, hallucinations fear, and increased social.
Injecting, smoking, snorting, or drinking Bath Salts can lead to overdose and even death.
Flakka as well as Bath Salts are packaged and sold similarly, marked as “not for human consumption,” and are sold under seemingly harmless names such as “plant food” or “jewelry cleaner.”
Flakka Drug Addiction And Abuse
The Dangers Of A Flakka Addiction:
In 2011 Synthetic Cathinones were implicated in over 20,000 emergency room visits.
The fear that the public has about Bath Salts started in 2012 after a Miami man was stripped naked and devoured the face of a man in full daylight.
When the police told him not to eat the face of the man and he began to growl like an animal and the police were forced to shoot him; it required four shots to stop him.
That’s when people began calling Flakka drug or Bath Salts “Zombie Drugs” due to the way they affect people in a way that causes users to lose touch with reality, and even consume others.
This trend first started with Florida but is now spreading across the nation.
There have been reports of Flakka being found in Ohio communities; the drug was found to be mixed with Opioids.
In May, Ohio Emergency Medical Services reported that the mix contributed to the deaths of three people in Ohio.
While there isn’t any research conducted on mixing Opioids and Flakka but it is never safe to mix the two.
In October, Utah police announced that Flakka was a threat to their state. Police found a package shipped via The Netherlands to a house situated in Magna, Utah that contained Flakka as well as other paraphernalia and other drugs.
A study conducted in February of 2019 showed that only one percent of American teens have had a taste of Flakka and that researchers believe that more teenagers have tried the substance without realizing that it was Flakka.
Flakka drug is frequently added to Ecstasy and users could not be aware of the substance they’re taking.
Certain regions have higher levels of teenagers’ Flakka usage, like the Miami region, and certain communities have higher levels of Flakka usage, like Latino populations.
Flakka Drug Addiction And Abuse
Flakka Addiction:
With all the negative effects of taking the Flakka drug, It is difficult to think of a reason why someone would risk their life when they choose this drug.
Affordability is among the primary reasons. A kilogram of Cocaine could cost you up to $80. Many people, particularly homeless people, college students, and people with lower incomes can’t afford a costly addiction.
A typical dose of Flakka is priced between $3 and $5. The drug is affordable available and the effect is prolonged and powerful.
The high that comes from smoking Cocaine can last between 30 and 60 minutes and the effect of smoking lasts for up to 10 to 15 minutes. The effects of Flakka can last for up to 5 hours.
Flakka produces unpredictable results due to its components that can comprise various harmful ingredients.
Flakka is believed to be at least 10 times more powerful than Cocaine.
A certain combination of Flakka results in the dissociative symptoms that you see when you take Ketamine as well as other sedatives like Benzodiazepines.
Flakka is a stimulant when consumed in small amounts and makes users feel more alert and happy. Flakka can also cause hallucinatory effects for some people.
In high doses, Flakka could simulate what happens to Cocaine and Meth that can trigger seizures, twitching, or even seizures.
Synthetic Cathinones can be addictive and could trigger withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, tremors, and paranoia depression, as well as sleeping problems.
In studies on animals, researchers discovered that rats were addicted to Flakka and would push a lever to give the drug as often as it was possible.
Rats were also more addicted to Synthetic Cathinones than Crystal Meth. Senior author of the study Associate Professor Tobin J. Dickerson, of Scripps Research, said that “Animals will self-administer MDPV like no drug I have ever seen.”
Flakka is highly addictive and risky and addicts should seek treatment from a professional when they’ve used the substance.
Flakka Drug Addiction And Abuse
Get Help For A Flakka Addiction Today:
There aren’t any treatment options available for Flakka addiction.
Behavioral therapy is a method to combat the symptoms of a Flakka addiction and treatment specialists can screen for co-occurring mental disorders.
If someone in your family or friends suffers from a Flakka addiction, seek out an addiction counselor immediately.
Flakka is a narcotic and can result in users not only harming themselves but harming others too.
Flakka Drug Addiction And Abuse
Ask your friends and loved ones for support.
If you’re feeling anxious or depressed, consider joining a support group or seeking counseling. Believe in your ability to take control of the pain…
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