After exposing C2C12 myoblasts to α-PVP and other drugs for 1 h or 24 h, the cell membrane integrity, ATP content, mitochondrial oxygen consumption, and mitochondrial superoxide radical anion production were measured. The results showed that α-PVP consumes ATP, causes a loss of cell membrane integrity, and increases superoxide radical anion levels in C2C12 myoblasts in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, as a pyrrolidone derivative, α-PVP also impairs basic and maximum cellular respiration, suggesting an abnormal mitochondrial function. Therefore, in addition to the effects on the sympathetic nervous system and vigorous muscle exercise, the direct effects of α-PVP on skeletal muscle mitochondria may lead to myotoxicity in susceptible cathinone users. The designer drug flakka comes in crystal form, and it is typically pink or white. The synthetic drug may be eaten, injected, snorted, or vaporized in e-cigarettes.
Is Flakka Drug More Dangerous Than Other Drugs?
Most people smoke marijuana, but it can also be added to foods and eaten. 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. A rush of euphoria followed by dry mouth, a heaviness sensation in the arms and legs, and a fuzzy mind.
Legal Does Not Equal Safe
Flakka isn’t the only new substance to hit the streets in the past couple of years, marketed to users as a designer substance. Many street dealers sell cocaine or crystal meth laced with flakka. But mixing flakka with other drugs can exacerbate its effects and lead to overdose or death. From 2013 to 2015, flakka use became an epidemic in poor neighborhoods in South Florida. People high on the synthetic cathinone began acting erratically — exhibiting bizarre behaviors and becoming uncontrollably volatile.
What is Flakka (Alpha-PVP) & Is It Addictive?
Just like that, it seemed the effects of the flakka epidemic had swiftly ended. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesBroward Sheriff’s Office deputies help Broward County Fire Rescue prepare to transport a person suspected of being under the influence of flakka on June 17, 2015 in Pompano Beach, Florida. The flakka “epidemic” — in as much as it is one — is not a national one. Florida, particularly southeastern Florida, has seen the vast majority of cases. And some of the more appalling flakka incidents are just as tragic as all those physiological and psychological effects suggest. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesBroward Sheriff’s Office deputies deal with a man who was suspected of being under the influence of flakka on June 17, 2015 in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Street Title
Similar to LSD, mushrooms can cause hallucinations, an altered perception of time, and an inability to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not. The active ingredient is psilocybin, which is a hallucinogen found in certain types of mushrooms. It causes someone to see, hear, and feel things that seem real, but aren’t. These hallucinations, called “trips,” can last as long as 12 hours.
Slang terms for Flakka
Flakka is an addictive drug that people use to obtain a cheap, quick, and euphoric high. The cathinones found in flakka stimulate the release of dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter involved in the pleasure and reward center of the brain, which gives off that euphoric feeling. Synthetic drugs are illicitly created to produce substances that differ slightly from legal drugs.
Quetiapine was detected in one case, and amitriptyline, citalopram, venlafaxine, and norvenlafaxine were detected in three cases [29]. In one of the first reports of fatal α-PVP poisoning in humans, where α-PVP was the only cause of death described [67], the heart blood concentration of the drug was 486 ng/mL. For example, several synthetic cathinones, including α-PVP, have been added alcohol use disorder and timeline of alcohol withdrawal symptoms to a list of banned substances at sporting events [55]. The metabolism of α-PVP and MDPV has been examined, but only the Phase I metabolism will be described here. Many of the metabolites can form sulfates or, more frequently, glucuronides, or other conjugates as Phase II metabolites. Eleven metabolites of α-PVP were detected in rats, as well as in drug abusers’ urine samples.
- Unfortunately, users often mistakenly believe that the legal status of these substances is an indication that they are safe.
- While toxicology reports will determine whether Harrouff was on drugs during the alleged attack, Snyder said he “would not be surprised” if Harrouff was under the influence of flakka.
- Our treatment programs address drug addiction, prescription drug addiction, and alcohol addiction.
- Effective treatment typically includes a combination of medical detoxification, behavioral therapies, and ongoing support to manage cravings and prevent relapse.
- It is a Schedule 1 drug in the US, which are drugs that are classed as the most dangerous and with the highest risk for abuse and dependence.
- “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.”
Law enforcement and medical professionals certainly consider the drug to be highly dangerous, as do our drug rehab addiction specialists. Flakka is similarly dangerous to bath salts, which may also be addictive. Some complications of flakka drug abuse can happen while the drug user is acutely agitated if they were to harm themselves or others; however, medically, the severe consequences of the agitation caused by the drug appear later. Agitated patients can go into a state called “excited delirium,” which is a medical emergency. In the excited delirium state, restrained patients struggle to free themselves, scream, flail, and can even have seizures. This struggle causes a high core body temperature called hyperthermia.
In Sweden, there were 255 cases using various illegal drugs, confirmed by positive test results. From April 2013 to November 2015, there were 31 patients with α-PVP poisoning, of which 73% were known drug users [64]. Α-pyrrolidinobutiophenone (α-PBP) and other pyrrolidone analogs are the most common other NPS drugs, and benzodiazepines are the most common CNS inhibitors. Of the 14 cases requiring monitoring in an intensive care unit, eight were judged to be severely poisoned. Similarly, Schindler et al. [54] investigated the neurochemical, behavioral, and cardiovascular effects of racemic α-PVP and its enantiomers in male rats.
It is an ongoing challenge, as each time one type of bath salt is made illegal, the drug labs change the chemical structure slightly and a new drug that is technically not illegal is created. In the case of flakka, the new chemical is called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone or alpha-PVP. Drug users take flakka to get a feeling of euphoria, a heightened sense of awareness, stimulation, and energy.
The Drug Enforcement Administration doesn’t consider salvia an illegal drug, but several states have passed laws to regulate its use. 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 crack addiction symptoms and treatment movements, thinking, and memory. It’s rapidly absorbed into the brain, which makes it highly addictive. Ecstasy increases levels of several chemicals in the brain, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. It alters your mood and makes you feel closer and more connected to others.
This method of ingestion can make it particularly easy to overdose on flakka. At the same time, MDMA, which is a phenethylamine, saw a resurgence, but by 2010, synthetic cathinones — “bath salts” and the drug Molly — arrived on the club scene. The fact is that it takes time for regulatory agencies to ban a new substance – and even then, it sometimes takes time to pull all the now illegal drugs from store shelves. It’s not easy to tell what is legal and what isn’t when it all looks the same and is sold in the same packaging. Storeowners and law enforcement aren’t always necessarily sure whether or not they are looking at an item that is technically legal when they see it, nor can they know the components of the product. If it’s impossible to know what is in a substance for sure, then it is no safer than the unmarked baggies of heroin and cocaine sold on the street.
It can also create heart problems like tachycardia and life-threatening kidney failure. The expert team at Delamere is used to treating all kinds of drug addiction and has direct experience of helping people overcome their dependence on Flakka. We take a holistic approach to healing at our state-of-the-art wellness retreat in the bath salts effects short- and long-term effects of bath salts heart of Cheshire. Guests undergo a complete transformation physically, mentally and emotionally during a tailormade drug rehab programme which includes a safe and comfortable drug detox. We help people to understand what got them here in the first place and to establish positive actions that can help them out of addiction.
But flakka’s effects prove that it’s certainly no mere watered-down version of bath salts. Authorities took samples of Harrouff’s hair, DNA, and blood, and sent them to the F.B.I. for drug testing. But media outlet after media outlet immediately suspected that the culprit was a drug called flakka.
Bath salts, in general, are psychoactive synthetic drugs (designer drugs) made in large quantities in foreign drug labs. These drugs are all related to a broader group of chemical compounds known as synthetic cathinones, chemically similar to a substance found in the khat plant, which is known for its amphetamine-like stimulant effects. Some brand names of synthetic cathinones include Bliss, Vanilla Sky, Lunar Wave, Cloud Nine, and White Lightning. Flakka is the street name for the synthetic cathinone called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (Alpha-PVP). 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].
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