What is the flakka drug and bath salts?
Flakka is a new, designer drug that has gained popularity over the past five years. Florida, Texas, and Ohio are among the few states to experience a real flakka drug outbreak. Flakka is a stimulant that is man-made. It is referred to as “gravel” on the street because of its white, crystal-like pieces. The flakka drug has side effects that mock those of bath salts. It contains a compound known as Alpha-PVP (α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone). Alpha-PVP is comparable in structure to MDPV (Methylenedioxypyrovalerone). It is an engineered drug that is identified with cathinone. Flakka can be snorted, smoked, infused or ingested.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) listed Alpha-PVP as a Schedule I drug since 2014. Flakka is manufactured in a crystalline rock form. It is usually sold online, repackaged in capsules or available to put into an e-cigarette. This makes it easy to conceal or use in public. The infamous flakka drug is ten times more potent than Ritalin (amphetamine). In recent studies, the side effects of flakka and bath salts among animals revealed a lot of similarities in terms of potency and side effects. Findings from this study claim that the two drugs provide an equal rate of drug addiction when abused.
Flakka Drug Outbreak Effects and Headlines
Flakka is a powerful drug that poses extreme dangers to one’s physical and mental health. The flakka drug outbreak continues to shock society. The flakka drug earned the nickname, “zombie drug” due to some of the crazy stories that have circulated over the years. Each time drug makes the news, it seems to be a ridiculous story.
In 2016, reports surfaced that a 19-year-old teenager and student of Florida State University (FSU), Austin Harrouf, stabbed a couple to death at their home in Florida. The major headline was about this same teenager gnawing at the husband’s face, shortly after the stabbing incident!! An official also stated,
“The teen was grunting like an animal as police tried subduing him during the attack.”
Specialists say Harrouff was high on flakka, an addictive designer drug that causes paranoia and psychosis. Flakka was also connected to the notorious, face-eating assault in Miami seven years ago.
A Multifaceted Approach to Residential Addiction Treatment for Men
To improve your chance of recovery, our men’s rehab program focuses on three significant factors of treatment: your mind, body, and spirit. As one or more of these areas become unbalanced, it can directly contribute to your substance use disorder. Our facilities and resources are designed to help you grow and heal in each area so that your recovery can be long-lasting and comprehensive.
All our providers are experts in their field, utilizing specialized treatment programs for each individual. By developing an individualized approach for each of our guests, clients can successfully break old habits and work to promote new and healthy ones.
What do the flakka drug and bath salts feel like?
Like cathinone, alpha-PVP is a type of stimulant, colloquially called an “upper.” Uppers are linked with feelings of euphoria, enhanced alertness and wakefulness, and increased movement — all symptoms that are similar to those experienced by people on other drugs like amphetamines or cocaine. Because flakka is so new, researchers are unsure of it’s effects on the brain and how addictive it is. For now, they can only guess by looking it’s chemical cousins, cocaine and amphetamines. Both of these drugs cause a surge in chemical production of the feel-good chemical dopamine (euphoric sensations) and norepineprhine (raises heart rate and makes us more alert).
Like cocaine and meth, flakka drug users will experience what is known as the “comedown.” This “comedown” occurs when the drug starts to leaves the body, leaving a flakka drug user feeling fatigued or depressed. More often than not, this leads a user back to the drug to alleviate the feeling caused from that same drug. Those users are more prone to jump-starting a cycle of use that can lead to abuse. Like cocaine and meth, the drug may alter brain chemistry in a way that makes users require a larger and larger dose to get the same high.
Excessive use has been linked with feelings of extreme anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Like with bath salts, people have also reported dozens of episodes of violent behavior in people on flakka. At high doses, flakka may also cause the body to reach high temperatures, similar to bath salt side-effects. High body temperatures are very dangerous and may lead to severe, physical complications like muscle breakdown or kidney damage.
What are the effects and signs of flakka drug use and bath salts?
NOTE: A person under the influence of the flakka drug might act and/or feel effects similar to “bath salts” or cocaine. This can result in high potential of violent behavior and other negative psycho-social consequences when taken. These actions and behaviors are more common when flakka is consumed in high doses. Flakka drug use can also lead to unintentional injury and various forms of trauma that may be severe.
- Hyperactivity and restlessness
- Heightened sense alertness
- Aberrant and ‘bizarre’ behavior
- Extreme agitation and irritability
- Delirium or intense confusion
- Psychotic symptoms, delusions, and hallucinations
What are the short-term and long-term effects of using the flakka drug and bath salts?
SHORT-TERM
Flakka drug use results in a flood of dopamine in the brain like other stimulants. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates the brain’s pleasure centers. Flakka hinders the uptake of this neurotransmitter by the brain cells. This produces an intense feeling of euphoria.
- Euphoric sensations
- Rapid heart rate and palpitations
- Increase in blood pressure
- Heightened alertness and paranoia
- Aggressive behaviors and extreme paranoia
The unknown effects of the drug, flakka, have many alarmed about its use and popularity, as no one knows what exactly the drug can do to the body and brain in the long term. The immediate and long-term effects of flakka can rival some of the strongest crystal meth and cocaine.
LONG-TERM
Long-term effects are have not been published. Flakka is one of the more recent synthetic drugs and research into its effects is not extensive. Research conducted shows the flakka drug is toxic to the kidneys and causes renal failure in some cases.
Unknown effects of flakka have many alarmed due to it’s popularity. No one knows what the long-term side effects the flakka drug can have on the body or brain. The immediate flakka side effects rival some of the strongest crystal meth and cocaine.
Excessive use has been linked with feelings of extreme anxiety, paranoia, and hallucinations. Like with bath salts, people have also reported dozens of episodes of violent behavior in people on flakka. At high doses, flakka may also cause the body to reach high temperatures, similar to bath salt side-effects. High body temperatures are very dangerous and may lead to severe, physical complications like muscle breakdown or kidney damage.
Can you recover from flakka addiction?
Anyone will experience recovery from a flakka addiction when they receive the correct treatment. An individual needs to seek medical attention for flakka drug addiction. A combination of clinical help, psychiatric care, or individual counseling combined with a thorough 12-step program results in long-term abstinence from the using the flakka drug and bath salts. Many mental issues arise when the drug of choice is no longer being used. Our clients know that drugs and alcohol are not the problem, they are the solution to a much bigger problem! Read more about this problem of self and more importantly, the solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Going to rehab can seem daunting for many people, especially when the realization of your addiction unveils itself. Although this can seem like a complicated process, we’ve put together a few common questions and answers to help ease your mind and prepare you for the road ahead.
