Flakka is a street drug typically manufactured from alpha-PVP, a synthetic form of the amphetamine-like stimulant cathinone. The chemical use of cathinone has an amphetamine-like effect on the user's central nervous system.
The street form of the drug flakka is white or pink gravel that looks like bath salts. Flakka is also called " gravel " on the street because its narcotic form mimics regular gravel chips and stones initially sold illegally. Teenagers commonly use Flakka to get high, and they frequently continue to use the drug while high, a habit known as "snacking" (continuing a high by using more Flakka).
Flakka is most known by one name, but it's also known by several street names that refer to synthetic stimulants like Bath Salts: Gravel, Ivory Wave, Bloom, Cloud Nine, Moon Dust, White Lightning, Scarface, Bliss, Drone, Snow Leopard, and White Dove.
Table of Contents:
- How Dangerous Is Flakka?
- Administration Routes
- Uses Of Flakka
- When Teens Use Flakka, What Happens?
- Side Effects Of Flakka
- Flakka's Short-Term Effects
- Flakka's Long-Term Effects
- Symptoms Of Flakka Withdrawal
- Flakka Addiction Treatment
- The Most Commonly Used Therapy Models
How Dangerous Is Flakka?
Flakka's active ingredient is alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone, or alpha-PVP, a chemical molecule created for pharmaceutical reasons in another country. Alpha-PVP was freely traded and unregulated until recently. When drugs like flakka started to circulate, the strange behavior induced by their effects caught people's attention — and the hazards of the substance became clear.
Flakka can be taken by mouth, snorted, injected, or swallowed. It's typically smoked with e-cigarettes or eaten as candy or gummy. Flakka use and transportation are difficult to track due to their versatility, yet its foul stench can discover its pure form.
Excessive sweating, hyperventilation, and elevated heart rate are all physical indicators of flakka. These are hazardous to one's health and cause long-term harm to the heart, kidneys, and lungs. It's incredibly challenging to accurately estimate dosages of alpha-PVP because of its nature as a neuroinhibitor. This challenge increases your chances of getting a flakka overdose, leading to cardiac arrest, seizures, and death.
Administration Routes
It can be ingested, injected, smoked, or snorted in many forms. Crystalline powder Flakka is frequently repackaged as pills for oral consumption after being purchased online. Because the dosage is uncertain, there is a significant risk of overdose.
Flakka can be snorted for a faster, more concentrated, and direct rush when finely ground. Gummie bears soaked in finely milled flakka that looked like sugar were just released.
The medicine can be injected straight into the vein when combined with a liquid base such as dextrose. Flakka Liquid is also available in vape pens and e-cigarettes.
Uses Of Flakka
Synthetic cannabinoids are primarily made in other countries, mainly China; however, they were also made in local laboratories in Florida while the drug was popular. There are no restrictions on the substances used in the research and manufacture of flakka, and there is no authoritative authority that inspects and controls its manufacture and distribution because it is created overseas or by those operating in local private laboratories.
As a result, medications branded as flakka may include completely different components from different producers. It is also possible that they differ from one batch to another, supplied by the same source. Consumers of these pharmaceuticals have no way of knowing if they are getting what they paid for, and there is no guarantee that the drug is what it claims to be.
Flakka and kindred substances are known for their potent stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. The substance is usually sold in pinkish or white crystals that can be snorted, injected, smoked in an e-cigarette, or consumed orally. The medications work by blocking the re-uptake of the neurotransmitter’s dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, and they're likely to influence a variety of other neurotransmitters as well.
When Teens Use Flakka, What Happens?
Teens who use flakka to get high may experience side effects such as dangerously fast heart rates, rhabdomyolysis (muscle tissue melting that releases muscular fibers into the bloodstream, culminating in kidney failure), and other possibly fatal disorders. When used recreationally to get high, flakka can cause hallucinations, seizures, heart palpitations, violent behavior, suicidal thoughts, adrenaline-like strength, hyperthermia (body temperature of 105 degrees or above), and death.
While feeling the effects of the exceedingly high bodily temperatures created by flakka, many kids will typically strip down to their underwear. Parents should be aware that this could be a sign that their teen is on the drug. Parents should call a teen treatment center to assist their teens who have used flakka as a recreational drug.
Flakka, like any other illegal street drug, is frequently mixed with other dangerous chemicals. Adolescent users have no idea where the medicine originated from, who chemically mixed and produced it for street sale consumption, or what poisons and deadly chemicals were added to make it highly effective for the user.
Parents are encouraged to contact an adolescent treatment center to ask questions and receive assistance, especially if their child is spinning out of control or placing themselves in danger due to drug use.
Side Effects Of Flakka
Flakka is one of the highly dangerous type of synthetic drugs with numerous undesirable side effects, including changes in behavior and mood. Flakka's most common adverse effects include, but are not limited to
- Excessive agitation
- Muscle jerking movements
- Imaginative delusions
- Superhuman strength delusions
- Agitation
- Hyperstimulation
- Hallucinations
- The paranoia of the highest order
Individuals have been known to suffer from solid delusions, such as believing they are being pursued by a big group of people who are out to murder them. When people have these kinds of delusions, they become a danger to themselves and others.
Individuals on Flakka are notoriously challenging to detain, becoming hostile and paranoid of authority figures or health-care staff seeking to assist them. As a result, rescue crews and first responders frequently administer sedatives to patients to calm them down enough to treat them.
Flakka's Short-Term Effects
Flakka, like other stimulants, causes an influx of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, controls the pleasure and reward system in the brain. As a result, Flakka's dopamine flow induces tremendous emotions of pleasure, making it highly addictive. Short-term consequences of Flakka abuse are similar to those of cocaine and amphetamines like MAMP.
- Feelings of happiness
- Palpitations and a fast heart rate
- Alertness
- Aggressive actions
- Psychosis caused by stimulants
Flakka's Long-Term Effects
Flakka is a relatively new medicine; therefore, there haven't been many long-term studies on its effects. However, some further information about Flakka's long-term impacts has been discovered. Long-term use of Flakka can have the same effect on the kidneys as an overdose, resulting in permanent kidney damage or renal failure. Long-term Flakka use can also result in brain remodeling, which affects all mental abilities, including short and long-term memory. Individuals with significant brain trauma may develop deteriorated brain tissue.
Symptoms Of Flakka Withdrawal
Flakka abusers might experience withdrawal symptoms during the treatment or rehabilitation process. The following are some of the withdrawal symptoms:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Tremors
- Insomnia
- Paranoia
Flakka Addiction Treatment
Residential Rehab: Studies show that live-in programs have the highest treatment success rates in terms of recovery. Residential rehabilitation programs can last anywhere from 28 days to several months. We create a Flakka addiction treatment plan specifically for you to meet your needs and improve your experience.
While in residential treatment, you will be assigned to a team that includes a professional therapist, a psychiatrist, and addiction specialists who will focus only on your treatment plan and recovery needs. Some of the critical areas of attention in rehab are counseling programs, behavioral therapy, holistic treatments, and Flakka Rehab aftercare support.
Outpatient Treatment: This type of rehab allows you to stay at home and maintain your career and personal commitments while still receiving your required treatment. Although outpatient programs are less organized than residential rehab and the treatment is less hands-on, those who match a set of requirements may discover that this level of care is a better fit.
Outpatient treatment is frequently utilized as a form of maintenance after residential recovery. Many of the programs used in outpatient Flakka addiction treatment are the same as those used in residential rehab, including individual therapy, group counseling sessions, family therapy, and 12-step programs.
Deciding to quit using Flakka and seeking therapy is a huge step forward in your recovery. Understanding your treatment options is critical since the amount of care you choose will significantly impact your recovery success.
A comprehensive continuum of therapy, including inpatient rehab, would likely be the best option for you if you have underlying mental and emotional problems that need to be addressed or if your substance use disorder is more complex.
The Most Commonly Used Therapy Models
- Treatment that is tailored to the individual's emotional difficulties that contribute to addiction.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is a treatment for addiction that focuses on the negative ideas and behaviors that come with it. This stage teaches you practical techniques and skills for breaking old habits.
- You will learn about the triggers, lead to substance misuse in dialectical behavioral treatment.
- You'll learn how to identify significant difficulties, think positively, and embrace changes that can enhance your life through motivational interviewing.
- You'll discover how to incorporate mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine.
- Family therapy will help you heal some of those traumas because addiction is often defined as a family disease.
- You'll go through aftercare planning to ensure your post-treatment success and to assist you in avoiding relapse.
FAQ
What is the Difference Between Flakka Symptoms and Bath Salts?
Bath salts and flakka are chemically and psychologically similar. Flakka and bath salts have the same risk for addiction, according to trusted reports. Bath salts can cause insanity and death in the same way that flakka can.
Both flakka and bath salts are sold as jewelry cleaners or plant food and are labeled not for human consumption.
What does Flakka look like?
Flakka looks like white or pink gravel, salt, or sand grains. This foul-smelling medication is also available as a powder. It can be smoked in a joint or with an electronic cigarette, injected, crushed into capsules, and ingested. When alpha-PVP is vaporized, it reaches the bloodstream fast and has a quicker effect. Overdosing is more likely with this form of administration.Is Flakka addictive?
Flakka is extremely popular in low-income areas due to its low cost and accessibility. As the substance lowers the body's normal levels of critical hormones and affects the brain's chemical composition, users become physically reliant on it.
Is It Possible to Overdose on Flakka?
Flakka is the most hazardous and addicting drug, according to the DEA. Flakka can easily lead to an overdose since it stays in the brain for a more extended period, producing nervous system damage and lowering tolerance.