What Is Flakka and Why Is It Dangerous?

Without immediate medical intervention, flakka overdose frequently proves fatal, with multiple deaths documented across communities where the drug has taken hold. It is also known as «gravel» due to its white, crystal-like appearance. Flakka is a highly potent drug that can be snorted, injected, eaten, smoked, or vaporized in e-cigarettes. When heated up, it gives off a foul-smelling smoke characterized as smelling like dirty socks. Dr. Scott is a distinguished physician recognized for his contributions to psychology, internal medicine, and addiction treatment. He has received numerous accolades, including the AFAM/LMKU Kenneth Award for Scholarly Achievements in Psychology and multiple honors from the Keck School of Medicine at USC.

Dual Diagnosis

With repeated and heavy use, the agitation and paranoia may encompass the entire experience, often continuing after the drug is no longer in the user’s system. Flakka can overstimulate the reward system by flooding the brain with dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure and motivation. This overstimulation usually triggers the experience of a high that can be pleasurable and involve high energy levels.

What are the side effects of Flakka?

As the drug has continued to gain a foothold, more people began looking at just what this drug does to the brain chemistry of those who use it. The drug earned its street name from the Spanish slang la flaca, meaning skinny lady, likely referring to its appeal as a stimulant. Bath salts are white in appearance, similar to Flakka, and can be smoked, swallowed, or injected into the body. They both act as central nervous system stimulants and induce hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia (constant feeling of threat), and an aggressive mental state. The only evident difference between bath salts and Flakka is the lack of 3,4-methylenedioxy motif molecules in Flakka.

• Individuals with flakka overdose were isolated to a few geographic regions of the country.
• Many treatment centers now specifically address the unique challenges of synthetic drug addiction, recognizing how substances like alpha-PVP affect the central nervous system differently than traditional stimulants.
• A combination of drug detoxification and behavioral therapy can be used to manage Flakka’s addiction.
• The drug prevents dopamine reuptake, flooding the brain with this pleasure chemical.

Is there treatment for flakka addiction?

Our program is designed to address the specific damage Flakka causes, helping the brain to stabilize, reboot, and rewire itself for a healthy future. In the last year, a new drug has hit the streets of The United States. Users claim its worse than cocaine or meth and can have a person hooked in no time at all. Individuals with flakka overdose were isolated to a few geographic regions of the country. The epicenter of the flakka epidemic was Broward County, Florida, which includes the city of Fort Lauderdale.

We will also discuss how to spot signs of addiction and what treatment options are available for those who seek help for their addiction. While the psychological effects are what make the headlines, the assault on the body is just as brutal and often fatal. The state of excited delirium triggers a chain reaction that can lead to permanent disability or death. In some of the documented delusions, individuals’ experiences are of a typical paranoia, where the drug users feel they are being chased by a large group of people trying to kill them.

Long-term recovery often requires ongoing support through outpatient programs, support groups, and continued mental health care. Many treatment centers now specifically address the unique challenges of synthetic drug addiction, recognizing how substances like alpha-PVP affect the central nervous system differently than traditional stimulants. Recovery plans often include strategies for managing the psychological effects that can persist after stopping use, such as anxiety and cognitive difficulties.

Programs

Reports show this synthetic drug traveling to states like Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. BetterHelp can connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor. Relapse during the early phases of rehabilitation is less likely in the controlled setting because it limits external stimuli and distractions.

In this state, an altered mental status will result in anxiety, bizarre behavior, confusion, agitation, violent outbursts, and seizures. Flakka is considered a Schedule I drug (high potential for abuse how does flakka affect your brain with no medical use). Flakka overdose often presents with severe symptoms, including dangerous heart arrhythmias, extreme agitation, seizures, and renal failure.7 Body temperatures can spike to fatal levels, causing rapid organ shutdown. The combination of these effects, coupled with the extreme behavioral changes that often accompany flakka use, makes overdose particularly challenging to treat in emergency settings.

Usually, people will be more anxious and aggressive after using synthetic cathinones, including Flakka drugs, and they will exhibit aggressive behavior at high doses. The legal status of flakka remains a moving target as authorities try to keep pace with the evolving synthetic drug market. 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. Law enforcement agencies and health care providers have expressed significant concerns about the widespread use of flakka, particularly among younger demographics and in clubbing scenes where synthetic drugs are more prevalent.

Treatments

• It is similar to other drugs in the same class, such as cocaine and methamphetamines.
• In the case of flakka, the new chemical is called alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone or alpha-PVP.
• Considered a designer drug and part of the class of new psychoactive substances (NPS), Flakka (alpha-PVP) mimics the amphetamine-like stimulant effects of the khat plant.
• While that incident was extreme, Flakka addiction is serious, dangerous, and increasingly common.

Achieving this requires a holistic approach to alcohol abuse treatment. Seeking professional help is crucial for overcoming substance abuse and reclaiming your life. At JourneyPure Emerald Coast, we offer a specialized «Freedom Program» which treats active duty military members and verterans struggling with addiction and mental health disorders. Because military members often suffer from PTSD, we are able to create tailored plans that utilizes trauma-informed care and other evidence-based treatments to get to the root causes of their addiction or alcoholism.

Health Categories

If you see these signs in someone you know, it’s important to get them help immediately. Flakka can cause people to act erratically and dangerously, and it can lead to serious health consequences, including death. While Flakka is not as popular or well-known as some other drugs, its use has been linked to an increase in hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to its dangerous effects on the human body. Attempting to detox from Flakka at home is incredibly dangerous due to the high risk of severe psychosis, self-harm, and cardiac arrest. A professional rehab provides the essential safe harbor to begin the healing process. Flakka is a dangerous drug that has many bad side effects, mostly including changes in behavior or mood.

You are not alone despite how isolating and stigmatizing addiction can seem. Flakka addiction is complicated but can be overcome, especially with an experienced and compassionate team in your corner. Northridge Addiction Treatment Center strives to help you discover and reach your full potential free from substance abuse. People on Flakka are also at risk of permanent harm caused by their excited delirium state, which can cause them to perform physical feats or irreversible self-harm acts. Synthetic cathinones like Flakka are technically illegal, but that doesn’t prevent resourceful drug dealers from selling and marketing them as other substances to avoid legal detection. Florida, especially Broward County, once experienced a spike in flakka-related emergencies.