Flakka Facts –

Flakka facts are not that widely known. Flakka is the street name for a synthetic cathinone named alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (Alpha-PVP). It is chemically similar to other synthetic drugs known as “Bath Salts.”

These synthetics mimic cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant found naturally in the khat plant. Flakka users will experience what the National Institute on Drug Abuse calls “excited delirium”: a debated condition involving hallucinations, paranoia, increased strength and hyperstimulation. Your heart will race. You will have panic attacks. Your sex drive will plummet. You may become depressed and suicidal. And like Harrouff, you could become extremely psychotic and violent. “It’s easy to get there, though,” Cidambi said. “As you crash you’re going to feel all the withdrawal you want to not feel … unfortunately it’s their tolerance that pushes them to the other side.” Vaping with flakka will make you feel these effects far quicker than any other method because the drug goes straight in your blood stream. That could easily lead to an overdose, the federal health institute states.

Effects

Flakka can cause “excited delirium,” which includes hyper-stimulation, paranoia and hallucinations. It can dangerously raise body temperature and lead to kidney damage and failure. Flakka can also lead to violent aggression and self-injury, and has been linked to suicides and heart attacks. Long term effects are still unknown.

Methods of Use

Flakka comes as a foul-smelling white or pink crystals. Like bath salts, the substance is packaged in plastic bags or vials and labeled “not for human consumption” or “plant food.” You can buy it online or off the street. Flakka is ingested by eating, snorting, injecting or vaporizing (similar to an e-cigarette).

What are the street names/slang terms

Flakka, Gravel

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)

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