Flakka the Zombie Drug
What is Flakka?
Flakka is a dangerous drug that has created headlines over the last few years showing disturbed addicts with severe side effects. Some of the side effects can be seen in this video:
Flakka is a synthetic stimulant that many users believe is a mixture of heroin and cocaine or crack, but instead is a synthetic mixture that causes severe side effects. Flakka is made from a compound similar to those found in bath salts, Alpha-PVP, which is similar to cathinone; a synthetic stimulant frequently used in bath salts. The drug Flakka can cause the body temperature to rise well above 100 degrees and cause a hypothermic state which often leads to mental health symptoms such as paranoia, mania, and delirium. This drug is an “upper” or stimulant which has effects similar to drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine. It comes in the form of small white or pinkish crystals, often referred to as “gravel,” and has a foul smell.
This synthetic stimulant is ingested by snorting the crystalline substance, and within just minutes, Flakka users often experience such intense symptoms or even rage, that it is known to take multiple police officers to subdue an individual high on the drug. Abusers have been in the headlines for extreme events such as running through traffic naked, believing they are satan or even cutting or impaling themselves. This drug has also made the Top 10 deadliest street drugs video
Synthetic drugs like Flakka which aim to mimic the effects of Meth, PCP, Cocaine, Bath Salts or other illegal drugs are highly dangerous. Even more disturbing is that when these synthetic compounds are developed, they usually are legal for a period, leading to many drug users becoming addicted, before any legal actions being taken to ban the compounds or drug entirely. In the span of a few years going unnoticed, Flakka was able to reach thousands of users in the United States at a low price of just $5 per dose. The effects of long term use or general use of Flakka on the brain chemistry are widely unknown. The compound Alpha-PVP is known to be similar to a cathinone compound found in bath salts, but these drugs are too new on the market to know any long term side effects or health hazards. The best approach is to look at similar stimulant uppers like amphetamine, cocaine, PCP and realize that Flakka is a similar substance with equally deadly side effects.
Loved ones Using Flakka
Typically for a drug user to become addicted to Flakka, they would have first experimented with other drugs, but due to Flakka’s low cost and accessibility, many users would switch to Flakka from Heroin or cocaine habits. When determining the best approach to get a loved one into rehab, it is important to look at the addict’s lifestyle, support structure, and drug use history to determine the best treatment approach to handle the addiction. If the drug user is deep into their addiction where they are facing serious medical issues or legal issues, getting an effective substance abuse treatment can help mitigate any long term effects. For those who are not willing to get help, or change their addictive lifestyle, a certified drug intervention could be a solution. Angel Intervention is an Ohio based drug intervention service which offers assistance to families who need to get through to an addicted loved one.
Holly Conklin can help with Flakka Addiction.
Holly Conklin is a certified intervention professional and will personally coach families members and develop an intervention plan that will work. After performing over 500 interventions, Holly Conklin is one of the most successful interventionists. Long term, Angel Intervention will stay in contact and provide support and guidance to ensure lasting sobriety is possible. For information on how to help a loved one addicted to Flakka, or any other dangerous drug, please contact us Angel Intervention today.
