"Flakka", a dangerous new synthetic drug

The Flakka is a new designer drug with powerful and deadly effects.

Many cases of use have been reported in the United States and some Asian countries, but recently there has been arrived in Spain, where the first case of intoxication was detected which, fortunately, did not end in death. However, this potent drug has generated alarm among health authorities.

Flakka, the highly dangerous new synthetic drug

Previous cases of intoxication had caused the deaths of individuals who had used the drug, since this substance has an almost immediate effect on the body andthere is no "antidote" to counteract its negative effects, which makes it especially dangerous.

An unknown drug until recently

Flakka can be consumed orally, snorted, smoked, or injected. Its active compound is called alpha-PVP, a stimulant substance that belongs to the chemical group of cathinones, which in turn is from the family of the phenethylamines. Alpha-PVP is a very powerful stimulant of which there are few references.

This compound resembles the

methylenedioxypyrovalerone (also known as MDPV and is found in another drug known as bath salts) both due to its chemical structure and its effects on the body. While the consumption of the active ingredient in bath salts is illegal, alpha-PVP is still legal in Spain.

The effects of the Flakka: "madness at 5 dollars"

Flakka is also known as "the Hulk drug" or "$ 5 craze" for its energizing effects and low price. This drug causes feelings of euphoria, increased alertness, sexual arousal, feeling of having more energy and increased movement. But many of the individuals who consume this substance also experience negative symptoms, such as: panic attacks, psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme aggressiveness, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias and hyperthermia (with a body temperature above 38 degrees).

The euphoria produced by this substance wears off after a short time, so many users feel like consuming Flakka again in a short time. These redosages increase the occurrence of side effects, and can cause irreparable harm to consumers. Like other similar substances, the Flakka drug can lead to tolerance and dependence.

Flakka, the 'Hulk drug', is already in Spain

In the United States and Asia, the use of this drug is becoming more and more common due to its low price and its almost immediate effects, but in Spain no case had been reported until moment. A few weeks ago, in Magaluf, has appeared the first case of consumption of Flakka in Spain.

Due to the ingestion of the drug, a young British man was admitted to the Son Espales hospital with 180 pulsations, hyperthermia (38 degrees) and a state of paranoia. Despite the severity of the symptoms, the doctors managed to save his life.

Spanish authorities, on alert for the arrival of summer

In the American continent, the consumption of this synthetic stimulant is common. Last year 1,500 kilos of alpha-PVP were seized in the United States. The Florida area is the one that reports the most cases of consumption in this country, and Teresa Calero, therapist at the Baptist Health South addiction treatment center in Miami, states that "in the last three years the consumption of this substance has increased by 780%, since in Florida this year more than 600 people poisoned with Flakka ".

In Europe there is also concern about the consumption of this drug, as new psychoactive substances are being detected every year. In 2013, 115 kilograms of alpha-PVP were seized on the European continent, as confirmed by the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction. In Spain, the warning signal has been given, since this case of intoxication arrives just at the beginning of the summer season. The holidays and the increase in influx in the leisure areas typical of this time of year seriously worries the authorities police, who have already made several arrests in the area of ​​the Costa del Sol in relation to the manufacture and distribution of drugs Flakka.

Bibliographic references:

• Aarde S, Creehan K, Vandewater S, Dickerson T, Taffe M. (2015). In vivo potency and efficacy of the novel cathinone α-pyrrolidinopentiophenone and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone: self-administration and locomotor stimulation in male rats