The flakka It is a new designer drug with effects as powerful as they are deadly.
Many cases of consumption have been reported in the United States and in some Asian countries, but it has recently reached Spain, where the first case of poisoning has been detected, which, fortunately, has not ended in death. However, this powerful drug has generated alarm among health authorities.
Flakka, the new and highly dangerous synthetic drug
Previous cases of poisoning had caused the death of individuals who had consumed the drug, since This substance has an almost immediate effect on the body and there is no “antidote” to counteract its negative effects, which makes it especially dangerous.
A drug unknown until recently
Flakka can be consumed orally, snorted, smoked or injected. Its active compound is called alpha-PVP, a stimulating substance that belongs to the chemical group of cathinoneswhich in turn is from the family of phenethylamines. Alpha-PVP is a very powerful stimulant of which there are few references.
This compound resembles methylenedioxypyrovalerone (also known as MDPV and is found in another drug known as bath salts) both in its chemical structure and in its effects on the body. While consumption of the active ingredient in bath salts is illegal, alpha-PVP remains legal in Spain.
The effects of Flakka: “madness at $5”
Flakka is also known as “Hulk’s drug” or “$5 madness” 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 aggression, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias and hyperthermia (with a body temperature greater than 38 degrees).
The euphoria produced by this substance disappears after a short time, which is why many users feel like consuming Flakka again after a short time. These redosages increase the appearance of side effects, and can cause irreparable harm to consumers Like other similar substances, the drug Flakka can cause tolerance and dependence.
Flakka, the ‘Hulk drug’, is already in Spain
In the United States and Asia, the consumption of this drug is becoming more and more common due to its low price and almost immediate effects, but in Spain no case has been reported so far. A few weeks ago, in Magaluf the first case of Flakka consumption has appeared in Spain.
Due to ingesting the drug, a young British man was admitted to the Son Espales hospital with a heart rate of 180, hyperthermia (38 degrees) and a state of paranoia. Despite the severity of his symptoms, doctors managed to save his life.
The 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 area that reports the most cases of consumption in this country, and Teresa Calero, a therapist at the Baptist Health South addiction treatment center in Miami, states that “in the last three years, drug consumption has increased by 780%.” this substance, since in Florida more than 600 people poisoned with Flakka have been treated this year.
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 poisoning comes just at the beginning of the summer season The holidays and the increase in influx in leisure areas typical of this time of year seriously worry the police authorities, who have already made several arrests in the Costa del Sol area in relation to the manufacture and distribution of drugs. Flakka.
