As you get older, sleep hygiene remains important and can impact lifespan. “In older adults, sleep patterns naturally change, often becoming lighter and more fragmented,” Dr. Bashir. “Adequate sleep in old age helps preserve cognitive function, reduces the risk of chronic conditions, and enhances quality of life, all of which contribute to increased longevity.”
- The major challenges facing the clinicians managing a person with cathinone intoxication are control of agitation and other signs of sympathetic excess and acute decompensation can occur if immediate measures are not taken.
- During this time, withdrawal symptoms may grow more intense before leveling off and declining in their intensity.
- These instances highlight the profound and often alarming effects that flakka can have on behavior and mental state, emphasizing its dangers to both users and the community at large.
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However, there are now quantitative testing for primary chemicals such as A-PVP, MDPV, DMAA, Methylone, Mephedrone and Pentedrone. These urine drug tests are called a bath salt drug test kit or Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) urine drug test. In simple words, Flakka is a synthetic drug that was developed in a laboratory. It is an artificial stimulant that can induce hallucinatory effects. It is also known as alpha-PVP and is a cathinone drug that falls under the category of other substances known as bath salts.
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Individuals who use Flakka for the long term may suffer extreme paranoia, mental illnesses like depression and anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. Apart from this, Flakka can also damage the arteries by blocking the blood vessels, which can lead to severe cardiovascular problems in the long run. When an individual ingests Flakka, the chemical compounds released from this drug bind themselves to the protein in the brain that transports dopamine. It is no secret that dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a crucial role in the feelings of reward and pleasure. As Flakka starts to wear off, the individual starts feeling invincible.
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Rescue crews and emergency department staff need to give sedatives to these patients to calm them and make them safe. In Japan, a fatal case of sudden death due to cardiac failure of a 41-year-old man who had self-administered α-PVP was reported in 2014 [68]. The toxicological analysis revealed other substances as well, but α-PVP was detected (411 ng/mL) in postmortem blood samples and in blood samples from the right and left ventricles and femoral https://sober-home.org/flakka-induced-prolonged-psychosis-pmc/ vein [58]. Α-PVP levels were identified at concentrations of 597, 635, and 580 ng/mL in the blood from the right and left ventricles and femoral vein, respectively [69]. In the USA, there were over 300 cases of α-PVP exploitation in the first three months of 2015 [70], and 18 fatal deaths were reported in only one south Florida county [71]. A brief review of the previously reported human α-PVP poisoning cases is summarized in Table 1.
The findings open up questions about whether the mechanism could be relevant to a wide range of conditions in which the distinction between imagination and perception dissolves. Dijkstra speculates, for example, that when people start to drift off to sleep and reality begins blending with the dream world, their reality threshold might be dipping. In conditions like schizophrenia, where there is a “general breakdown of reality,” there could be a calibration issue, Dijkstra said. The observations suggest that imagery in our mind’s eye and real perceived images in the world do get mixed together, Dijkstra said. “When this mixed signal is strong or vivid enough, we think it reflects reality.” It’s likely that there’s some threshold above which visual signals feel real to the brain and below which they feel imagined, she thinks. During the pandemic lockdown, Dijkstra and Fleming recruited for an online study.
This can also cause intense drug cravings, which may lead to drug relapse. In the year 2015, several reports mentioned individuals who were running naked in the streets and showing aggressive behavior by attacking those around them or impaling themselves into fences. These individuals showcase unnatural strength, and it is pretty hard to control such individuals without the use of sedatives. If you are still wondering, ‘How does Flakka affect your brain function?
Usage of this drug can change an individual’s consciousness, memory, and attention span. Flakka is notorious for triggering many long-term effects in your brain and body. This drug can instigate https://sober-home.org/ muscle damage, failure of the vital organs like the kidneys and the liver, and even heart attacks. Flakka can even permanently impair the brain’s decision-making and judgment ability.
Flakka is also known to provoke a condition called agitated delirium, when there is an excessive influx of sympathetic activation. This condition causes alterations in the mental status and can include bizarre behaviors, anxiety, agitation, violent outbursts, confusion, myoclonus, and rare cases of seizures. Clinical symptoms of agitated delirium involve tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia, diaphoresis, and mydriasis [3]. Flakka was also very inexpensive, costing as little as $5 for a dose. This caused people most at risk, poor desperate drug addicts and homeless people, to use it instead of more expensive drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines.
This method of ingestion can make it particularly easy to overdose on flakka. Flakka is a highly addictive and dangerous drug, otherwise known as alpha-PVP (alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone.) It is an amphetamine-like stimulant that belongs to the cathinone drug class. Cathinones are man-made, or synthetic drugs containing cathinone, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the khat plant. Florida has been at the epicenter of national attention due to the fact that flakka use has quickly spiked. Local and national news outlets have broadcast numerous stories about the effects of flakka on the brain and the actions of those who are under the influence of the drug. Given the quick and widespread popularity of bath salts a few years ago, many fear it is only a matter of time before flakka use spreads nationwide.
It might be a term of endearment in Latin America, but “la flaca” means something entirely different in the international drug world. Spanish for ‘pretty, skinny girl who charms all she meets’, Flakka is a highly addictive designer drug known for its ability to make people go crazy. Horrific stories of Flakka addicts displaying bizarre behaviour including running through the streets naked, gaining superhuman strength and engaging in violent acts, have led to it being referred to as the ‘Zombie drug’. Here, the team at Delamere wellness retreat shares more information on this dangerous drug, its origins, composition and the reason it’s so addictive. One of the newer chemicals in the booming category of synthetic or designer drugs, Flakka is typically made from a synthetic version of an amphetamine-like stimulant in the cathinone class called alpha-PVP. Although the exact mechanism of action is unclear, why it has been causing this alteration in a person’s functions, it is known that Flakka is designed to cause the brain to become flooded with dopamine.
By increasing the levels of dopamine, users of flakka experience increased activity in the reward center, generating feelings of pleasure, euphoria, and contentment. Since humans naturally seek reward and joy, this effect makes flakka highly addictive. Drugs with alpha PVP alter the chemical structure of the brain by manipulating the levels of norepinephrine and dopamine, which gives a heightened sense of pleasure and euphoria. As a result, when individuals experience drugs with alpha PVP, they want to come back to that drug to imitate the same feeling.
Four women between 32 and 44 years, and two men aged 34 and 51 years, died of fatal intoxication. Quetiapine was detected in one case, and amitriptyline, citalopram, venlafaxine, and norvenlafaxine were detected in three cases [29]. In one of the first reports of fatal α-PVP poisoning in humans, where α-PVP was the only cause of death described [67], the heart blood concentration of the drug was 486 ng/mL. In order to explore whether synthetic cathinones have a direct myotoxicity, Zhou et al. [50] investigated the potential toxicological effects of synthetic cathinones on C2C12 myoblasts (a mouse skeletal muscle cell line).
In the presence of MDPV, the chemicals that enable the reuptake and reabsorption of the neurotransmitters are limited. However, the chemical does not stop the production of the neurotransmitters, which are still produced by the neurons. The situation has still not risen to crisis level yet, but people are starting to notice the dangers of flakka, and staging protests and demonstrations against its use. Nevertheless, there is still a lot unknown about flakka, being a relatively new drug.
In small doses, Flakka can give users an immediate sense of euphoria, boost confidence, lessen inhibitions and increase libido. When the brain gets used to these pleasant sensations, it is hardwired to want more, leading to a higher tolerance, greater dependence and a potentially deadly addiction. Known as the poor man’s cocaine, Flakka is both cheap and accessible, further increasing the potential for abuse, especially among young people.
There is a lack of scientific research on the long term effects of Flakka. However, as psycho stimulant, this drug can cause paranoia, hyper stimulation and hallucinations. There are news stories indicating the irrational behavior of people high on Flakka. In combinations with other drugs, A-PVP has been linked to overdoses and suicides. It was reported that the drug in combination with pentedrone, caused heart failure that led to death.
