How Does Flakka Affect Your Brain?
How does Flakka affect your brain?’ is a question that everyone has been wondering since 2015 when the news of this drug first appeared in South Florida. For the uninitiated, Flakka is a synthetic drug, which means that it has been developed in a laboratory. This drug has gained popularity recently. Flakka is a potent drug that can stimulate the ‘feel-good’ chemicals in the brain. This drug can have severe repercussions on the brain and overall health of an individual. A recent National Institute of Health (NIH) study shows that the population is more vulnerable to using this drug. From 2016 to 2017, 0.8% of the total high school seniors in the United States are estimated to use Flakka at least once. Given that Flakka is a recent drug, it is less popular than other artificial stimulants. Even the lightest dose of Flakka can wreak havoc on the health of an individual and put them in the emergency room of a hospital. In this blog, we have compiled relevant details on ‘How does Flakka affect your brain?’ and the short and long-term side effects of using this drug. Is Flakka’s addiction weighing you down? With detoxification, therapy, and medication-assisted treatment, support is available. Start Your Flakka-Free Journey! 732-798-7743 What is Flakka? 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. It has a chemical structure similar to bath salts. Bath salts are another category of artificial stimulants for the central nervous system. This type of drug works by mimicking the effects of other potent drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine (also known as meth), and MDMA (also known as ecstasy). Bath salts got their name as they were smuggled and marketed as ‘bath salts’ and labeled as ‘not for human consumption’ to avoid getting caught. Coming back to the topic of Flakka, this drug can be found in a powder or crystal form that users can snort, smoke, inject, or swallow. High doses of Flakka can result in seizures and result in an individual being unconscious or even dying. Flakka works by overstimulating the central nervous system. This manipulates the neurotransmitters of the brain. As a result, an individual who takes Flakka may feel intense stimulation, increased energy levels, and a heightened sense of alertness. Additionally, this drug may also make an individual extremely alert, aggressive, agitated, paranoid, and hallucinated. Given the unpredictable and health complications associated with the use of Flakka, this drug is illegal, and individuals are advised against using this drug. However, before understanding ‘How does Flakka affect your brain,’ it is crucial to comprehend how Flakka is misused and why this drug is so addictive. What are the origins of Flakka, and what is it used for? Flakka is an illegal substance, and it is not used for any medical purpose. Being a synthetic drug, it is misused for recreational purposes. People are tempted to use Flakka due to its stimulating effects. Flakka is notorious for its hallucinatory effects, and individuals who take this drug feel an unnatural surge of energy, alertness, and euphoria. People who use Flakka have also been reported to show unpredictable and violent behaviors that stem out of their paranoia, hallucinations, and the feeling that they have superhuman strength. For this reason, the production, sale, and use of Flakka are illegal. In simpler terms, Flakka is a street drug that was first observed in South Florida. It is a ‘designer drug,’ which means that this drug was developed in a laboratory. Made from a synthetic version of cathinone called alpha-PVP, this drug can trigger unpredictable behavior in users. Cathinones are chemicals that are obtained from the Khat plant. This plant is found in the Middle East and Somalia. People seeking to get a ‘recreational high’ chew the leaves of this plant. As per recent research, Flakka has resulted in 75 deaths from the years 2017 to 2020. Why is Flakka addictive? To understand ‘how does Flakka affect your brain,’ it is crucial to know how this drug works and the addictions associated with it. Flakka works by overstimulating the neurotransmitters of the brain. As a result, the brain’s secretion of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin is increased in unnatural proportions. These hormones are the ‘feel-good’ hormones of the human body. Extreme secretion of these hormones results in an individual feeling immense pleasure, euphoria, and invincibility. This makes Flakka being nicknamed as ‘The Zombie Drug’ as it is ten times more potent than cocaine and meth. As Flakka starts to wear off, the individual starts feeling invincible. Such individuals become a danger to themselves and others around them. Once the effects of Flakka begin to wear off, the individual feels unnatural fatigue and depression. To avoid these feelings, they may be tempted to use Flakka again, which can lead to Flakka addiction. Like any other drug, the users of Flakka may develop a tolerance to this drug with long-term use. Over a period of time, they may require higher doses of Flakka to feel the same effect that they once got with smaller quantities. This puts an individual in the risk of overdosing on this drug. This makes Flakka extremely addictive. However, the question, ‘How does Flakka affect your brain?’ remains. In the next section of this blog, we will explore the answer to this question. How does Flakka affect your brain chemistry? Flakka affects the brain chemistry by making it delirious and triggering hallucinations and paranoia. Individuals who use Flakka sometimes get so paranoid that they start harming themselves and others around them. 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