Flakka
A specific type of bath salt
Flakka is type of bath salt drug.
Other names Flakka is also know as:
How is Flakka administered?
Flakka is not used in medicine, and is completely illegal.
There are many harmful effects of Flakka, many of which have not been discovered yet.
People have reported energizing and often agitating effects. Can also raise heart rate and blood pressure. A recent study found that a common bath salt, affects the brain in a manner similar to cocaine but is at least 10 times more powerful.
Some other effects are as follows:
- paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust of others
- hallucinations—experiencing sensations and images that seem real though they are not
- increased sociability
- panic attacks
- excited delirium—extreme agitation and violent behavior
- nosebleeds
- sweating
- nausea
There are many short term and long term effects.
Short term effects can last up to 3-4 hours. Some short term effects include:
- agitation
- irritability
- insomnia
- dizziness
- panic attacks
- depression
- suicidal thoughts
- delusions
- distorted sense of reality
- decreased ability to think clearly
- mood disturbances
- psychosis
There's a high risk that people who use bath salts will get addicted to them. People can become physically and emotionally dependent on the feeling the drugs give them. They often find that they have to take more of the drug to get the same high, and feel withdrawal symptoms when they stop. People who abuse bath salts may feel driven to do whatever they can to keep getting high, including taking risks. Users can also develop what is called "excited delirium." When this happens, people get dehydrated, their muscle tissue breaks down, and they can go into kidney failure and die. Long-term abuse of bath salts may cause people to have hallucinations, hear voices, feel paranoid, and develop a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia. Other long-term effects include:
- physical exhaustion
- insomnia
- restlessness
- dizziness
- blurred vision
- headaches
- reduced appetite and health problems from not eating properly
- higher chances of getting sick because of malnutrition
- depression
Support systems available
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK
Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator at 1-800-662-HELP