New Drug “Flakka” Similar to Bath Salts

A new drug that surfaced in Florida after a few bizarre incidents has been studied and was found to be as addictive as bath salts and more addictive than methamphetamine.

“Flakka,” or alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PDP), is a synthetic stimulant that is “chemically similar” to MDPV, the main chemical found in bath salts (Wilkerson, 2015). In Florida flakka is responsible for “several attempted break-ins at police precincts” and “is even rumored to cause feats of ‘superhuman’ strength” (Wilkerson, 2015).

Researchers at Scripps Research Institute found that rats that were able to choose between MDPV and flakka chose both similarly and pushed the injection levers more often. The study coauthor, Tobin Dickerson, stated that “flakka is as potent as MDPV, making it a very good stimulant, arguably with worse addiction liability than methamphetamine” (Wilkerson, 2015).

According to an article by addiction news website The Fix, flakka comes from China, India, and Pakistan (Wilkerson, 2015).

References

Wilkerson, M. (2015). Flakka is similar to bath salts and more addictive than meth, says study. Retrieved from http://www.thefix.com/content/flakka-similar-bath-salts-and-more-addictive-meth-says-study