Not Medical Advice: "Flakka" is a dangerous synthetic cathinone drug, also known as alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone (alpha-PVP).
According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, alpha-PVP is chemically similar to other synthetic cathinone drugs popularly called "bath salts," and takes the form of a white or pink, foul-smelling crystal that can be eaten, snorted, injected, or vaporized in an e-cigarette or similar device. Vaporizing, which sends the drug very quickly into the bloodstream, may make it particularly easy to overdose.
Like other drugs of this type, alpha-PVP can cause a condition called "excited delirium" that involves hyperstimulation, paranoia, and hallucinations that can lead to violent aggression and self-injury.
The drug has been linked to deaths by sųicide as well as heart attack. It can also dangerously raise body temperature and lead to kidney damage or kidney failure.
In latest news, authorities have speculated the drug "flakka" could be connected to the gruesome case of a Florida couple who were fatally stabbed Monday, August 15, before the 19-year-old suspect allegedly tried to eat one of their faces.
Austin Harrouff, a Florida State University fraternity brother, was found allegedly attempting to bite off chunks of John Joseph Stevens III's face in a Tequesta neighborhood. Stevens, 59, and his 53-year-old wife Michelle Karen Mishcon had been allegedly stabbed multiple times by Harrouff, authorities said. Read more of the news at PEOPLE.