Flakka-Induced Prolonged Psychosis

In South Florida, there has been a highly addictive new synthetic drug flooding the streets for people looking for a cheap high.Alpha-PVP, better known as Flakka, is an illegal substance that sells on the streets for as little as $5 a hit and delivers an instanthigh that can last from hours to days with lingering effects for weeks after it has been ingested. Although people use Flakka for itspotential euphoric high, symptoms are known to easily escalate into frightening delusions, paranoid psychosis, extreme agitation,and a multitude of other altered mental states. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Florida appears to be the nation’shot spot for reports of Flakka. In this case report, a 17-year-old female with no prior psychiatric diagnosis presents to the hospitalunder a 72-hour involuntary placement for altered mental status with agitation and psychotic behaviors. After multiple days ofsymptomatic treatment with benzodiazepines and antipsychotics, the patient became coherent enough to give a history of a “friend”putting Flakka in her food at school as a joke. Although she continues to have residual symptoms including psychomotor agitationand slowing of cognition, she was alert, oriented, and able to be discharged home with proper follow-up.