Alpha-PVP (Alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone)
Definition
The MDPV successor ('flakka') dominant in Florida 2014-2016; associated with excited delirium presentations and multiple fatalities. Identified in over 60 deaths in Broward County 2014. Schedule I US since 2014.
- Street name
- Flakka
- Chemical predecessor
- MDPV
- Peak region and years
- Florida, 2014 to 2016
- US legal status
- Schedule I since 2014
Common questions
What is excited delirium and why is it linked to alpha-PVP?+
Excited delirium describes a state of extreme agitation, hyperthermia, and violent behavior sometimes seen with potent synthetic cathinones, and alpha-PVP was strongly associated with these presentations during its peak use, contributing to the multiple deaths recorded in Broward County.
How is alpha-PVP confirmed analytically in a forensic sample?+
Confirmation typically relies on GC-MS or LC-MS/MS analysis of blood, urine, or tissue, comparing retention time and mass spectrum against a reference standard, since presumptive color tests cannot reliably distinguish it from related cathinone analogs.
Related terms
- Cathinone
- The natural beta-ketoamphetamine alkaloid from Catha edulis (khat) plant; the parent scaffold for the synthetic cathinone NPS class. The ketone group at...
- EMCDDA Early Warning System
- The EU mechanism under Council Decision 2005/387/JHA by which national focal points (forensic labs, clinical sites) report new NPS to the EMCDDA...
- Federal Analogue Act (FAA)
- 21 USC 813; a provision of the US Controlled Substances Act declaring substances 'substantially similar' in structure or pharmacology to Schedule I...
- Isotonitazene (ISO)
- A benzimidazole-class novel synthetic opioid (nitazene family) estimated at ~500x the potency of morphine at the mu-opioid receptor. First identified in European...
- MDPV (Methylenedioxypyrovalerone)
- An alpha-pyrrolidinyl cathinone acting primarily as a dopamine/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Central to the US 'bath salts' crisis 2011-2012; substantially more potent and...
- Mephedrone (4-MMC)
- 4-Methylmethcathinone; the dominant first-wave synthetic cathinone, active as a mixed monoamine releaser/reuptake inhibitor. Class B UK since April 2010; Schedule I US...
- Novel Psychoactive Substance (NPS)
- A substance designed to mimic the effects of a controlled drug while falling outside the definition of any currently scheduled substance; identified...
- Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 (UK)
- UK catch-all legislation prohibiting supply, distribution, import, and export of any substance with psychoactive effects on the CNS, with exemptions for alcohol,...
- Schedule Lag
- The delay between first identification of an NPS in forensic seizures and its formal addition to a controlled substances schedule. In India,...