alpha-Pyrrolidinopentiophenone: Much better known as “flakka” or even the “zombie” drug, is an illegal substance that has caused chaos wherever it goes. Over the last two years, this drug has made its way through Austrailia and the USA, now it’s been spotted in South Africa after a Durban drug dealer was caught selling the product.

Read: Panic begins as “zombie” drug begins to sweep through Durban

What is flakka?

The drug has become a global phenomenon after thousands of videos bombarded the internet showing users in a state of panic and hysteria.

People who take the drug are often left unable to talk and have no idea what is going on around them until the drug wears off. When people take the drug, they become a clear danger to themselves and others. Recent local reports indicated that a Durban man who took the drug physically bit off a chunk of someone’s arm while high.

Experts say the high from flakka can be compared to the high caused by snorting cocaine, the only difference, flakka has the potential to be much more dangerous.

CNN spoke to epidemiologist Jim Hall about the specifics of the drug.

“It’s so difficult to control the exact dose [of flakka]. Just a little bit of difference in how much is consumed can be the difference between getting high and dying. It’s that critical.”

Even the smallest overdose of the drug can lead to the most extreme symptoms, “excited delirium” being the most common. This symptom is synonymous with violent behaviour, spikes in body temperature and paranoia.

The main reason for some of the sickening videos spreading across the net? The drug can make users have feelings of super strength coupled with a pure feeling of rage.

Biting into people’s arms, breaking down reinforced doors while screaming that you are Satan? Sadly, instances like that are the norm for those who take flakka.

Is flakka really worse than the other dangerous” drugs?

The answer here is a definitive yes.

A typical flakka high can last several hours before the effects wear off. It is also possible and reasonably common that the neurological effects are permanent. The drug “sits on neurons but can also destroy them”.

Link that together with the fact that Flakka stays on the brain for longer than cocaine, the extent of the damage to the brain could be maximised even further.

It’s not just your brain that Flakka destroys, medical experts worry that flakka users could be on dialysis for the rest of their lives. Why? The drug destroys the kidneys over time.