α-PVP

1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidin-1-ylpentan-1-one

Overview

α-PVP belongs to Stimulants / Cathinones.

Key safety note: α-PVP ('flakka') is one of the most notorious 'bath salt' stimulants, linked to a wave of severe intoxications and deaths (notably in Florida around 2015).[5][3]
Effects
Subjective effects vary. What a substance feels like depends on dose, individual physiology, mindset, and setting. The points below describe commonly reported effects, not guaranteed, uniform, or desirable outcomes.
  • Intense, cocaine/methamphetamine-like stimulation and euphoria, wakefulness, disinhibition and increased libido: relatively short-lived.
  • A very strong compulsion to redose ('fiending') that drives prolonged binges.
  • A heavy sympathomimetic load: raised heart rate and blood pressure, hyperthermia, jaw clenching, appetite loss and vasoconstriction.
  • Agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, excited delirium and stimulant psychosis: prominent at high doses and on binges.
Dosing & duration
Harm-reduction note: These are commonly cited reference ranges, not a recommendation or a “safe” dose. Potency, purity, body chemistry, tolerance, and drug combinations vary widely. Start low, go slow, wait for full effects before redosing, and never assume an unknown product matches these figures. Missing data is not evidence of safety.

Oral, Insufflated. Not a recommendation. There are no controlled human dosing studies for α-PVP. It is extremely potent, active in the low milligram range orally and in single milligrams insufflated, so it must be dosed with an accurate milligram scale or volumetric solution, never eyeballed. Its fast onset and very strong compulsion to redose make bingeing and overdose easy, and smoking or injecting it is especially dangerous. Insufflation is more potent than oral.

Dose ranges

Threshold

≈1 mg (oral)

Light

≈5–10 mg (oral)

Common

≈10–25 mg (oral)

Strong

≈25–40 mg (oral)

Duration

onset

≈2–20 min (oral), ≈10–30 min (insufflated)

peak

Not well characterised

total

≈2–6 h (oral), after-effects up to ~12 h

Chemical & Physical Properties
FormulaC15H21NO
Molar mass231.33 g/mol
StateSolid (usually the hydrochloride salt)
Melting pointNot reported
Boiling pointNot reported
DensityNot reported
Vapor pressureNot reported
pKaNot reported
LogP3.4 (predicted, XLogP3)
SolubilityNot reported
Refractive indexNot reported
Identifiers & Synonyms
CAS14530-33-7
CAS (enantiomer)
PubChem CID11148955
InChIKeyYDIIDRWHPFMLGR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChIInChI=1S/C15H21NO/c1-2-8-14(16-11-6-7-12-16)15(17)13-9-4-3-5-10-13/h3-5,9-10,14H,2,6-8,11-12H2,1H3
SMILESCCCC(C(=O)C1=CC=CC=C1)N2CCCC2

Synonyms

  • α-PVP
  • α-Pyrrolidinovalerophenone
  • Flakka
  • Gravel
  • A-PVP
  • O-2387
Pharmacodynamics & Biochemistry

α-PVP (α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, 'flakka') is a synthetic cathinone of the pyrrolidinophenone class: the pentiophenone homologue of α-PHP (one carbon shorter). It is a very potent, DAT/NET-selective catecholamine reuptake inhibitor (dopamine-transporter uptake IC50 ≈13 nM, with comparable NET potency) that acts as a pure reuptake blocker rather than a releaser, producing intense cocaine/methamphetamine-like stimulation. It is essentially inactive at the serotonin transporter (IC50 >10,000 nM), strongly dopamine/noradrenaline-selective, and is roughly an order of magnitude more potent than cocaine at the dopamine transporter. Its activity resides mainly in the S-enantiomer, which is about 125-fold more potent than the R-enantiomer. This dopamine-dominant profile underlies its intense euphoria, compulsive redosing and high rates of agitation, excited delirium and stimulant psychosis.

Biological targets

  • DAT
  • NET
Pharmacokinetics
BioavailabilityOral and insufflated (also smoked or injected)
TmaxFast onset (≈2–20 min oral, ≈10–30 min insufflated)
Half-lifeNot established in humans (oral effects ≈2–6 h)
VdNot reported
Protein bindingNot reported
MetabolismHepatic
ExcretionRenal (presumed)
Toxicology & Safety
Harm-reduction note: Toxicity and risk depend on dose, route, purity, combinations, setting, and individual health factors. Missing harms should never be interpreted as evidence of safety.

Not reported

α-PVP ('flakka') is one of the most notorious 'bath salt' stimulants, linked to a wave of severe intoxications and deaths (notably in Florida around 2015). It is an intensely compulsive dopaminergic stimulant. Its acute dangers are severe sympathomimetic toxicity: extreme agitation and 'excited delirium', dangerous hyperthermia, severe hypertension, tachycardia and arrhythmia, rhabdomyolysis and multi-organ failure, seizures, and a marked stimulant psychosis with paranoia, hallucinations and violent or self-injurious behaviour: a notable fraction of users reportedly do not fully recover from psychosis. Excited delirium with hyperthermia can be rapidly fatal and is a medical emergency. It is extremely potent, active in the low milligram range orally and in single milligrams insufflated, so it must be measured on an accurate scale and never eyeballed. Smoking or injecting it sharply increases the risk. A strong compulsion to redose drives binges with sleep deprivation and dehydration, and it carries a high potential for psychological dependence. Little controlled human pharmacology or toxicology data exists, and that absence must not be read as safety.[5][3]

Legal Status
Legal note: Legal status can change over time and may vary by country, region, formulation, analogue status, prescription context, and enforcement practice. Always confirm with current official sources before relying on this section.
Interactions & Contraindications

Drug interactions

Stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine) Additive cardiovascular strain and hyperthermia, with a higher risk of agitation, excited delirium and psychosis (amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA).[5]
MAOIs Risk of a dangerous hypertensive and serotonergic reaction.[5]
Benzodiazepines, Alcohol, Opioids Depressants taken to come down mask stimulant toxicity and carry rebound and overdose risk.[5]

Contraindications

Cardiovascular disease, hypertension or arrhythmia severe sympathomimetic strain.[5]
Personal or family history of psychosis, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder[5]
History of stimulant or substance use disorder or a tendency to compulsive redosing.[5]
Concurrent MAOI, SSRI/SNRI or other serotonergic medication concurrent MAOIs or serotonergic medication.[5]
Pregnancy or breastfeeding[5]
Usage & Context
  • Sold as 'flakka' or 'gravel', a 'bath salt' / 'research chemical' stimulant, insufflated, smoked/vaporised or injected. It drove a cluster of severe intoxications and deaths, especially in Florida around 2015.
  • Repeatedly detected in forensic and post-mortem casework, often in the context of excited delirium.
Sources & Evidence

Further Information