You can also instantly check the coverage offered by your health insurance provider or contact free drug and alcohol hotline numbers. Recreational use of cocaine is illegal because it is dangerous and can lead to severe health consequences, including stroke, heart attack, and overdose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 24,000 people died from cocaine overdose in 2021. This cycle can lead to cocaine use disorder, in which you have trouble controlling how much and how often you use the drug even when it has negative effects on your life. This makes you compulsively crave or use substances like cocaine. Cocaine can cause death after one use if an overdose occurs.
Addiction
Using it increases your risk of serious and sometimes life-threatening medical conditions like heart attack, stroke and drug overdose. Cocaine use disorder (addiction) can affect your personal relationships. Cognitive behavioral therapy may help people recover from cocaine use disorder. It makes you feel very happy and alert for a short time. But it carries many risks, including overdose and serious physical and mental side effects as well as addiction.
Consider speaking with a mental health professional or looking into treatment programs. People who abuse substances often take more than one drug at the same time. When a person consumes cocaine and alcohol together, the liver produces cocaethylene. Smoking cocaine also increases the risk of developing respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, coughing, and lung trauma, including bleeding. Asking for help is a huge and important step toward recovering from cocaine use disorder. They may refer you to a substance abuse counselor or recommend community-based programs.
Some of the side effects of cocaine depend on how you take the drug. If you snort it, you might have nosebleeds, loss of smell, hoarseness, nasal irritation, runny nose, or trouble swallowing. Smoking crack can damage your lungs and worsen asthma symptoms. If you inject it, you could develop tracks (puncture marks on your arms) and infections, such as HIV or hepatitis C. Research suggests that certain communities may be more prone to using drugs, including cocaine. For example, those who identify as LGBTQ are more than twice as likely to use illicit drugs as heterosexual people.
Signs of Cocaine Overdose
- This high can be addictive, causing people to consume more and more of the substance.
- Consider seeking emergency medical attention if you experience any notable side effects while consuming cocaine, especially a potential overdose.
- The sustained increase of dopamine results in feelings of well-being and euphoria, a key part of how cocaine addiction can develop.
- It can affect your heart, brain, lungs, gut, and kidneys as well as your emotional health and daily life — especially if you become addicted.
- Scientists at the University of Cambridge in England identified abnormal brain structure in the frontal lobe of the brain of cocaine users.
- Anyone who is concerned about cocaine use should see a doctor or a local support group for beating addiction.
However, a single dose of cocaine may also cause adverse side effects, such as paranoia, irritability, and difficulty performing straightforward tasks. Medications can treat the symptoms related to cocaine withdrawal, but there is no substitute drug that can effectively help a patient recover from a cocaine dependency. Some studies have shown that those who inject or smoke cocaine have a greater risk of complications than individuals who snort it. Smokers tend to develop an addiction more rapidly than those who snort. There is no specific medication to treat cocaine overdose.
What happens to the body after using cocaine?
Cocaethylene prolongs the euphoric effects of cocaine and makes them more intense. Scientists at the University of Cambridge in England identified abnormal brain structure in the frontal lobe of the brain of cocaine users. Regular usage, even without overdosing, increases the risk of negative health consequences.
Other long-term risks include severe paranoia, hallucinations, and movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. The only way to prevent cocaine intoxication and overdose is to avoid using cocaine altogether. If you or someone you know is struggling with a cocaine addiction, there are treatment options that can help. Drug use disorder, or addiction, is a complicated disease that involves changes to your brain structure. Many issues play a role, including other mental health disorders, your background, and your environment. Cocaine, especially crack cocaine, is strongly addictive for several reasons.
It’s not a sign of weakness, bad judgement or other personal characteristics. The best way to support someone coping with addiction is to encourage them to find help. It’s also important to remember cocaine use often has a ripple effect, putting stress and strain on relationships. If that’s your situation, consider participating in a support group. When people take cocaine, their blood pressure goes up and their heart races.
When injected, it goes directly into your bloodstream for a very strong and near-instant effect. A 2021 animal study on mice suggests that even a single, small dose may lead to structural changes and tissue damage in the brain. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information.
Many people who use cocaine also use alcohol, and this combination can be particularly dangerous. drinking age map Because cocaine’s effects wear off sooner, this can lead to a heroin overdose. There is currently no medication that can reverse the effects of a cocaine overdose.
Cocaine is a substance that can significantly impact your mental, emotional, and physical health. Using cocaine can lead to many short- and long-term side effects, some of which we’ll cover in the following slides. can i drink coffee while on adderall Cocaine’s effects appear almost immediately after a single dose and typically disappear within a few minutes to an hour. Small amounts of cocaine usually make people feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, mentally alert, and hypersensitive to sight, sound, and touch. It’s possible to die from an overdose of crack or any other type of cocaine. It’s important to spot the symptoms of overdose and get help immediately.
The FDA hasn’t approved any medicine to treat cocaine addiction. But there are a few medication options doctors are having some success with. An ER doctor will test for those conditions and try to treat them alcohol and brain fog first. They may also use medication to treat other complications you have. There are about 750,000 cocaine-exposed pregnancies each year. Using cocaine during pregnancy can cause problems for both the parent and the developing baby.
