Cocaine is a stimulant drug. Stimulants speed up messages between your body and brain. They increase your energy and level of alertness. Cocaine is a product of the leaves of the coca plant. The coca plant initially grows in South America. Cocaine possession and use for recreational purposes are illegal. However, use is allowed for medical purposes such as surgery anesthesia.
Cocaine is a highly addictive drug. The Drug Enforcement Administration of the US classifies Cocaine as a schedule II drug. Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse and physical and psychological dependence. Furthermore, it has a high risk of overdose. Thus, individuals need to get immediate help to detox, rehabilitate, and recover successfully.
What’s the Difference Between Street Cocaine and Medical Cocaine?
Street cocaine is highly unregulated and unsafe. It is usually a fine, white, crystal-like powder. However, dealers will mix it with various substances such as talcum powder, flour, or cornstarch to increase their profits.
Furthermore, they add other substances such as amphetamine or synthetic opioids like fentanyl to increase the drug’s potency. It is very risky to your health to take synthetic opioids and Cocaine and can easily lead to an overdose.
Street cocaine has other nicknames, including:
- Blow
- Rock
- Crack
- Coke
- Snow
Medical Cocaine is pure and regulated to ensure the safety of the patients.
How Does Cocaine Affect Your Brain?
Cocaine will increase the release of dopamine and prevent the brain from recycling it. Dopamine is a chemical substance released by your brain’s nerves to send messages. Normally, the chemical is recycled by the nerve cells that produce it to shut off the medical signal. However, cocaine’s presence prevents the cells from recycling dopamine.
Constant abuse of the drug will cause the brain to adapt to the dopamine presence, and thus, you will crave more quantity at a shorter frequency. In other words, it causes cocaine addiction.
What Are The Health Effects of Cocaine Use?
Cocaine poses both short-term, health, and long-term effects.
Short Term Effects:
- Mental alertness.
- Irritability.
- Extreme energy and happiness.
- Hypersensitivity to sound, touch, and light.
- Paranoia or extreme distrust.
Health Effects:
- Nausea.
- Dilated pupils.
- Tremors.
- Muscle cramps.
- Increased body temperature and blood pressure.
- Constricted blood vessels.
- Restlessness.
- An irregular or fast heartbeat.
Long-Term Effects:
The long-term effects of Cocaine vary with the method of use. You can either smoke, snort, inject or consume by mouth. The effects include:
- Smoking: asthma, coughs, risk of infections like pneumonia, and respiratory stress.
- Snorting: nosebleeds, loss of smell, swallowing problems, and nosebleeds.
- Injection: soft tissue or skin infections, collapsed veins, scarring, and risk of diseases like hepatitis c, HIV, or bloodborne diseases.
What Are The Symptoms Of Cocaine Addiction and Withdrawal?
Cocaine alters the reward system in your brain to cause addiction. You will need doses more frequently and in larger amounts to experience the effects. Once you are addicted, there are withdrawal consequences of skipping dosages. Cocaine withdrawal symptoms include:
- Fatigue.
- Depression.
- Increased appetite.
- Slower thinking.
- Insomnia.
- Unpleasant dreams.
Cocaine Overdose
Addiction can easily lead to overdose. An overdose is an intentional or unintentional use of a substance to the level that you get life-threatening symptoms or death. Cocaine overdose and death can occur on your very first use of the drug or later.
An overdose can also occur for using Cocaine together with alcohol or other drugs. Mixing Cocaine with alcohol, heroin, or any other drug is a deadly combination.
Symptoms of cocaine overdose include:
- Stroke.
- Seizures.
- Heart attacks.
- Irregular heart rhythm.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Hallucinations.
- High blood pressure.
- High temperature.
- Extreme anxiety or agitation.
Treatment for a Cocaine Overdose
A case of cocaine overdose does not have a specific treatment. However, medical professionals will try to treat various symptoms. They will apply measures such as:
- Stop a seizure.
- Restrict the flow of blood to the heart to prevent heart attack.
- Restore blood rich in oxygen to the brain and prevent a stroke.
Treatment for Substance Use Disorder at The Detox Center of Los Angeles
The Detox Center of Los Angeles is a fully licensed detox, rehab, and partial hospitalization facility in Los Angeles, California. We offer custom treatment plans for our patients for long-term recovery. Our team consists of therapists, case managers, and counselors who dedicate themselves to understanding your unique needs for effective treatment.
We offer three main treatment programs. First, patients take the detox program, which is meant to safely remove the substances from your body. The next plan is the inpatient program, which is meant to keep you safe from relapse triggers and help you cope with withdrawal symptoms. Partial hospitalization or the outpatient program is the last. It is meant to help you settle back into your life.
It is important to get treatment as soon as possible for any substance use disorder or any co-occurring issues. Contact us now to schedule treatment for you or your loved ones.
Final Word…
Cocaine is a stimulant drug. It comes from the leaves of the coca plant, which is natively found in South America. Cocaine is highly addictive and very dangerous. The DEA has classified Cocaine under Schedule II drugs. It is illegal for recreational use but can be used for medical purposes.
Street cocaine is very dangerous because it can be mixed with other substances for increased quantity or potency. For example, dealers can mix substances like amphetamine or synthetic opioids, increasing the risks of an overdose.
Cocaine is highly addictive because it tampers with the reward system of your brain. It encourages the brain to release large amounts of dopamine, and your brain will easily get used to its presence. Use and addiction to Cocaine cause both long-term and short-term effects.
It also increases the risk of an overdose or death.
Cocaine overdose has symptoms like stroke, heart attack, high body temperature, high blood pressure, hallucinations, and more. There is no exact cure for a cocaine overdose. However, medical professionals treat the symptoms.
You can overdose on Cocaine after just one use. Thus, it is important to get detox and rehabilitation immediately to prevent severe medical conditions.
Ready to start the recovery journey? Give us a call now on (888) 346-4350, and let’s discuss ways you or your loved one can get back to a healthy lifestyle.
