Effects of Cocaine
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Effects of Cocaine

Cocaine PartyThe effects of cocaine appear soon after a single dose and disappear within a few minutes or hours. Those who inject the drug experience the effects of cocaine faster and more intensely than those who snort cocaine; smoking crack and freebase produces an even faster effect. The duration of action of cocaine is much shorter than that of amphetamine. The half-life of cocaine in plasma is about 50 minutes. Typically, users will take a number of doses over a period of several hours. Heavy users go on binges or sprees lasting hours or even days, often until their drug supply is gone. When users stop taking cocaine, they often feel depressed, anxious and agitated. Some users take depressant drugs like alcohol, tranquillizers or heroin to modify cocaine’s effects, and to stop binges.

What are the physical effects of cocaine?

  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE BRAIN
    • Euphoria and Depression: early effects of cocaine use include euphoria lasting 5-15 minutes. This 'high' is followed by a crushing 'low' (depression) that leaves the user craving more of the drug.
    • Brain Damage and Addiction: Cocaine and 'crack' have an overwhelming effect on the 'pleasure centers' in the brain. The drugs interfere, alter, damage, and take control of specialized cells that regulate pleasure, well-being and mood. Regular use may shut off the brain's ability to ever be or feel 'normal' without cocaine.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
    • Increases blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and body temperature.
    • Suppresses desire for food, sex and sleep.
    • Can cause strokes, brain seizures, respiratory failure, heart attack, convulsions and death.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE LIVER
    • Cocaine and crack can damage the liver's ability to detoxify blood, while reducing the production of critical enzymes needed for normal body functions.
    • Hepatitis can be contracted and cause serious liver damage, or lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis is highly contagious.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE INTESTINES
    • The blood supply is reduced to the intestines, resulting in nausea, diarrhea, painful cramps, inflammation and possible death.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM - Males and Females
    • Regular use can result in loss of interest in sex, decreased sexual performance, risk of impotence and infertility
    • Cocaine and crack can cause miscarriages, developmental disorders and complications during birth
    • Can result in premature separation of placenta from uterus leading to premature births or stillbirths
    • Babies run a greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Cocaine babies have higher risk of respiratory, kidney trouble, and genital malformation. Visual problems, lack of coordination and retardation are common
    • Babies can suffer strokes and heart attacks
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE EYES
    • Dilation of pupils and blurred vision
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE THROAT
    • Inhaling cocaine vapors causes hoarseness, coughing and constant sore throat
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE LUNGS
    • Smoking cocaine damages lung cells' ability to process gases, leaving user with constant cough and shortness of breath. Use may result in respiratory failure -- the brain stops signaling muscles that control breathing, and they stop working.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE HEART
    • Constricts the heart's blood vessels, increasing blood pressure. This may trigger heart attack, heart failure, irregular heart beat and sudden death.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON BLOOD VESSELS
    • Cocaine and crack cause blood vessels to constrict, increasing blood pressure, and risk of heart attack and stroke.
    • Users sharing needles run high risk of infecting themselves with hepatitis or AIDS. Users may pass these diseases to their sexual partners, unborn babies or others.
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON THE BLADDER
    • Increased need to urinate
  • EFFECTS OF COCAINE ON BODY WEIGHT
    • Loss of appetite can be so severe that it leads to dramatic weight loss and malnutrition.

The psychological effects of cocaine include but are not limited to the following: irritability, anxiety, panic attacks, excitable, 'hyper,' erratic, confused, depressed, non-stop babbling, sleeplessness, chronic fatigue, short tempers, bizarre behavior, aggressiveness and violence, suicidal behavior, paranoia, delusions and hallucinations.

What are the long term effects of cocaine use?

  • Auditory and tactile hallucinations ("coke bugs")
  • Convulsions and seizures
  • Damage to the nasal septum (when snorting)
  • Headaches
  • Heart disease and heart attack
  • Irritability and mood disturbances
  • Lung damage and disease (respiratory failure and difficulty breathing)
  • Reproductive damage and infertility
  • Sexual dysfunction in both males and females
  • Stroke
  • Sudden death - even one use can cause overdose or death

Effects of Cocaine
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Cocaine Facts

  • Any form of cocaine can do lots of damage to your body because it targets your brain and central nervous system. It can also do a lot of damage to your wallet, not to mention your reputation.
  • As a potent and highly addictive drug, the physical and psychological symptoms of cocaine abuse will be the same whether the drug addict is a teen or a geriatric, a politician, a top model, a lawyer or a burger-flipper. In the UK, cocaine is a Class A drug and dealing or supplying cocaine (even free of charge to a friend) can result in up to life in prison, an unlimited fine or both. Possession may incur a penalty of up to seven years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
  • At celebrity gatherings in London, it is reputed that sterling silver drinking straws were a fashionable party accessory for models which prevented their lipstick from coming off on drinking glasses and, when occasion invited, doubled as a ‘designer’ tooter. After snorting a line, the residue is sometimes tamped onto fingers and rubbed onto the gums which has a numbing effect due to the anaesthetic properties of cocaine.
  • Because cocaine is extremely addictive, withdrawal from the drug usually results in further use. This is often spurred by a conditioned cue such as a specific smell or location linked with cocaine use. If the drug is not taken again there is a gradual lessening of the craving, although conditioned cues may exert an effect years afterward. Long-term use can result in digestive disorders, weight loss, general physical deterioration, and marked deterioration of the nervous system. Most drug-related emergency room visits are cocaine-related.
  • Body temperature and blood sugar rise. Respiratory failure, strokes and seizures are also possibilities. In rare cases, first time users have been known to die from the effects of the drug. Cocaine drug addiction also contributes to dramatic changes in behavior, as some users are known to display bizarre actions, or become violent.
  • Both forms of cocaine are illegal and powerfully addictive.  Like many other drug addictions it affects the lives of millions of people through personal dependence and relation.  While cocaine typically is used by those between the ages of eighteen and thirty, because of its unique history many people over the years have been exposed to it.
  • Chances are pretty good that cocaine can be found in your purse or wallet. Cocaine users roll dollar bills (or any other denomination of currency they have) to create a cylindrical tube known as a “tooter” in order to snort the drug. The cocaine then remains on the money because it binds closely to the ink in our United States paper currency. FBI chemists have discovered that traces of cocaine can be found on almost every dollar bill in the United States. Hence most Americans handle cocaine every day of their lives.
  • Chronic users and those with hypertension, epilepsy, and cardiovascular disease are at particular risk when using cocaine. Studies show that even those with no previous heart problems risk cardiac complications from cocaine. Also, increased use may sensitize the brain to cocaine side effects so that less of the substance is needed to induce a seizure.