Cocaine
Topic Overview
What is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant that is used legally as a local anesthetic for some eye, ear, and throat surgeries. Cocaine is also called coke, C, snow, flake, or blow. It may contain other substances, such as cornstarch, talcum powder, or sugar. It may also contain other drugs, such as another local anesthetic called procaine or a stimulant such as amphetamine.
What are the forms of Cocaine?
Two forms of cocaine are:
- The white crystalline powdered form can be sniffed through the nose (snorted) or dissolved in water and taken through a vein (intravenously, or IV). It can also be taken by mouth or rubbed onto the gums.
- The freebase form, which has had impurities removed with solvents, is smoked. Crack is a smokable, freebase cocaine made from powdered cocaine hydrochloride. It is also called chips, chunks, or rocks. The name crack came about because of the crackling sound that it makes when it is smoked.
How Does Cocaine Work?
Small amounts of cocaine make a person feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert. It also decreases appetite and the need for sleep. When large amounts of cocaine are taken, the high is more intense. But large doses can cause strange or violent behavior in which the person may have tremors or muscle twitches or become paranoid.
What are the risks and effects of Cocaine?
Short Term effects:
After using cocaine, the person feels irritable, tired, and depressed. This is called a coke crash. When a person takes the drug at higher and higher doses (a binge), it can cause increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia that can result in a serious loss of touch with reality (paranoid psychosis).
Some people use cocaine often and may develop a stimulant use disorder. Moderate to severe stimulant use disorder is sometimes called addiction.
Long Term effects:
Use of cocaine can lead to serious health problems, including:
- Changes in heart rhythm and heart attack.
- Headache, seizure, and stroke.
- Loss of smell, persistent runny nose, nosebleeds, hoarseness, and destruction of the nasal separation (nasal septum) when the drug is snorted.
- Bowel tissue death.
- Damage to the kidneys.
- Serious infections, HIV, hepatitis, or allergic reactions when injected into a vein.
- Weight loss and poor nutrition from loss of appetite.
Sometimes sudden death can occur, even with the first use of cocaine. Sudden death from cocaine use may occur because of a heart attack or seizure in which breathing stops. Sudden death is more likely to occur when cocaine is used along with alcohol.
How Long Does Cocaine Stay in Your System?
The effects of cocaine last about 1 to 2 hours. Cocaine can be detected in a urine drug screen up to 6 days after it has been taken.
How to Tell if Someone Is on Cocaine?
Signs of use
- Possession of drug paraphernalia, such as syringes, spoons with smoke stains, small pieces of glass, and razor blades
- Persistent runny nose and nosebleeds, which may point to the snorting of cocaine
- “Track marks” where it has been injected into veins
- Long periods of time without sleeping or eating
- Personality changes
Credits
Current as ofFebruary 5, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Patrice Burgess MD – Family Medicine
Adam Husney MD – Family Medicine
Martin J. Gabica MD – Family Medicine
Christine R. Maldonado PhD – Behavioral Health
Kathleen Romito MD – Family Medicine
Michael F. Bierer MD – Internal Medicine, Addiction Medicine
Current as of: February 5, 2019
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Patrice Burgess MD – Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD – Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica MD – Family Medicine & Christine R. Maldonado PhD – Behavioral Health & Kathleen Romito MD – Family Medicine & Michael F. Bierer MD – Internal Medicine, Addiction Medicine
Topic Contents
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