Cocaine is a drug made from the leaves of the coca plant native to South America. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 15 percent of people in the United States have tried cocaine. Remember that people will only take steps toward recovery when they’re ready. You can’t force someone to face their addiction and quit if they’re unwilling. If that becomes too stressful, you can seek outside help, such as additional friends or family members, or the services of professional addiction services.
The effects of the drug vary greatly, depending on the route of administration, amount, purity, and effects of the added ingredients. The effect also varies with the user’s emotional state while taking the drug. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that constricts the blood vessels to increase heart rate and blood pressure — putting undue pressure on the entire cardiovascular system. Those who use cocaine tend to suffer heart-related problems as a result, even when heart problems don’t run in the family, or the user doesn’t have a history of heart problems. Heart attack, stroke, tearing of the aorta wall, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure are other serious heart-related problems that may arise from cocaine use and addiction. Cocaine can lead to skin infections due to the way this drug makes its users feel as though bugs are crawling beneath their skin.
Follow-up to Cocaine Abuse Treatment
You can also offer to go with them to talk with their primary doctor about local rehabilitation services. It can be difficult to know how to help someone who is using cocaine. Many people worry that intervening will drive their loved one away or will not make a difference.
It can feel frustrating, frightening, and overwhelming to talk with someone about something as important as a cocaine issue. Addiction is a chronic condition that develops eight moms one house and a road map out of drug addiction when some people use substances that make changes to the brain. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
They are also more likely to suffer physical withdrawal symptoms when they stop using cocaine. Secretive behavior can be a red flag for a substance abuse problem, aetna insurance coverage for drug rehab and people with a cocaine addiction will often try to hide their drug use. As their addiction grows, their lives begin to revolve around the drug.
How Common Is Cocaine Use?
John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes substance use and co-occurring mental disorders national institute of mental health nimh of Health (NIH). The symptoms usually begin about 6-12 hours after your last use. 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.
Many cocaine addicts will also suffer depression when going through withdrawal. Mood changes are often the first clue that indicates cocaine addiction and are most noticeable by close friends and family. Irritability, anxiety, and paranoia are common cocaine symptoms. Cocaine users will often go from being euphoric to acting irritable and anxious within a short period.
- The most common type of paranoia experienced by those addicted to cocaine is believing that everyone knows what you are doing.
- It’s best to keep your words and your tone supportive and to offer help and resources without making any accusations.
- However, an individual tolerating the drug will experience withdrawal symptoms after stopping use.
- Inhaling cocaine can lead to infections of the nasal and oral cavities.
- Cocaine is often used with alcohol, sedatives such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), or heroin, as an upper/downer combination.
Some people take cocaine orally by rubbing it on the gums or mixing it in a drink. Others wrap powder cocaine in a small piece of toilet paper or tissue and swallow it. This method of use is sometimes called parachuting or bombing. Injecting cocaine into a vein can cause a more intense high.
This makes you compulsively crave or use substances like cocaine. Due to its highly addictive nature, the best way to quit serious cocaine use is to seek professional addiction treatment help. Some cocaine users combine the drug with heroin and inject it — an act known as speedballing. Those who inject cocaine can go on to develop skin infections caused by using dirty, contaminated needles. In severe cases, cocaine overdose can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Stimulant drugs can block the transport of these neurotransmitters. Cocaine is also known as coke, C, flake, snow, crack, and blow. It’s highly addictive, and in the United States, recreational use is illegal. If your loved one is ready to start treatment, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a great place to start.
An ER doctor will test for those conditions and try to treat them first. They may also use medication to treat other complications you have. Along with the physical risks, cocaine use can affect your life in other ways. 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. LGBTQ adults are also more than twice as likely to have a substance use disorder.
People may take the drug until they run out or become exhausted. The drug is made from the leaves of the coca plant, which grows almost nowhere other than the northern and western regions of South America. People there have chewed and eaten coca leaves for thousands of years to help them stay alert and lessen their appetites. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses.
It functions by increasing the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain, which is responsible for a variety of positive feelings including increased energy, focus, and euphoria. However, this high wears off within a matter of 1-2 hours, which can result in the user doing more cocaine in order to keep the high going and the negative effects at bay. This results in a vicious cycle that can lead to rapid dependence and addiction – much quicker than for many other hard drugs. Key signs of a cocaine overdose include a fast heart rate, elevated blood pressure, faster breathing, high body temperature, sweating, widened pupils and agitation. When people snort cocaine for a long time, the nose can collapse. Holes can form in the roof of the mouth, and other parts of the face can become damaged.
Counseling and other types of therapy are the most common treatments for cocaine use disorder. Sessions with a trained therapist can help you make changes to your behaviors and thought processes. You may need to stay in a rehabilitation center (also known as rehab) for intensive therapy and support. If you do attend rehab, continuing treatment afterward (aftercare) is important to help you avoid relapse. At the same time, you might develop what’s called sensitization to the drug.
