Cocaine |
5) Cocaine
 Drug Facts: Cocaine is a
powerfully addictive stimulant that directly affects the brain. Cocaine is not
a new drug. In fact, it is one of the oldest known drugs. The pure chemical,
cocaine hydrochloride, has been an abused substance for more than 100 years,
and coca leaves, the source of cocaine, have been ingested for thousands of
years.
Pure
cocaine was first extracted from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which
grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia, in the mid-19th century. In the early
1900s, it became the main stimulant drug used in most of the tonics/elixirs
that were developed to treat a wide variety of illnesses.
Cocaine
abuse has a long history and is rooted into the drug culture in the U.S. It is
an intense euphoric drug with strong addictive potential. With the increase in
purity, the advent of the free-base form of the cocaine ("crack"), and its easy
availability on the street, cocaine continues to burden both the law
enforcement and health care systems in America.( Cocaine is a strong central
nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of
dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. The
buildup of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of receiving neurons, which
is associated with the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.
Physical
effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and
increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of
cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyperstimulation, reduced
fatigue, and mental alertness, depends on the route of administration. The
faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster
the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may
last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes.
Increased use can reduce the period of time a user feels high and increases the
risk of addiction.
Cocaine
addiction can occur very quickly and be very difficult to break. Animal studies
have shown that animals will work very hard (press a bar over 10,000 times) for
a single injection of cocaine, choose cocaine over food and water, and take
cocaine even when this behavior is punished. Animals must have their access to
cocaine limited in order not to take toxic or even lethal doses. People
addicted to cocaine behave similarly. They will go to great lengths to get
cocaine and continue to take it even when it hurts their school or job
performance and their relationships with loved ones.
Use of
cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at
increasingly high doses, may lead to a state of increasing irritability,
restlessness, and paranoia. This can result in a period of full-blown paranoid
psychosis, in which the user loses touch with reality and experiences auditory
hallucinations.
Other
complications associated with cocaine use include disturbances in heart rhythm
and heart attacks, chest pain and respiratory failure, strokes, seizures and
headaches, and gastrointestinal complications such as abdominal pain and
nausea. Because cocaine has a tendency to decrease appetite, many chronic users
can become malnourished.
 Regular use of cocaine can lead to strong
psychological dependence (addiction). Those who abruptly stop their cocaine use
can experience cocaine Withdrawal symptoms as they readjust to functioning
without the drug. The length of cocaine Withdrawal varies from person to person
and on the amount and frequency of use.
Cocaine
withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited
to:
-
agitation.
-
depression
-
intense craving for the drug - extreme fatigue - anxiety
- angry outbursts - lack of motivation - nausea/vomiting - shaking
- irritability
- muscle pain
- disturbed sleep
Street Names and Mode of Use: Coke, candy, powder, snort, snow, flake, blow, soda, nose candy,
snowball, tornado, wicky stick, Perico (Spanish) and many others. The powdered,
hydrochloride salt form of cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and
injected. Crack is cocaine that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the
hydrochloride salt. This form of cocaine comes in a rock crystal that can be
heated and its vapors smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound
heard when it is heated.
Effects: Short-term: Cocaine's effects appear almost
immediately after a single dose, and disappear within a few minutes or hours.
Taken in small amounts (up to 100 mg), cocaine usually makes the user feel
euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the
sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can also temporarily decrease the
need for food and sleep. Some users find that the drug helps them perform
simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly, while others experience
the opposite effect.
The
duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects depends upon the route of
administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. Also, the
faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from
snorting is relatively slow in onset, and may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that
from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes.
The
short-term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels;
dilated pupils; and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user's high,
but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behavior. These users may
experience tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia, or, with repeated
doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning. Some users of
cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. In rare
instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly
thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or
seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Long-term: Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Thus,
an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which
he or she will continue to want or use the drug. Cocaine's stimulant and
addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of its ability to
inhibit the reabsorption of dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as
part of the brain's reward system, and is either directly or indirectly
involved in the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.
An
appreciable tolerance to cocaine's high may develop, with many addicts
reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from
their first experience. Some users will frequently increase their doses to
intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can
occur, users can also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine's
anesthetic and convulsant effects, without increasing the dose taken. This
increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low
doses of cocaine.
Use of
cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at
increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability,
restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis,
in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory
hallucinations.
Signs of Use: Symptoms of Cocaine use include; anxiety,
panic, nose bleeds, stuffiness or runny nose, increased energy, rapid talking,
dilated pupils, confusion, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Rehabilitation: Successful rehabilitation includes a
calm, stress free environment, plenty of liquids, and replenishing of vitamins
that have been burned out of the body. Use of a mild sedative to help sleep is
often helpful, as the lack of sleep is what can cause the hallucinations. After
feeling physically better, proper rehabilitation therapy can commence that
deals with relapse prevention, dealing with the reasons the addict turned to
drugs in the first place, and any personal failings that need strengthening. It
is highly recommended that a daily routine of proper exercise, nutrition, and
rest be followed as effective relapse and craving prevention. Ideally a
cleansing program would be also administered to help rid the body of the
residual toxins that can impair health in the future and cause cravings.
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